Department: Finance and Corporate Performance
Reports to: Chief Executive Officer and Keeper
Line manages: Head of FP&A; Financial Systems Lead
Band: SCS1
Location: Kew
Job Purpose
The Director of Finance will oversee a directorate covering a wide range of functions including the Finance, Performance and Risk teams within The National Archives. They will develop the teams’ capabilities, ensuring they have the skills and leadership skills necessary for the future.
Strong financial, planning and leadership skills are required within this role, together with the ability to gain a deep understanding of The National Archives’ strategic objectives, and to manage our spend in an environment of economic uncertainty.
As part of the Executive Team and Board, the role holder will be accountable for leading The National Archives effectively as an ambitious, visionary and dynamic organisation in a rapidly changing environment and challenging economic circumstances.
The role holder will also be an active member of the wider Senior Civil Service, working with colleagues across government.
Role and Responsibilities
Leadership
- Grow skills and talent within The National Archives, giving direction and leadership to nurture and encourage financial awareness and a performance culture.
- Maintain effective working relationships with the Executive Directors to ensure teams, activities and resources are co-ordinated effectively and focused on delivery of corporate transformation programmes and organisational change.
- With the CEO and Executive Directors, continuously drive culture change throughout the organisation and amongst key service partners.
Financial
- Ensure there is understanding of and compliance with all aspects of Managing Public Money supporting and upholding the Principal Accounting Officer’s responsibilities.
- Ensure that resources are strongly aligned to delivery plans and milestones in business planning within the overall financial context.
- Provide strong and tailored management information and value-added analysis to support effective decisions by the Executive Team and the Board.
- Ensure the delivery of consistent, robust, timely and relevant financial information across The National Archives to support better management of resources and more effective business decision-making, making sure the Executive Team is fully aware of the financial consequences of their strategic planning.
- Oversee the in-year monitoring and year end processes to ensure no key control totals are breached and to assure the delivery of timely and unqualified Resource Accounts to Parliament.
- Support the Chief Executive & Keeper in the exercise of his/her/their duties and responsibilities as Principal Accounting Officer for The National Archives.
- Develop and maintain effective and constructive relationships with The National Archives’ spending team in HMT, and with internal and external auditors.
Risk and performance
- Ensure that The National Archives has effective systems and procedures in place to effectively and proportionately manage risk, acting as the senior-level executive Board member at the Audit & Risk Committee, and the Finance and Performance Committee.
- Build constructive and effective relationships with the Chairs of the Audit and Risk Committee and the Finance and Performance Committee, ensuring a no-surprises culture is maintained.
- Oversee the development of a corporate performance framework and performance reporting for the organisation, bringing together financial performance analysis to support strategic decision making.