Director of Commercial Finance

Job Purpose

Reporting to the Executive Director of Finance, the Director of Commercial Finance, will be responsible for leading the strategic and operational development of the University's commercial activities, driving commercial value, growth and income for the University which supports its strategic objectives. The Director of Commercial Finance will shape and drive the University's commercial activities to maximise the year-round returns from the University's physical assets and its commercially traded services.

The Director of Commercial Finance is a new role which has been created to deliver a step change in the institution's ability to deliver improvements in commercial returns and provide finance support of planned expansion in economic development and international proposals.

The scope and impact of the role is University wide and will have significant interaction at senior levels both internally but also externally with funders, customers and potential partners.

The role holder will be expected to design the requisite support structure consistent with the long-term needs of the institution operating in a matrix structure with a blend of dedicated colleagues, external support and the broader finance team.

Income from commercial sources is greater than £100m per annum and is set to grow as the institution invests in further commercial operations and opportunities and seeks to partner with others to develop commercial and economic development impact in and beyond Glasgow. As part of this growth, the role holder will build a team to provide strategic financial leadership to structure, negotiate and deliver this growth working with relevant business partners.

As a member of the Finance Leadership team, the role holder will contribute to the development and execution of the University's finance strategy, wider finance related initiatives and people development, and will represent the service on the University's Economic Development Board and Transnational Education Board

Main Duties & Responsibilities
1. Develop strategies for the delivery of the University's commercial activities, including income generation and diversification to increase revenue and maximise business growth, optimising commercial margin for the institution.
2. Identify new and emerging opportunities, lead commercial due diligence processes and ensuring that commercial decision-making is supported by data/evidence-based business cases.
3. Working closely with other senior leaders including the Director of Economic Development, Development of Property Joint Ventures lead financial negotiations, working in conjunction and to deliver commercial and economic development opportunities.
4. Build, establish and develop an effective team to leverage internal and external support to provide the University with the necessary skills and capacity to manage future investment and deal pipelines.
5. Apply a commercial, entrepreneurial and ambitious approach to the delivery of services, focused on the delivery of service excellence and outstanding customer service through effective and efficient operating models.
6. Introduce new ways of working and new commercial activity based on robust business cases which clearly identify a return on investment for the University.
7. Develop robust processes to track commercial performance and ensure appropriate KPIs and strategy are set and measured across the institution.
8. Strategically lead on the development of commercial policies and procedures to provide a framework to manage commercial risk and return.
9. Develop new and innovative delivery vehicles for commercial activities, including the establishment of mutually beneficial agreements with partner organisations.
10. Oversee the formulation of high-profile contract specifications and tender processes and contracts, ensuring that clear quality standards are established, maintained and monitored.

Knowledge/Qualifications, Skills and Experience

Knowledge/Qualifications

Essential:
A1 Educated to degree level.
A2 Membership of a recognised CCAB accounting professional body.
A3 Expert knowledge of project financing, contracts and structures.
A4 Excellent working knowledge of Microsoft Excel, Word and Powerpoint.

Skills

Essential:
C1 Well-developed commercial negotiation skills in multi-million-pound long term deals.
C2 Strong leadership and management skills with a demonstrable ability to develop high performing teams.
C3 High level influencing and interpersonal skills, able to quickly build credibility and deliver impact at all levels.
C4 Strategic thinker, ability to develop strategy and policy and implement effectively.
C5 Ability to drive forward and deliver change in line with strategic and operational objectives and priorities.
C6 Ability to constructively challenge the status quo, influence change and present arguments based on sound professional judgement and expertise.
C7 Well-developed report writing and presentation skills with the ability to present and translate comprehensive and often complex information and financial concepts for non-financial colleagues.
C8 Outstanding and proven analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to make well-considered decisions, resolve conflicts and demonstrate sound, professional judgement.
C9 A self-motivated individual with the ability to work effectively under pressure and to tight timescales managing competing demands and ability to prioritise.
C10 Advanced skills in the use of industry standard and specialist financial and accounting software packages.

Experience

Essential:
E1 Significant post-qualification corporate finance and commercial finance experience at a senior level within a large, complex environment.
E2 Negotiation of commercial contracts including joint ventures, sales and procurement contracts.
E3 A strong track record of leadership and delivery at a senior financial level operating in a political or highly complex environment - providing direction, delivering results, building on relationships and capability and demonstrating personal resilience.
E4 Extensive experience of leading and managing teams to deliver excellence including management of third-party experts.
E5 A track record of delivering measurable service improvements, including the application of technology and business systems.
E6 Experience of interpreting highly complex information to provide effective ‘good practice' solutions to achieve results.
E7 Significant experience of aligning institutional strategy to policy development.
E8 Highly successful at establishing and maintaining effective working relationships at all levels inspiring trust and confidence.
E9 Experience of preparing and presenting highly complex information and presenting for a variety of purposes and audiences.

Terms and Conditions
Salary will be on Competitive on the Management, Professional and Administrative, Senior Administrative Group, level 10.

This post is full time (35 hours per week) and open-ended (permanent). Relocation assistance will be provided where appropriate.

As part of Team UofG, you will be a member of a world-changing, inclusive community, which values ambition, excellence, integrity and curiosity.

As a valued member of our team, you can expect:

1 A welcoming and engaging organisational culture, where your talents are developed and nurtured, and success is celebrated and shared.
2 An excellent employment package with generous terms and conditions including 41 days of leave for full time staff, , benefits and discount packages.
3 A flexible approach to working.
4 A commitment to support your .

We believe that we can only reach our full potential through the talents of all. Equality, diversity and inclusion are at the heart of our values. Applications are particularly welcome from across our communities and in particular people from the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) community, and other protected characteristics who are under-represented within the University. Read more on how the University promotes and embeds all aspects of equality and diversity within our community .

We endorse the principles of Athena Swan and hold bronze, silver and gold awards across the University.

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