Business Manager - Strategy and Planning

House of Commons

The House of Commons is a unique and exciting place to work right at the heart of the UK's thriving democratic system.

Behind the scenes, the House of Commons Service is made up of more than 3,000 employees who support and facilitate the smooth day-to-day running of the House. They provide professional services to Members of Parliament, their staff, and the wider parliamentary community.

Staff Benefits

In addition to your salary, we offer an attractive range of benefits including:

• 30 days' annual leave (increasing to 35 days after first full leave year).
• Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 28.97%.
• Access to training and development.
• Flexible working.
• Interest-free season ticket loan and bicycle loan.

Introduction

The Finance, Portfolio and Performance (FPP) team is critical to supporting a thriving Parliamentary democracy. We play a leading role in delivering the House of Commons' Strategy and corporate priorities through business and financial planning, analysing performance, and supporting the delivery of projects and programmes across Parliament. Equally important are the financial services, systems, accounting, reporting and Members' services that we provide to keep the House of Commons Service working effectively and efficiently on a day-to-day basis.

The Role

The Business Management Team (BMT) is a sub-team within FPP and provides executive-level support to Directors in FPP and PACT, including secretariat for both senior leadership teams and a comprehensive business support function.

This role will support the Business Management Director (BMD) to deliver strategy and planning support within both teams across FPP and PACT. It is responsible for the development of business plans as well as ensuring agreed plans are monitored and reported appropriately.

Some of the responsibilities for this role include:

• Manage the business management cycle, ensuring all stakeholders are aware of the annual timetable and agreeing deliverables with responsible owners.
• Support the planning process to capture and report strategic objectives for inclusion in the Corporate Business Plan.
• Responsible for maintaining the principle and corporate risk registers for FPP and PACT, and capture the key controls implemented by risk owners to ensure business objectives are met.
• Support the annual assurance process and coordinate the self-assessment returns for submission to the Governance Office.
• Contribute to and/or lead on specific pieces of wider work and projects as directed by the Business Management Director.

Skills and Experience

To be successful in this role you will demonstrate:

• Planning and Organisation: Ability to work under pressure to tight deadlines and deliver to agreed targets, within a small team. Experience of managing administrative processes, requiring consistency and a strong attention to detail. Effective organisational skills with the ability to manage a varied workload, determining priorities and dealing with conflicting demands and changing priorities, whilst keeping colleagues and stakeholders informed of progress.
• Communication Skills: Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to facilitate senior-level discussions and develop internal communications material. Ability to create, present and explain complex issues so that they are easy to understand and ensuring business issues are understood by stakeholders.
• Working with People: Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to establish positive working relationships and confidence to work with people at all levels across the organisation. Ability to contribute as part of a team with excellent stakeholder engagement skills. Works in an inclusive way, taking into account equality and diversity.
• Business Management: Proven experience of delivering effective communication or business plans with a basic understanding of the underlying principles of good information management and the management of business risks.

Next Steps and Additional Information

• CV & Supporting Statement: If you would like to apply for this role, please submit your CV and covering letter with a 500-word limit.

More information on the role and the full criteria can be found in the Job Description.

Please note that you may be asked to complete a test or a presentation as part of the selection process.

Please note that most job offers will be made at the minimum of the salary range, other than in exceptional circumstances.

We may close the vacancy prior to the closing date stated due to a high volume of applications.

Contact Details

For more information about the role, or for an informal chat, contact Sophie Nicolaou.