Job Introduction
If you are ready to broaden your horizons, you’ll discover that a leadership role at West of England Combined Authority presents an opportunity to influence on a greater scale. It’s a chance to play your part in making a fundamental difference to quality of life in our region – working with the Metro Mayor, Dan Norris, on the big questions around transport and infrastructure, jobs and skills, economic growth and environmental sustainability. Both of these roles will be fundamental to the impact and influence of the West of England Combined Authority, as we continue to grow the organisation, identifying our strengths and areas for development.
Part of the Corporate Leadership Team, this person will be a visible and involved contributor to the overall strategic leadership of the Authority, as well as taking on direct management responsibility for a number of key corporate functions that include:
- Finance
- IT
- HR
- Procurement
The Authority is growing at pace with staff numbers increasing from 235 FTE to 300 FTE. This is supported by an increase of 256% in core specific grant funding. Capitalising on this enhanced resource and capacity is a priority, and this role offers the chance to really make an impact during this formative time. Setting a clear organisational development plan that specifies our core operating model as well as common behaviours will represent a step change that will establish a more cohesive and effective approach and enhanced outcomes.
It's an opportunity to work at scale – ensuring financial rigour and probity on large funding streams and ambitious delivery programmes. It’s essential that we maximise the impact of the resources at our disposal and that we can demonstrate a clear return on investment.
As the s.73 officer, it’s essential that you are a qualified accountant, but this role is about much more than your technical skills. We are looking for a corporate leader who can influence, enable and build effective relationships; someone who understands the importance of effective stewardship of public funds, but who can also apply a commercial mindset and can assess risk in complex, large-scale infrastructure, transport and development projects.
We expect that you will already have held a statutory finance role (S73 or S151) and that you have proven experience of working with budgets of significant scale and complexity. You’ll need to demonstrate a clear understanding of public sector funding sources, finance procedures and budget management and have previous experience of operating and advising within a political setting.
Visit www.looktothewest.co.uk to find out more, or contact Steve Guest or Amy Billington at Solace in Business on 020 7976 3311 for a confidential discussion.