Strategic Finance Business Partner - Corporate Service (Part-Time 0.5

Kingston and Sutton's shared finance service is an exciting and unique place to work. We provide finance services to two vibrant boroughs in South West London enabling the team to draw on a wide pool of knowledge and experience and learn from activities across both Councils.

Kingston and Sutton are both small London Boroughs, but both also have big ambitions. Both boroughs already have lots of green space and the two Councils are committed to tackling the climate emergency and are developing plans for a more sustainable future. Kingston is embarking on the redevelopment of its largest council housing estate to provide 2,170 new homes including a mix of social and private housing and is also developing a new community leisure centre in the town centre. There is also a thriving business community in the Borough with a mix of big–name brands, including the UK headquarters of Lidl and Unilever, and smaller independent businesses.

We are looking to recruiting for a Strategic Finance Business Partner – Corporate Service (Part–Time 0.5 FTE). Reporting into the Corporate Head of Financial Planning & Business Partnering (Kingston), the Strategic Finance Business Partner will support the Corporate Finance team within the Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames.

This is a job–share role supporting the Corporate Head of Financial Planning and Business Partnering. It is a Corporate Finance centred role that involves various work streams; one of the most prominent is working on the Medium–Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) working towards a balanced budget by influencing, modelling and updating all the financial elements behind the MTFS including savings, growth, inflation, council tax, business rates, collection fund and grants. This is done by responding to, and collating, information from other Strategic Finance Business Partners, the Services, the Section 151 and other colleagues. It is also achieved through keeping abreast of the overall financial climate, government announcements to do with local government funding and joining all these elements together.

Key responsibilities include:

• Support the development of the Medium–Term Financial Plan and take responsibility for ensuring the MTFP is underpinned by robust and accurate working papers
• Lead and co–ordinate the creation of detailed budget estimates ensuring these are implemented on 1 April and aligned to the published MTFP
• Support the Head of Financial Planning & Business Partnering to prepare budget reports, analysis, and budget options for consideration by senior officers, Members and Council committees
• Provide detailed analysis of grant settlements and other funding announcements, ensuring financial impact on the Council is assessed and communicated clearly to senior officers
• Respond to consultations and assess the financial impact of new legislation as required
• Support the Head of Financial Planning & Business Partnering to align financial plans to other corporate policies and strategies including the corporate plan, and to develop a strong understanding of the Council's financial position and associated challenges across the Council and external stakeholders

To be suitable for this role you need to be a Qualified accountant (e.g. CIPFA, CIMA, MBA etc) or have demonstrable equivalent experience of operating at that level. You should have experience of working within a business partnering model and/or the ability to demonstrate an awareness of what is required to deliver the outcomes of the model. You should also have demonstrable experience of delivering strategic finance advice within a large and complex organisation and providing advice and challenge to budget holders, managers and Finance colleagues.

This position is able to work flexibly between the office and homeworking, with a minimum expectation to be based in the office one day per week.

For more information about Kingston and Sutton's shared finance service, the interview processes and to see the job description please refer to Home Kingston Council () or contact Jack Murphy () at Allen Lane for a confidential conversation.

To apply, please send your CV and cover letter to by Monday 2nd January 2023. The cover letter should be no more than 2 pages and should include why you are interested in the position and why you believe you are suitable.