Finance Team Manager - Income Collection

Fixed Term, 9 months

Full Time, 37 hours per week

Up to £43,299 per annum

Location: Chelmsford*

Closing date: 25th Feb 2021

*This position will initially, in line with current government guidance be based from home, with an expectation of being home based for the foreseeable future, however if / when government guidelines change the role may then revert to being office based, with Chelmsford as the expected daily location.

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 provide excellent customer service using a multi skilled workforce.

The Finance Team Manager (Income Collection) will work with our existing operational Finance Team Manager (Income Collection) to lead and drive the delivery of specific tasks in line with the ECC's Debt Recovery Strategy in support of the Service Manager. The successful candidate post holder will be responsible for ensuring high levels of income collection for ECC and assist with the review of processes in place to ensure consistent application of ECC's Debt Recovery Strategy and implementing improvements where necessary.

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, to enhance and streamline the customer experience.

With substantial experience of Income collection & debt recovery, as well as excellent good 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 consistently high 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 finance officers, 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 P2P/Income systems and demonstrable accounts payable, accounts receivable, purchase to pay 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.

Apply and next steps

Please apply via the Working for Essex website, ensuring you provide an up to date CV and supporting statement when prompted.

Interviews are expected to be held on a virtual / video call basis.

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

We seek the best talent from the widest pool of people as diversity is key to our success.