Customer Relations Finance Manager

Forestry Commission; Thetford; Hybrid; GBP 35,000 - 55,000

Job description

Location - Thetford

Job summary

What you’ll do…

You will lead the finance services for Customer Relations, including National Events and Overnight Stays. You will manage budgeting and financial control for the department and take an active role in improving the organisation's recreation finance data and reporting. You will provide regular finance reports and use your knowledge and experience to help us to review and improve our financial position. You will take an active part in the department’s leadership team and build collaborative and supportive relationships with operational colleagues, the national finance team and other finance managers.

Please see the job description below for more information and details about what we need from you.

Where you’ll work…
The location of this post is within the Customer Relations Team based in the Innovation Centre, Thetford, Norfolk IP24 1JD, with flexibility for some optional blended working. The post responsibilities cover the whole of England, and it is expected that the post holder will need to travel occasionally.

Job description

Management accounting:

1. Lead on submitting annual business plans and monthly management accounts and forecasts.
2. Build collaborative and supportive relationships with operational colleagues, national finance team and other finance managers.
3. Communicate financial data and other information clearly to non-financial stakeholders, supporting them in accessing and interpreting financial data.
4. Support sound business and financial decision-making across all functions, and provide financial performance analysis supporting short, medium, and long-term planning. Assist with financial modelling and justification for business cases developed by operational colleagues.
5. Help colleagues monitor the financial performance of department business partners.
6. Liaise with the stakeholders to ensure the use of effective systems while assessing the financial aspects of project proposals, and monitoring projects involving the use of third-party funds.
7. Support budget planning, monitoring, and reporting for camping projects as well as assist with financial modelling and justification for camping-related business cases.
8. Provide professional judgment and advice on financial and business improvement initiatives.
9. Ensure accounting actions are taken promptly, and in accordance with accounting standards and Forestry England internal guidance.
10. Support the department to improve its financial position in meeting Forestry England’s strategic objectives.
11. Report directly to Lead Customer Relations Manager taking an active role within unit's management and leadership group helping to reach the department’s vision and aims.
12. Report indirectly to the national Recreation Finance Business Partner (PB3) taking an active role in improving the organisation's recreation finance data and reporting.

Administration and financial control:

1. Ensure the department complies with corporate governance procedures, financial controls, fraud prevention, and risk management.
2. Provide professional judgement and advice on financial and business improvement initiatives.
3. Reconciliation of Customer Relations income (card payments and direct debits) relating to: Events Ticketing, Membership and Fundraising.
4. Cross-checking income received across Districts for camping initiatives to ensure accuracy and alignment with agreements.
5. Manage accurate transfer of income to event delivery partners, plus recharging of agreed costs.
6. Delivery of additional financial tasks as requested.

And any other tasks reasonably requested by your line manager.

Location-Specific Information

The location of this post is within the Customer Relations Team based in the Innovation Centre, Thetford, Norfolk IP24 1JD, with flexibility for some optional blended working. The post responsibilities cover the whole of England, and it is expected that the post holder will need to travel occasionally.

Person specification

Essential Professional and Technical experience

1. Experience in providing management accounting services, including providing financial information to support decision making; budgetary control; analysing financial performance and identifying income and cost drivers; analysing variances and forecasting; and identifying and supporting the delivery of organisational efficiencies and/or cost reductions.
2. Experience in financial report writing including supporting commentary.
3. Competent IT user with experience in MS Office suite of applications.
4. Experience with financial systems.
5. Support the department to improve its financial position in meeting Forestry England’s strategic objectives.

Desirable Professional and Technical experience

1. Experience of creating and using financial reporting in CRM (Customer Relationship management) systems.
2. Experience of developing investment business cases.
3. Knowledge and experience of Direct Debit payment processing.

Qualifications

Desirable

1. Fully or part-qualified with a recognised IFAC (International Federation of Accountants) member body (e.g. AAT, ICAEW, ACCA, CIMA, CIPFA, ICAS, IFA).

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Managing a Quality Service
• Changing and Improving
• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace