Principal Finance Officer

PO3 to PO4 (SCP 32 -38) (linked grade criteria): £34,788 - £40,760 pa  * (April 2020 pay award still to be awarded)

1 x 37 Hours per week

Established

Based at Britannia House, Bradford

The Code of Practice on the English language requirement for public sector workers, Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016, requires that Councils ensure that all candidates applying for customer facing posts must be assessed in order to establish their fluency in English.

The criteria under special knowledge and experience on the job profile which is shown in this advert, outlines what level of fluency you will be expected to demonstrate.  Therefore, it is essential that you provide examples in your application.

Local Government Finance is facing unprecedented change both dealing with austerity measures and dealing with reforms to the local government finance landscape, including the Government’s implementation of its National Funding Formula for schools and the academies program. This is a great opportunity to make a real contribution by supporting the Council and Schools in meeting these challenges.

We currently require a Principal Finance Officer to work in the Council’s School Funding Team.

The post holder will:

• Ensure that correct accounting procedures and policies are followed by maintained schools. Provide professional advice and guidance to schools inline with Council / Education Skills Funding Agency / Department for Education policies.
• Manage the Council’s statutory school finance processes, including year end closedown and CFR reporting, ensuring that all elements of these processes, and statutory returns, are completed according to deadlines.
• Oversee the management of local school bank accounts and Council ledger (SAP) reconciliation, including the closure of accounts for maintained schools converting to academy status.
• Deliver designated elements of the Local Authority’s annual DSG scheme of funding for schools, interpreting and modeling large volumes of complex information and consulting on funding proposals, working with stakeholder review groups.
• Present DSG formula funding, and other school finance matters, to a variety of audiences, including Bradford Schools’ Forum.
• Undertake detailed analysis of income and expenditure monitoring reports submitted by maintained schools, taking appropriate (risk-based) follow up action.
• Ensure maintained schools adhere to protocols where deficit balances and excess surplus balances are reported.
• Be responsible for additional project-style work that is typically initiated by changes in national government policies or Council policies.
• Participate in the delivery of training to school staff (Governors, Business Managers, Head  Teachers)
• Build and maintain good working relationships with school finance managers e.g. through attendance of Business Manager Forum meetings.
• Manage and develop designated Finance Officers in the discharge of their daily duties.
• Lead within the School Funding Team on the delivery of excellent service to customers, communicating in an informed confident, polite and understanding manner with all clients and customers showing professionalism and high standards of integrity.

We are looking for an experienced financial manager who has excellent IT skills as well as proven analytical, problem solving and time management skills, who is attentive to detail and who inspires confidence. The ideal candidate will relish the challenge of working in busy but friendly team.

You should hold a professional finance qualification or degree. You should also have at least 5 year’s experience of working in a finance environment in a senior position. The ideal candidate will have experience in an education-based finance role in a school, academy or Local Authority.

For further information regarding this post please contact Andrew Redding, Business Adviser – School Funding Team on (01274) 432678    or email andrew.redding@bradford.gov.uk

Or Dawn Haigh – Principal Finance Officer (Schools) on (01274) 433775 or email dawn.haigh@bradford.gov.uk

Closing date: 19th October 2020