Income Collection Finance Team Manager

**In line with Essex County Councils' Ways of Working, this role has been deemed as an 'Anywhere Worker' position. This means you are able to work remotely for the majority of the time, with occasional trips to the office based on business need. Anyjourneys to the office would be at your own expense. More specific details about this can be discussed at the interview stage should you be invited to interview.**

Essex County Council (ECC) is one of the largest and most dynamic local authorities in the UK, serving a population of 2 million residents, and has a very successful track record of delivering transformational change. ECC anticipated change was needed inthe public sector and has worked to deliver better quality at lower cost. We have an ambitious transformation agenda - one with the scope to reach every part of the council. We are changing the way we think, the way we work, and the ways in which we deliverour services. We are committed to becoming a place where individuals, partners and communities feel proud to play their role and genuinely want to belong. We're immensely proud of our flexible working options.

**Job Purpose**

This role is located within the Transactional Services Division, of ECC's Finance Directorate. Finance Transactional Services aims to provide a comprehensive financial transactional and support service, maximising new and innovative technology to provideexcellent customer service using a multi skilled workforce.

You will be responsible for demonstrating exemplary standards in the provision and continuous improvement of income collection services, translating customer needs to deliver efficient and customer friendly processes and identify changes in technology, toenhance and streamline the customer experience.

With substantial experience of income collection & debt recovery, as well as excellent leadership and communication skills, you will also be expected to have the ability to influence, motivate and manage a large number of staff, ensuring they deliver consistentlyhigh levels of performance.

Commercial astuteness and awareness of best practice plus benchmarking and networking skills are essential in this role, as is the ability to lead change and recognise and support changes in technology to positively enhance the customer experience.

**Accountabilities**
- Lead on the delivery of the business plan for financial transactions, in support of the wider organisational vision.
- Lead, drive and motivate a team of senior finance officers, finance officers and finance assistants, to deliver exemplary standards in the provision and continuous improvement in financial transactions.
- Lead in the identification and clarification of customer needs to deliver process and technology changes, which drive efficiency and value for money.
- Lead in improving financial awareness and capability across the organisation, to promote the culture of empowering budget holders in line with financial regulations.
- Contribute to the production of reports for P2P and Income and external customers to manage organisational performance, maximise income and ensure compliance with Financial Regulations.
- Lead on service improvement projects or programmes to achieve best practice and organisational efficiency.
- Lead in maintaining currency on legislation changes and translating these into local policy and procedure, to identify and review changes in technology to assess possibility introduce.
- Working collaboratively across the organisation to deliver and maintain a high level of service to all Functions.
- Lead in identifying, mitigating, managing and resolving risks to minimise financial impact and loss to the organisation.
- Specific individual and shared targets and objectives are defined annually within the performance management framework.

**Knowledge, Skills and Experience**
- Educated to RQF level 6 (Bachelor's degree) or equivalent by experience. Project management accreditation/qualification, or equivalent by experience, would be desirable.
- Evidence of continuing professional development and expert knowledge in relevant professional area.
- Substantial experience and good working knowledge of income systems and demonstrable accounts receivable and e-invoicing experience, in a high volume environment.
- Ability to interpret complex and varied information and use it to drive continuous improvement.
- Strong leadership skills and behaviours, building a diverse team to achieve shared objectives.
- Experience of managing cultural and operational change in a complex environment.
- Good level of commercial awareness, with the ability to build effective working relationships at senior level, with internal and external customers, suppliers and partners.
- Ability to evaluate and support innovative approaches to improving service delivery and value for money, with a strong focus on performance and delivery.
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to negotiate, constructively challenge and influence at senior level across the Council and external partners.
- Excellent excel knowledge and skills