Head of Finance

Pay progression scheme. Head of FinanceFull time / Part timeSalary: £66,068 - £75,592 pa with potential for further progression to £85,113 pa with our pay progression scheme.Location: WilmslowContracted to our Wilmslow office, however, we offer flexible home and office-based working opportunities. There will be times when you will be expected to attend the office to collaborate with colleagues or travel due to business need. The Finance team are on site on average one to two days per week.Why work for the ICO?Pay progression scheme.Hybrid and flexible working options.25 days paid holiday per year, plus privilege and public holidays.Flexi leave (up to 26 additional days leave per year).Pension (employer contribution around 26.6%).Online discount scheme to save money at major supermarkets, retailers, gyms, restaurants, insurance providers and many more.Health Cash Plan.Fantastic development opportunities to learn and progress.Further details can be found on the benefits section of our website .Job summaryReporting into the Director of Finance you will be responsible for leading the Finance function to deliver efficient and effective end to end services, both internally and externally. In addition you will be responsible for leading and championing transformation of the Finance service to deliver service excellence.The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is the independent regulator of information rights. In a data-driven world, we provide advice, guidance, and support to organisations enabling compliance with their obligations, as well as protecting individuals and their personal data.As an employer, we are passionate about making a positive difference to the lives and careers of our people, and we empower you to be curious, impactful, collaborative and respectful.Job descriptionThe Head of Finance will lead the Financial Transactions, Management Accounting and Financial Accounting functions in delivering efficient and effective end to end finance services to enable the ICO to meet its objectives. The postholder will work with the Director of Finance to enable the Commissioner to fulfil the relevant statutory duties. They will also support the Director of Finance, by contributing to the longer term financial strategy of the ICO.The postholder is responsible for management of the day to day financial administration and activities of the ICO, ensuring compliance with financial policies and processes, and ensuring there is a robust financial control framework in place. They will lead the delivery of the end of year financial statements and external audit process.The Head of Finance will lead the annual budget process and ensure, through regular forecast reviews, that the ICO's funding is targeted towards the highest priorities, whilst ensuring that financial performance targets are met. They will have a focus on delivering value for money, and enable accurate reporting of efficiencies achieved.The postholder will lead on transforming the end to end Finance service, building a high performing team by seeking and implementing performance and service improvements, in order to deliver service excellence to the ICO and our external stakeholders.Key responsibilities:Provide leadership oversight across the finance services to ensure that delivery of the Finance service is meeting the needs and expectations of both the business, and external stakeholders.Providing effective leadership to the Finance team to ensure there is clarity on priorities, and they are empowered and motivated to deliver effective and efficient services to achieve high performance. Provide coaching and development support to the team as required.Develop and maintain strong and effective financial controls, policies and procedures to manage the use of resources and safeguard public money, and monitor compliance.Lead the preparation of the annual accounts for audit and publication as required by relevant legislation, regulations and government accounting rules.Co-ordinate and manage the internal resources, and the provision of evidence for financial audits to ensure successful and timely audit outcomesLead the preparation of the annual budget ensuring that funding is allocated against the ICO's highest priorities whilst adhering to the conditions attached to the ICO's various funding sources.Ensure effective delegation of budgets to budget holders, with appropriate financial forecasting and financial governance processes in place.Provide regular advice to the Director of Finance, including financial risks and mitigations, to ensure that the ICO meets its financial performance targets.Provision of monthly financial performance reporting and advice to internal and external boards and stakeholders, including reporting on efficiencies delivered.Identify and implement opportunities to transform and improve the performance of the end to end Finance service to deliver service excellence to the ICO and our external stakeholders.To support the Director of Finance in the longer term financial strategy of the ICO, by providing long term financial modelling and supporting the Director in the completion of comprehensive spending reviews and fee reviews.To participate on behalf of the Commissioner/ICO as required in meetings events and activities where senior representation is required.Act as Information Asset Manager, with the responsibility of supporting the Information Asset Owner in ensuring good information governance practice and data protection compliance obligations are understood and applied by all the staff in the department.Provide the Information Asset Owner (IAO) with assurance that the asset is appropriately managed in line with legal requirements, ICO standards and procedures.Person specificationEssential criteria assessed at application stage:Financial accounting qualification (eg ACCA; ACA; CCAB; CIMA).Senior finance management experience at equivalent level (minimum 2 years).Extensive public sector finance experience (preferably gained across a range of finance services).Experience of leading financial yearend, statutory reporting and achieving successful audit results.Comprehensive technical awareness of accounting standards.Excellent written communication skills.Essential criteria assessed during interview:Experience of leading and managing people through change.Experience of leading Finance transformation projects to improve performance and service delivery.Experience of delivering balanced budgets within funding constraints, supported by an effective efficiency reporting frameworkExcellent written and verbal communication skills.Excellent organisational skills, ability to prioritise.Strong leadership - ability to delegate, motivate and empower teams.Ability to analyse complex operational / statistical information and produce accurate / intelligent forecasts and plans.Equality, diversity, and inclusionThe ICO is committed to promoting and enhancing equality, diversity, and inclusion. We are focused on developing a workforce that is representative of the communities we serve and together we are building an inclusive workplace where all of our colleagues have the opportunity to make a real difference. We are championing this through our Equality Diversity and Inclusion Board together with a number of staff networks. Read more about our commitment on our website.Candidates with a disability who meet the minimum criteria for this vacancy will be invited to interview as part of the ICO's commitment to the Disability Confident Scheme.If you have a disability or impairment and have difficulty using our online application system, please email the HR team at ##### who can arrange for you to submit an application via an alternative method.Closing DatePlease submit your CV and cover letter detailing your suitability to the role by 23:59, Friday 19th AprilWe reserve the right to close this vacancy before this date should we receive sufficient applications. Please apply as soon as possible to ensure your application is considered.
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