Head of Management Reporting

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U K Research and Innovation

Salary: £54,043 per annum

Hours: Full time

Contract Type: Open Ended.

Location: Polaris House, Swindon, Wiltshire.

Closing Date Friday 14th June 2024

Purpose

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the UKRI Strategic Financial Planning team in the role of Head of Management Reporting. This is a high profile and critical role in a dynamic and fast paced environment with regular engagement and interaction with senior management including the UKRI Finance Director, CFO, CEO and Executive Committee (ExCo) amongst others. This post would suit an ambitious and driven individual with a strong commitment to the provision of high-quality financial reporting and to continuous improvement.

Reporting to the UKRI Deputy Director for Strategic Financial Planning the successful candidate will be fundamental to ensuring UKRI delivers within its financial management target of no overspend and no less than 1% underspend. The successful candidate will lead on enhancing the current management reporting model for UKRI, escalating and leading on the management of key in-year financial risks, and effectively transition the team from current manual processes and collation of data to a single integrated system-based solution harnessing the opportunity presented by the introduction of SHARP and other relevant tools.

Directorate

You must be able to lead a team through change ensuring that everyone understands their responsibilities and inputs and develops new ways of working to adapt to internal and external change.

Additionally, you will have an appreciation of the nature of the different entities supported and build strong relationships with key stakeholders to ensure that the forecasting and budgets produced are agreed and bought into.

You will also perform a range of reporting, systems and control functions, but fundamentally will be responsible for producing accurate UKRI-level budgets, forecasts and reporting which has had input and buy in from FBPs to provide information that can be relied upon for PFO, ExCo and Board-level decision-making.

Working with your team to harmonise and standardise processes between in year and multi-year financial models and teams where practicable and develop insightful reporting, highlighting cost drivers with commentary that gives the reader additional valuable information.

Key Responsibilities

Lead the Central Management reporting team by:

• Developing, managing and maintaining strong working relationships with key stakeholders across Finance function and DSIT
• Show effective leadership skills in motivating and developing team members. Maximise the team's performance through clear management, smart objective setting and effective performance reviews
• Promote a one team approach where continuous improvement is encouraged
• Building a strong understanding of UKRI entities and their associated cost drivers enabling the team to provide effective challenge and support when building open budgets and forecast, including in-year OpEx management, leading on mains and supplementary estimates, and ARA performance reporting
• Working with the team to develop consolidated UKRI reporting across the various entities and teams, harmonising and standardising where practical and developing the processes required to produce UKRI Management Reporting Pack and internal Allocations
• Having a strong understanding of the strategic financial risks, pressures and opportunities for UKRI both in year and in future years to ensure effective financial decision-making in these areas, working with the Financial Planning Team
• Seeing the big picture, ensuring the team meet deadlines critical to UKRI financial management and identifying trends in data presented
• Oversee the provision and development of management information across the finance function to enable team members to make the best use of the tools available to them
• Responsible for reviewing the output of the team to ensure relevance, accuracy and completeness, meeting the needs of stakeholders
• Working with the team to ensure there is cover for all key activities
• Using various information sources (external audit, internal audit, stakeholder feedback, team feedback, risk registers) identifying and taking forward process improvement
• Inputting as a subject matter expert and intelligent customer into UKRI/function-wide project and change activities including SHARP (ERP replacement) and a project to roll-out self-service reporting to UKRI budget-holders.

Shortlisting Criteria

Essential:

• Qualified Accountant or working towards qualification (ACA/CIMA/ACCA/CIPFA or international equivalent)
• A strong understanding of accounting and finance and demonstrable experience of working in senior finance roles and delivering effective financial management
• Strong leadership, with ability to engage and empower colleagues through change
• Highly numerate with the ability to provide insightful analysis, working with reliable excel models and communicating the key elements to effectively influence decision making
• Ability to build relationships with senior stakeholders and influence them with impact and professional credibility
• Experience of balancing the conflicting demands of stakeholders and working to tight deadlines
• A willingness to be "hands on" when the role requires it.

Desirable:

• Experience of working within a similar role and environment
• A good working knowledge of Microsoft Office and particularly a strong knowledge of Excel including modelling and controls
• Experience in delivering or managing change
• Line management experience
• Experience of accounting/finance in the public sector.

Interview Criteria

Essential:

• Clear, demonstrable relationship management and influencing skills, with ability to instil confidence within stakeholders
• Strong team leadership with ability to engage and empower colleagues through change
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Personal resilience and a confident approach to solve issues and find solutions
• The ability to respond calmly under pressure and to make impartial and well-considered judgements
• Aptitude for and application of continuous improvement, ability to innovate and challenge established thinking in self and others, and to offer insights and ideas with practical application coupled with the ability to drive change
• Good organisational skills, ability to deliver at pace and meeting changing priorities to time and to a high standard
• Ability to remain focused on the bigger picture.

For further information please take a look at our Finance Brochure to find out more about what we do here at UKRI Finance.

About UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)

UKRI launched in April 2018, UKRI is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).

Our organisation brings together the seven disciplinary research councils, Research England, which is responsible for supporting research and knowledge exchange at higher education institutions in England, and the UK's innovation agency, Innovate UK. Together we build an independent organisation with a strong voice and vision to ensure the UK maintains its world-leading position in research and innovation. More information can be found at .

Choosing to come to work at UKRI means that you will have access to a whole host of benefits from a defined benefit pension scheme, excellent holiday entitlement, access to employee shopping/travel discounts and salary sacrifice cycle to work scheme. For more details, visit benefits of working for UKRI .

The role holder will be required to have the appropriate level of security screening/vetting required for the role. UKRI reserves the right to run or re-run security clearance as required during the course of employment.

How we support EDI in the workforce

At UKRI, we believe that everyone has a right to be treated with dignity and respect, and to be provided with equal opportunities to thrive and succeed in an environment that enables them to do so. We also value diversity of thought and experience within inclusive groups, organisations and the wider community. For further information, please visit ' How we support EDI in the workforce '.

Disability Confident Employer

As users of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy/ies. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.

How to apply

Online applications only preferred for this role. Please submit a CV and covering letter which clearly outlines how you fulfil the criteria specified along with your motivation for UKRI and the role. Ensure that the job reference number is included in the filename description of each document uploaded. Note that failure to address the above criteria or submit an application without a covering letter may result in the application not being considered. Assessment will only be based upon the content of your submitted covering letter and CV and not the 'experience' section of the application.

UKRI seeks to ensure it creates and maintains a system of openness, fairness and inclusion - a collaborative, trusted environment, which is attractive to and accessible to everyone who is interested in developing their career with us.