Finance Business Partner

Finance Business Partner

Full time role, 12 month fixed-term contract

Salary circa £53,000 plus benefits

The Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund is the Royal Air Force’s leading welfare charity, supporting current and former members of the RAF, their partners and families.

The Finance team exists to support an ambitious fast paced organisation in achieving its strategic aims and needs a qualified accountant with strong technical and interpersonal skills to be a Finance Business Partner.

The successful candidate will provide our Welfare directorate and other teams with a high quality business partnering service, by supporting budget holders and decision makers in developing and presenting financial plans, monitoring performance, delivering successful outcomes and reporting those outcomes.

 

This is an excellent opportunity to join a leading military charity and contribute proactively, to financial planning and decision-making processes, across directorates that have significant strategic importance and are focused on delivering results to a very high standard.

To be successful in this role you will have proven, relevant business partnering experience in a complex organisation and be able to:

• Develop and maintain in-depth knowledge of the activities of the organisation,
• Apply financial concepts to the activities of the organisation and explain these to a range of stakeholders,
• Demonstrate proficiency in accounting systems and Excel,
• Communicate effectively verbally and in writing,
• Contribute to the improvement of business processes,
• Build strong relationships at all levels across directorates.

A detailed job profile is available on our website. If you’d like to have an informal chat to discuss the role, please contact Victoria Fakehinde.

To apply please email your CV and a covering letter explaining your interest and suitability. We will be reviewing applications as received but the closing date is Friday 26^th July 2019. Interviews will be held in August.

We will not be responding to contact by recruitment agencies in relation to this position.

The Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund is a registered charity. Registered Charity No. 1081009.

 

1.  MAIN SUMMARY OF ROLE:

Provide professional business support to the assigned directorate, being a key interface between Welfare, Finance and other stakeholders on issues relating to financial management and reporting.

Deliver significant improvement in reporting on performance, so there is sound understanding of income and expenditure through management accounts and appropriate analysis linked to business plans and strategy.

Assist budget holders and management with achieving and maintaining high standards of financial management by providing high quality financial information and analysis, technical expertise, training, and advice.

2.  KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Performance Management information:

• Produce, within agreed timescales, high quality management accounts and analysis for the Welfare directorate, to inform budget holders, SMT and Trustees.
• Highlight significant budget variances and potential business risks as well as recommend action to be taken.
• Understand  cost drivers and identify issues that need to be raised with budget holders or SMT.
• Identify and record accrued welfare expenditure or commitments and make sure these are accounted for correctly.
• Support budget holders in the provision of reasonable forecasts, and operational trends that will contribute to sound data based decision making.
• Assist with the development and implementation of KPIs to help monitor performance and promote accountability.
• Provide sound advice on the use of charity funds for Welfare.
• Support the Welfare teams in meeting monthly and yearly closing routines.
• Support budget holders in the provision of reasonable forecasts and, operational trends that will contribute to sound data based decision making.
• Prepare ad hoc reports such as for projects or programme boards as required.
• Provide advice, from day to day activities to reporting to the Loans Management Team meetings.
• Finalise and publish the consolidated management accounts pack for the whole of the Fund, within agreed timescales.

Financial Planning:

• Lead the annual planning and budgeting cycle for Welfare teams and PMH, assisting budget holders with developing and evaluating operational and business plans in line with strategic priorities and fostering collaboration across the Fund.
• Support the production of the annual budget and longer term plans for the Welfare and PMH, making sure that numbers align with business plans and agreed strategy and that underlying assumptions are tested and evaluated properly.
• Challenge planning and budget assumptions to ensure that numbers generated are robust.
• Provide financial analysis of activities included in the budget and assist with appropriate budget phasing.
• Produce the data to be consolidated into the overall budget, within agreed time scales and make sure budgets are captured onto the accounting system correctly.
• Finalise and consolidate the annual budget and long term financial plans and projections for the whole Fund, making sure approved budgets are posted to the finance system.

Technical expertise:

• Provide “subject matter” expertise for ad hoc initiatives.
• Contribute to the ongoing improvement and development of budgeting and forecasting processes.
• Review and implement financial policies and processes as they are updated and introduced across the Fund.
• Produce and revise financial modelling for charitable activities when required
• Oversee valuations of Housing Trust properties.
• Produce financial analysis and evaluation for new programmes and carry out post implementation reviews, where appropriate, working with the Head of Programmes.
• Provide sound advice on tax and VAT, especially in relation to activities at PMH.
• Apply financial expertise and advice on accruals, prepayments, accrued or deferred income.
• Provide support for third party contract set up and management.

Business Support:

• Maintain excellent engagement with and provide support to, budget holders, so that there is appropriate awareness of their business management responsibilities.
• Deal effectively with queries from budget holders and senior management, identifying and filling gaps in knowledge.
• Train budget holders in the use of financial software or financial processes when required.
• Provide financial mentoring and training to newly promoted staff and new joiners
• Monitor compliance with approved budget management and procurement procedures.
• Participate in cross departmental initiatives and workgroups to ensure that the Finance directorate maintains the right level of influence to be effective.
• Have a sufficiently good level of understanding of the Fund’s Welfare strategy, plans and activities, as well as wider issues that could impact on the delivery of Welfare in the Fund.
• Support the development of new partnerships through the assessment of counterparty risks and oversee their annual review.
• Maintain a confidential record and filing system to ensure speedy and efficient retrieval of information.
• When processing and storing data, be cognisant of General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
• Travel to other Fund locations to carry out any other duties within the scope of the role as requested by management.

External reporting:

• Engage with and provide assistance to the Senior Reporting Accountant in the preparation of the annual statutory accounts, specifically in relation to the Welfare sections of the annual report and accounts.
• Support the preparation of the statutory accounts by producing lead schedules and working papers relating to relevant areas of work.

Staff management:

• Provide line management support including coaching and mentoring to staff under line management.

3.  DEVELOPMENTAL OBJECTIVES:

• Constantly update job knowledge.
• To be assessed on an on going basis as part of the PDR process.

4. PERSON SPECIFICATION

Qualifications

Essential

• A recognised professional accountancy qualification ( CCAB, CIMA or equivalent) or QBE with significant  business partnering experience within a fundraising charity.

Desirable

• A university degree or equivalent

Knowledge / Experience

Essential

• At least  4 years experience of working with accounting software designed for medium to large enterprises,  MS Excel and Word
• Experience of planning preparing and coordinating annual budgeting processes  within a medium to large size organisation
• Experience/ knowledge of management accounting techniques such as budgeting, scenario planning and forecasting 
• At least 2 years experience of supporting budget holders.
• At least 3 years experience of internal and external reporting
• People management experience

Desirable

• Experience of working within the not for profit sector
• Experience in financial modelling
• Experience of changing/ improving business processes.
• Attention to continuing professional development
• Project management skills
• Presentations experience

Competencies

Essential

• Able and willing to share expertise and knowledge with others
• Able to plan activities well in advance and take account of possible changing circumstances
• Able to structure information to meet the needs and understanding of the intended audience
• Probe for further information or greater understanding of a problem
• Able to adapt to teams and contribute to team spirit
• Demonstrates integrity and projects credibility
• Able to analyse data and all other sources of information

Desirable

• Able to demonstrate an understanding of different organisational departments and functions.
• Able to delegate work appropriately and fairly and motivate others.
• Responds quickly to the needs, reactions or feedback of the service users.
• Interested in developing job knowledge and expertise through CPD.
• Able to listen, consult others and communicate proactively.
• Ability to write clearly and succinctly in a well structured and logical way that can be understood by non financial readers.
• Demonstrates commitment to the organisation.