Head of Financial Planning and Reporting Innovate UK

Head of Financial Planning and Reporting Innovate UK

Innovate UK has the following secondment opportunity available for employees of Innovate UK Business Connect:

Applications must be submitted by
29-04-2025

Head of Financial Planning and Reporting Innovate UK

This is a critical role within the IUK Finance team that is accountable for delivery of month end closing and reporting from Workday along with budget-setting and monitoring, data management, operational and financial reporting and forecasting, OpEx and commitments reporting, accruals accuracy, cash forecasting, NAO liaison.

Title: Head of Financial Planning and Reporting Innovate UK

Band: UKRI Band G (UKRI Ts & Cs)

Salary: £68,525 gross per annum

Reports to: Finance Director Innovate UK

Location: Swindon (Hybrid Working)

Contract: Permanent

Innovate UK recognises the importance of work-life balance and we will be happy to discuss any requests for flexible working arrangements.

Job Purpose:

This is a critical role within the IUK Finance team that is accountable for delivery of month end closing and reporting from Workday along with budget-setting and monitoring, data management, operational and financial reporting and forecasting, OpEx and commitments reporting, accruals accuracy, cash forecasting, NAO liaison.

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities:

• Provide financial oversight for Innovate UK (IUK), developing and implementing a programme of activity, with the associated revisions to process, to ensure that the organisation discharges its funding remit and financial responsibilities effectively, as delegated by UKRI.
• Lead Innovate UK budget preparation, management and monitoring, as allocated by UKRI, undertaking variance analysis as required.
• Lead the IUK month-end closing and reporting; Prepare and submit reports to IUK Leadership team, UKRI and DSIT as necessary and manage IUK financial processes ensuring alignment with UKRI financial processes.
• Responsible for financial systems and finance services specifically overall the Workday finance system, and the integration of financial and operational data from the IUK Grant Funding System (IFS).
• Direct, develop and modify finance processes utilising the available IT Infrastructures to match the changing organisational needs to deliver improved efficiencies, clarity and ease of process.
• Ensure compliance across the Finance function with all relevant legislation and the financial control framework, reviewing, revising and updating financial policies, procedures, and controls as appropriate and ensuring that this knowledge is reflected across all teams.
• Manage relationships with internal and external stakeholders linked to the Finance function (UKRI, other Research Councils, DSIT, Other Government Departments, NAO, Treasury, internal audit etc.).

This is not an exhaustive list and you might be encouraged to undertake any other duties across the wider directorate, commensurate with the Band and level of responsibility of this post, for which the post holder has the key experience and/or training.

Shortlisting criteria

(S) - Assessed at shortlisting
(I) - Assessed at interview
(S&I) - Assessed at both shortlisting and interview

Person Specification:

Experience & Qualifications:

Essential -

• Qualified Accountant (ACA/CIMA/ACCA/CIPFA). (S)
• High level understanding of accounting and finance and demonstrable experience of working in senior finance roles and delivering effective financial management. (S)
• High level competency of IT systems and applications including MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access, with focus on exceptional Excel skills. (S)
• Strong experience of month and year-end processes - accruals and prepayment calculation, variance analysis etc. (S)
• Highly numerate with the ability to provide insightful analysis on complex issues, communicating the key elements to effectively deliver projects and influence decision making at a strategic level. (S&I)
• Experience of working strategically to balance the conflicting demands of multiple stakeholders whilst protecting the integrity and ownership of financial processes. (I)
• Strong experience of working as part of a wider-business, consulting with senior stakeholders, utilising an in-depth understanding of business priorities, and effectively 'partnering' with stakeholders to meet organisational and financial objectives. (I)
• Significant experience in provision of high quality written and verbal advice for executive and senior level decision makers. (S&I)
• Proven experience in the preparation of budgets, forecasts and financial plans. (S)
• Understanding of the role of governance, risk management and assurance in operational and project delivery. (S)

Skills & Abilities:

• Proven ability to build exceptional collaborative relationships with senior stakeholders and influence them with impact and professional credibility.
• Proven excellent experience of developing effective working partnerships and offering challenges where necessary to senior stakeholder groups.
• Proven ability to lead and motivate a team to deliver high standards of service.
• Proven high level written and oral communication skills.
• Personal resilience and a confident approach, willing to apply good judgement to solve issues and find solutions.
• Ability to respond calmly to pressure and to make impartial and well-considered judgments in complex situations.
• Very good organisational skills, able to manage and prioritise own and others' workload and meet deadlines in a very timely manner.

Competencies:

All team members demonstrate compatibility with and capability against our Core Competencies such as:

Thinking and Problem Solving - Stakeholder management - Communication skills - Influencing - Self-awareness/self-management - Strategic awareness - Working with others - Project management

Some of the above competencies will be assessed at interview stage, in addition to the criteria's listed in the person specification.

Travel Requirements:

Swindon-based: There may be the occasional requirement for national travel.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion:

Innovate UK is a diverse workforce of people. We believe that encouraging these differences and drawing the best from them will build a productive environment in which everyone feels valued, where talents are fully utilised and in which organisational goals are met. Underpinning this is a belief that it is a fundamental right for everyone to be treated equally, with fairness, respect and dignity. We will act directly and use our influence to ensure that this right is promoted and upheld; we encourage applications from all those who meet the criteria set-out in our role profiles.

Equal Opportunities:

We are an equal opportunities employer, committed to employing any person who meets the criteria for our roles. When undertaking recruitment we may require applicants to undertake certain tests or assessments, some of which will be online and others may be in-person. If you have a disability, health condition or specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia then you may be entitled to support with undertaking this type of assessment exercise. Where you feel that reasonable adjustments are required to support you, we ask that you advise your recruitment point of contact in a timely fashion, providing further information. In confidence, Innovate UK will then review your application for adjustments and provide support as required.

UK Research and Innovation:

Innovate UK is partner organisation within UK Research and Innovation. If successful in securing the position, your employer will be UK Research and Innovation. More information can be found online http://www.ukri.org/.

Employee Benefits:

We offer a benefits package crafted to provide an excellent work/life balance. This includes 30 days' annual leave, 10.5 public and privilege days, flexible working hours, an exceptional defined benefit pension scheme, and access to a variety of support networks and discount schemes.

Flexible Working:

We understand the importance of work-life balance, and are happy to discuss the possibility of flexible working with applicants.

Pre-employment Screening:

To enable us to hire the very best people we will conduct a comprehensive pre-employment check on successful applicants as part of the recruitment process.

The role holder will be required to have the appropriate level of security screening/vetting required for the role. UKRI reserves the right to run or re-run security clearance as required during the course of employment.

UKRI supports research in areas that include animal health, agriculture and food security, and bioscience for health which includes research on animals, genetic modification and stem cell research. Whilst you may not have direct involvement in this type of research, you should consider how this aligns with your personal values or beliefs. To enable us to hire the very best people we will conduct a full and comprehensive pre-employment check as a crucial part of the recruitment process on all individuals that are offered a position with UKRI. This will include a security check and an extreme organisations affiliation check.

Applications must be submitted by;
29-04-2025