Head of Strategic Finance- Fixed term

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Job Description

Organisation: Eastern Shires Purchasing Organisation (ESPO)

Work Location: Barnsdale Way, Grove Park, Enderby, Leicester, LE19 1ES

Salary: £59,580 - £65,550 per annum (pro-rata for part-time) - Grade 15

Working Hours: 37 hrs per week - Full time

Contract Type: Fixed term for 7 Months

Closing Date: 2nd August 2024

Interview Date(s): TBC

Are you looking for a rewarding career where you can make a difference?

Do you want a job where no two days are the same?

About the Role

ESPO is a Public Buying Organisation which provides value for money and compliance with public procurement rules to our customers who are largely in the public and not-for-profit sectors. They generate sales of approximately £100m per year, employs c.300 staff and makes an annual profit for its local authority owners which is reinvested back into local communities and services.

Working alongside the Commercial Financial Controller, Finance Business Partners and Group Financial Accountant, to develop and embed a rigorous commercial approach to procurement of goods and services intrinsic to ESPO's operational requirements, so that commercial risks are addressed, and the best outcomes are achieved for ESPO.

The two main revenue streams are through sales of over 27,000 products from our dedicated catalogue and website alongside our Procurement Framework offerings from which organisations can procure goods and services, enabling ESPO to claim a rebate.

In addition, the organisation has recently established two limited businesses who supply into the private sector, offering further potential growth opportunities.

Reporting into a supportive and ambitious Commercial Financial Controller, you will be a confident and adaptable leader able to work in a dynamic and ever-changing environment.

Your duties and responsibilities will include.

• Overseeing and contributing to the maintenance and delivery of ESPO's medium-term financial plan

• Ensuring accurate, timely and insightful financial information is being provided to support decision-making processes; including weekly trading reporting, monthly management accounts, quarterly reforecasts and annual budgets.

• Engaging with senior business leaders to support decision making and delivery of organisational targets including managing capital investment projects.

• Leading on and contributing to process, system and operational improvements to drive commercial performance and profitability.

• Managing a team, setting service levels and performance targets, and training and developing team members.

About You

To apply for this post, you must be able to / have:

You will also be able to motivate and lead a team and ensure personal and team objectives are achieved.

• Demonstrate a clear track record of commercial financial management.
• Experience of working in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Ideally worked in a trading business previously due to the nature of ESPO's operations.
• Experience of taking a leading role within Finance teams and be able to motivate and lead a team and ensure personal and team objectives are achieved.
• A business or other relevant Degree and Membership of Chartered Accounting Body (Qualified Accountant) and evidence of commitment to continuing professional development.
• Proven experience of providing high level professional advice and a track record in influencing and managing Finance Processes

We'd also expect you to share our commitment to our values and will ask you to evidence when you have demonstrated them as part of the interview process.

What we offer:

• Flexible working opportunities and access to employee benefits portal with car lease scheme.
• 28 days annual leave pro rata plus bank holidays and a scheme to buy additional leave.
• Local Government Pension Scheme with a generous employer contribution.
• Great office location next to Fosse Park, with free on-site parking and easy access to M1 and M69.

Interested in Flexible Working?

We are keen to support employees to balance their working life with other commitments. Therefore, wherever possible, we will consider working arrangements that suit an individual's personal circumstances whilst still meeting the needs of ESPO. If you would like to discuss the possible flexible working options that might be applicable to this role, please contact the person named below. This may include requests for term-time working, part-time hours, compressed hours, flexible start and finish times, home/remote working, etc.

For more information or an informal discussion, please contact:

Gary Tapp, Acting Commercial Financial Controller

Telephone: 07899 261292

Email: g.tapp@espo.org

How to Apply

ESPO is an inclusive organisation which is on a journey to embed and celebrate equality, diversity, and inclusion at every level. We warmly welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, as having a diverse workforce with different perspectives and ideas is fundamental to our values and enriches the services we offer our customers. We particularly welcome applicants from Ethnically Diverse and LGBTQ+ communities and people with disabilities to create a balanced workforce and one that reflects the customers we serve. Applicants with a disability who meet the criteria listed in the 'About You' section above will be offered an interview under the Disability Confident Employer Scheme.

To apply for this job, please click 'Apply Now'. You will need to upload a supporting statement as part of your application which explains how you meet the criteria listed in the 'About You' section above. For more information, see the How to Apply section on our career site.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

If you have any technical issues when trying to apply for this post, please contact our Employee Service Centre: https://emss.freshdesk.com/support/home.

By applying for this post, you agree to our Terms and Conditions.

About Us

About ESPO

We're a unique organisation, owned by the public sector and sharing their values and ethos, but operating with a commercial edge. As a specialist procurement body, we pride ourselves on establishing procurement solutions that save money for the public sector. View our prospectus to find out more.

We have modern, open-plan offices with excellent transport links and a friendly workplace environment. We offer flexible working, a generous holiday entitlement, a contributory pension scheme, training (including professional CIPS qualification) and opportunities to develop your career.

ESPO is supported by wide range of roles across many different disciplines including sales, marketing, procurement, finance, operations (warehouse management and transport planning) and customer services. So whether you are interested in a public-facing role or playing your part behind the scenes, ESPO could be the place for you.

To learn more about working for ESPO please visit www.espo.org.