Head of Finance Business Partnering

Transcription

1 LONDON S EVENING UNIVERSITY Head of Finance Business Partnering Finance November 2017

2 1. About Birkbeck Thank you for your interest in the role of Head of Finance Business Partnering at Birkbeck, University of London. In 1823 George Birkbeck founded the London Mechanics Institute with a vision for opening up university education to working Londoners. By 1920 Birkbeck was incorporated in to the University of London and today, almost 200 years later, George s mission remains undimmed. Birkbeck, University of London, is a world-class research and teaching institution, a vibrant centre of academic engagement and excellence and London's only specialist provider of evening higher education. Where once we were known solely for our part-time courses and mature students, today we have a wider mix; our cohort of full-time undergraduates has grown from zero to almost 3,000 over the past six years. Undergraduate students can study for a degree at a pace that suits them, across three, four or six years, while we are the sixth largest provider of postgraduate programmes in the UK. We have 14,000 students studying for over 130 Masters Degrees, nearly 80 BA/BSc/LLB degrees and 40 Certificates of Higher Education in Arts; Business, Economics and Informatics; Law; Science; Social Sciences, History and Philosophy. We also have over 800 PhD students. But while Birkbeck has its roots firmly in London, we are recognised on a global stage. The Times Higher Education (THE) World University rankings placed Birkbeck among the world s top 250 universities and ranked us the 50th most international university, taking in to account both the international students and international academic collaborations. Birkbeck s reputation as a world-class research intensive institution was cemented by the Research Excellence Framework in Birkbeck was 30th in the UK for research (THE rankings with intensity ), with 73% of our research rated world leading or internationally excellent. We are home to 44 research and specialist institutes. 1 bbk.ac.uk

3 In the summer of 2017 we were delighted that the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) review panel acknowledged our unique position in the higher education sector and awarded the College a Silver grade. WONKHE (a renowned independent website with a mission to improve policy making in higher education ) published an article which aimed to compare the REF and TEF results for institutions. They plotted the REF2014 grade point average intensity score against a 25 point scale devised by them to convert the TEF metrics into a score. Birkbeck appeared with 28 other institutions in the top right quadrant of the chart which the article described as institutions which can be considered to be successful at research and teaching. It is worth noting that only three of the institutions in this quadrant are based in London. This unique combination of ground-breaking research and innovative teaching provides an inspirational learning experience for our students; we have consistently ranked number one in London for student satisfaction in the National Student Survey. Birkbeck s main Bloomsbury campus is in the heart of academic London, home to a number of other universities and colleges of the University of London, including University College London and the School of Oriental and African Studies. We are situated among beautiful, leafy squares in one of the world s greatest concentrations of libraries, including the British Library and Senate House Library. The British Museum is next door and we are just a short stroll from the West End. Across the city in east London, we offer courses at University Square in Stratford. Both our campuses are wellserved by public transport. 2 bbk.ac.uk

4 2. Birkbeck Organisational Structure 3 bbk.ac.uk

5 3. About the Department The College consists of five Schools that comprise a total of nineteen different academic departments and a wide range of interdisciplinary research centres and institutes. The Schools are supported by a number of professional services which include the Finance Department. Working closely with the Schools and Services, the Finance Department includes the following teams: Management Accounts Research Grants and Contracts Income Payroll Payments Procurement Responsible for developing and maintaining the College budget, long term financial forecasts, income distribution model and financial management information Responsible for coting research projects at the pre-award stage and financial reporting post-award Responsible for invoicing students and commercial customers and ensuring that the level of bad debts is minimised Responsible for processing the monthly payroll Responsible for supplier and staff payments Responsible for supporting the College to achieve value for money through purchasing College turnover C 100 million Annual research income exceeds 10 million Tuition fees exceed 60 million; Other income c 10 million Staff costs exceed 60 million Non staff expenditure exceeds 30 million A range of other more specialised activities are undertaken by members of these teams. A range of initiatives are introduced each year to support education, research and student support, and regulatory changes often impact the work of Finance. Implementation of a new HR/Payroll and Finance system (Business World from UNIT 4) is underway. The HR and Payroll modules went live in April 2017 with the Finance system scheduled for August The College recently developed a new estates strategy which will improve and increase the quality and amount of teaching and research space. A number of large construction projects will be undertaken in the period running up to the College s 200 th anniversary in bbk.ac.uk

6 4. Finance Department Structure 5 bbk.ac.uk

7 5. Job Description JOB TITLE: SCHOOL/ DEPARTMENT: REPORTS TO: SUPERVISES: Head of Finance Business Partnering Finance Deputy Director of Finance Management Accountant x 2, Asst. Management Accountant x 1 POST REFERENCE: GRADE: 9 DATE November 2017 Principle Accountabilities The Head of Finance Business Partnering is a senior member of the College s central Finance department leading a team of experienced management accountants responsible for the accurate and timely delivery of management information. The College has five academic Schools each led by an Executive Dean and supported by a Director of Operations and Heads of Department. Directors of Professional Services are responsible for managing the support services. Each School and Service is responsible for managing its devolved budget with the aim to deliver an overall surplus for the College. The Head of Finance Business Partnering will work closely with budget managers and other senior staff to ensure that individual and collective financial goals are achieved. The College has been through a number of successful financial years and has a strong Balance Sheet. As the higher education sector (and the UK economy in general) enters a period of significant uncertainty we are looking for a strong communicator to quickly reinvigorate the current management accounting team to ensure that it meets the needs of the College during this period of uncertainty and beyond. Through continuous dialogue with staff within Finance and across the College the role holder will be expected to quickly introduce and lead a finance business partnering service. The Head of Finance Business Partnering will be an energetic individual with the dynamism to engage with senior staff to help with business development as well as budget monitoring. At the same time, they must be able to analyse data with a view to recommending improvements in value for money or spotting cost saving opportunities. There is an expectation that the accuracy and timeliness of forecasting across the College will improve. 6 bbk.ac.uk

8 The post holder will ensure that the new business partnering team is proactive as well as reactive consistently exceeds stakeholders expectations. Key Responsibilities Strategic and Planning Understand the College s strategic vision, objectives and values and deliver management information which supports these objectives. Work closely with the Director of Planning, to ensure student number forecasts, and the corresponding HEFCE grants and fees, are calculated correctly and monitored closely. Understand the strategy of Schools and Services and offer expert specialist financial knowledge during planning and the development of business cases. Act as a catalyst by identifying opportunities to enhance the financial performance of a School or Service and provide relevant and expert financial insight into performance. Prepare comprehensive and insightful summary papers for College Committee meetings. Provision of Management Information Demonstrate good financial awareness and technical accounting skills and provide sensible interpretation of the numbers in a user-orientated style to facilitate key decisions. Prepare the College s monthly management accounts (including commentary) in line with the reporting cycle ensuring that income and expenditure lines are closely monitored and key variances are reported effectively. Responsible for providing timely, accurate and reliable financial information to budget holders in the form of monthly management reports. Ensure accurate and timely completion of external returns produced by the Management Accountants to the Student Union, HEFCE and other external bodies. Oversee management of the College s insurance arrangements. Provide information to the Deputy Director of Finance and other Finance colleagues for year-end purposes. Budgeting and Forecasting Accountable for the production of accurate annual budgets in line with the College s strategic objectives to the agreed timetable ensuring that proper communication with financial and non-financial colleagues is maintained throughout the process. Responsible for the College s monthly re-forecasting process ensuring forecasts are prepared following thorough enquiry and reflect all known facts. 7 bbk.ac.uk

9 Ensure that variances to budget and forecast are reported effectively through the commentaries to budget holders and senior staff. To assist with long term forecasting including the development of scenarios and analysis of risks. Responsible for improving the forecasting accuracy of the management accounts and long term forecasts thereby improving decision making. Proactively address any issues identified with appropriate stakeholders, monitor progress and ensure that variances are well understood. Effective planning, management and reporting of capital budgets. To proactively identify financial and other risks in a timely manner and provide financial information to support decision making across the College. Stakeholder Support Responsible for setting the tone and direction of the team to ensure that an exceptional service is delivered to all stakeholders. Develop strong working relationships with senior stakeholders, particularly Executive Deans and Directors, to ensure that effective support is provided during the annual planning and budgeting cycles. To assist with the development of business plans where the financial information provided aids decision making and the successful implementation of new initiatives. To proactively and reactively provide financial support and advice to stakeholders and offer reasoned and technically sound solutions to issues raised, whether this be in relation to long term planning or day-to-day operational queries. Provide training on relevant processes and procedures to colleagues across the College. Systems Ensure that reporting structures are appropriately set up to support all College activities and utilise the coding structure within the Finance system (currently BluQube by Symmetry, Unit 4 Business World from August 2018) to facilitate internal monitoring and external reporting. Develop and promote the aspects of the Finance system relating to Management Accounts so that it continues to meet users needs. Continuous Improvement Engage with the senior executive community to implement a new business partnering model which provides effective and expert support and advice to budget managers across the College. Demonstrate initiative and a proactive approach to identifying improvement 8 bbk.ac.uk

10 opportunities and cost savings which drive up efficiency, effectiveness and value for money. Tact and diplomacy will be required when challenging established ways of working and implementing positive changes. Drive continual process improvement ensuring that processes are reviewed and documented within a compliance culture and structure. Interpret School and Service KPIs and TRAC figures and use them effectively to inform decision making. Monitor trends in the ways in which other institutions are driving enhanced financial and operational performance and proactively make suggestions for improvement. People Management Provide effective leadership, staff management and strategic direction for the team. Working Relationships and Contacts Build strong working relationships with senior staff across the College and engage in regular discussion to ensure that the provision of management information continues to be effective. Patience, diplomacy and the ability to understand the requirements of non-finance staff is essential. Liaison with external stakeholders including: auditors; funders and advisors. Networking and regular contact with peers across the higher education sector as part of continuous professional self-development. Dimensions The College is a complex business entity with an annual turnover of c 100 million, in excess of 10 million in income from externally funded research grants and around 14,000 students. The Finance department must be flexible, effective and efficient in order to meet the needs of a wide range of internal and external stakeholders. The higher education environment in the UK is becoming increasingly uncertain as Government policy changes, the UK develops a strategy for leaving the EU, and competition for students and funding increases. The role holder will be expected to develop networks to ensure that they understand the changing sector so that they can work with colleagues and have a solid understanding of the management information required. General Responsibilities These are standard to all Birkbeck Job Descriptions To adhere to the College s Equal Opportunities policy in all activities and to actively 9 bbk.ac.uk

11 promote equality of opportunity wherever possible; To be responsible for your own health and safety and that of your colleagues in accordance with the Health and Safety at Work Act (1974) and relevant EC directives; To work in accordance with the Data Protection Act and to ensure that all new systems are reported to your Data Protection Controller; To undertake such other duties as may be reasonably expected; 10 bbk.ac.uk

12 6. Person Specification JOB TITLE: DEPARTMENT: Head of Finance Business Partnering Finance POST REFERENCE: Birkbeck is a member of the positive about disability Disability Confident scheme and guarantees to interview all candidates who meet the minimum essential criteria for the post. ATTRIBUTES ESSENTIAL CRITERIA DESIRABLE CRITERIA Knowledge Technical/Workbased Skills Comprehensive technical knowledge and experience of management accounting, accounting systems and processes in a large organisation. Understanding of current developments and challenges in Higher Education. METHOD OF ASSESSMENT Application Interview Test An understanding and commitment to performance management improvement with a history of successfully introducing changes. Able to proactively work with colleagues across the College to identify management information needs and introduce efficient and effective processes. Experience of analysing and interpreting financial and other data to ensure the 11 bbk.ac.uk

13 accuracy of the data, to identify trends and to provide appropriate management information, recommendations and advice. Excellent IT skills including the development, maintenance and improvement of financial IT systems and associated processes. Ability to utilise Excel and other reporting software to obtain management information from extensive data possibly sourced from multiple databases. Demonstrable experience of strategic decision making with strong and creative analytical and business development capabilities Excellent problem solving and decision making skills. General Skills/Attributes Demonstrable commitment to delivering excellent customer service. Application Interview Strong commercial acumen. Proven ability to lead, manage influence, develop and motivate a team of finance professionals to deliver high quality business focussed services. Proven ability to work collaboratively with colleagues across the College to achieve shared objectives. 12 bbk.ac.uk

14 Excellent interpersonal and communication skills including the ability to clearly communicate, provide training and develop management information for staff with a range of financial expertise and using a variety of media. Ability to develop creative approaches to problem resolution and supporting innovation. Positive, open-minded outlook, innovative, flexible and responsive to stakeholder needs. An empathy with the aims, objectives and values of the College. A logical, thoughtful and common sense approach to problem solving. Able to work effectively both independently and as part of a team. Experience Significant experience working in a highquality, pro-active and delivery focussed Management Accounts function. Experience working under pressure demonstrating self-motivation and history of prioritising own and team workloads to ensure that all deadlines are met. Experience working within the Higher Education sector. Experience of using a student records database. Experience of developing a business partnering service. Application Interview History of improving forecasting accuracy at local budget and institution level. 13 bbk.ac.uk

15 Qualifications Educated to degree level or equivalent. Application CCAB qualified accountant (with current membership) or equivalent experience. 14 bbk.ac.uk

16 7. Further Information Birkbeck / Head of Finance Business Partnering Salary: Probation: Duration of post: Hours: Annual leave entitlement: Superannuation: Closing date: Interview date: Start date: Grade 9 of the College's London Pay Scale which is 54,268 rising to 60,600 per annum. The salary quoted is on the College's London Pay Scale which includes a consolidated Weighting/Allowance which applies only to staff whose normal contractual place of work is in the Greater London area. The appointment may be subject to a probationary period of 6 months. Open-ended 35 hours per week (0.1 FTE) 25 days per year, plus an additional six days when the College is closed during the spring and winter breaks. This is in addition to the eight bank holidays. The post is superannuable under the USS (Universities Superannuation Scheme). This is a defined benefit scheme which will pay retirement benefits based on the number of years (and days) you have been a member of the scheme and the salary upon which you have paid contributions in each of those years. Midnight on Tuesday 28 th November Week Commencing 4 th December To be confirmed following interview Informal enquiries can be made to: Eleanor De Nardo, Business Manager at Hays or Eleanor.denardo@hays.com 15 bbk.ac.uk

17 The College s commitment to Equality and Diversity The College is committed to providing the highest quality academic and working environment where all staff, students, visitors and contractors are welcomed, respected and treated in a fair, consistent and non-discriminatory manner. The College is proud of its diversity and welcomes applications from all sections of the community. No one will be treated unfairly because of their sex, race, di sability, sexual orientation, age, religion or belief, carer status, political belief, pregnancy/maternity, social class, gender identity or marital/civil partnership. Birkbeck is a member of the positive about disability Disability Confident scheme and guarantees to interview all candidates who meet the minimum essential criteria for the post. Birkbeck is a member of the Equality Challenge Unit, holds a Bronze level Athena SWAN award, a Mindful Employers Charter signatory and subscribes to Stonewall s Diversity Champions. 16 bbk.ac.uk