Finance Director

• Working closely with Senior Management teams, Board and other stakeholders.
• Leading on financial strategy & stewardship of a diverse group of organisations.

About Our Client

The Norwich Bioscience Institutes (NBI) form a cluster of internationally renowned research organisations that work together to tackle the major challenges of the 21st Century - the sustainability of our environment, our food supplies and healthy ageing.

The Finance Director is responsible for stewardship of the financial resources of NBI's four world-class centres of excellence, the Earlham Institute (EI), John Innes Centre (JIC), Sainsbury Laboratory (TSL) and Quadram Institute Bioscience (QIB), as well as those of the underpinning shared service provided by the NBI Partnership (NBIP).

This is an exciting time to be joining NBIP as Finance Director. Working closely with Senior Management Teams, Board members and other stakeholders, the postholder will ensure appropriate and strong financial governance and financial leadership within NBI. This will include directing and overseeing all financial activities, the preparation of financial reports, budgets and forecasts, and implementing robust financial plans and financial strategies to maximise revenue streams and minimise operating costs and risk. Contributing to business planning and strategic developments will be an important feature of the role in the years ahead.

The Finance Director will also lead the Finance function, consisting of 25 team members, to deliver an excellent and customer focused support service for NBI.

Job Description

Financial Leadership and Management

• Lead the Finance function, setting the strategic direction, culture and standards to ensure Institute needs are met.
• Support the development of team members and continuous improvement in processes and systems to ensure the delivery of an excellent service.
• Develop and maintain appropriate accounting systems, controls, and records, ensuring compliance with statutory and related accounting and tax regulatory requirements.
• Through formal and informal relationships, develop understanding of science needs and ensure regular provision of management information, forecasts and insights to drive decision making and support delivery of strategic ambitions.
• Produce analysis and insights on the performance of the institutes and ensure opportunities and challenges are identified at an early stage.
• Anticipate financial problems, recommend remedial or evasive action, and take the lead in necessary decision-making.
• Build personal relationships with senior management, key science customers and BBSRC to credibly influence decisions of strategic and operational management.
• Support senior leadership teams in the delivery of strategic projects, ensuring added value whilst also managing risks.
• Contribute/present to a number of Institute and NRP committees, as well as the JIC, QIB and EI Boards.

Revenue streams and operating costs

• Contribute to the development and delivery of strategic plans which maximise revenue streams and minimise operating costs, ensuring financial sustainability.
• Take a lead role in developing and preparing the financial plans of the institutes.
• Seek opportunities to increase income by assisting new business development activity.
• Provide leadership of the procurement function and ensure prominence of procurement issues within NBI.

Risk and Asset Management

• Take a leadership role in promoting strategic risk-management policies.
• Ensure capital investments are financially robust.
• Through robust processes and controls, ensure the delivery of accurate, timely, and compliant reporting, risk management, and audits.
• Prepare regular cash flow forecasts and develop tax and treasury management policies to gain financial benefit for the institutes.
• Ensure internal controls are sufficiently robust and are operationally reliable to safeguard financial and physical assets.
• Protect physical assets through adequate legal, insurance and internal audit policies.
• Address audit issues raised by both RCIAS and the External Auditors.

Financial Accounting, Reporting and Budgetary Control

• Provide a full financial accounting service and maintain separate books of accounts for each entity.
• Prepare annual budgets and business plans for each entity.
• Prepare income projections against known and forecast scientific projects and grant accounting based on a concurrent grant portfolio in excess of 1,000 projects.
• Prepare monthly management information, including budgetary reports as per Service Level Agreements.
• Respond to requests for information from external stakeholders, particularly the BBSRC.
• Prepare annual statutory accounts and ensure clearance with external auditors and legal obligations.
• Act as Company Secretary for some institutes.

Stakeholder Management

• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with BBSRC Finance colleagues and understand and influence possible changes that may have an impact on the Norwich institutes and financial strategy.
• Develop and maintain relationships across NBI and NRP to support the development of the institutes and the wider community. This will include contributing to institute and NRP committees and boards, for example, QI Partners.
• Any other duties commensurate with the nature of the post.

The Successful Applicant

Education & Qualifications

• ACA, ACCA or CIMA, CIPFA or equivalent.
• Degree or equivalent

Specialist knowledge and skills

• Strong financial reporting skills.
• Excellent analytical, planning and modelling skills.
• Knowledge and exposure of a variety of finance systems and technology.

Relevant experience

• Effective leadership of a multi-discipline finance team, directing, motivating and managing performance over a sustained period.
• Extensive experience of managing complex project or grant accounting portfolios.
• Hands on experience in change management with a demonstrable success in improving processes and systems.

Desirable:

• Senior level experience of corporate governance.
• Knowledge of Charities Commission governance.
• Experience in an academic or research environment.

Leadership & Management

• A proactive financial leader with strong business acumen and experience of working within a similar environment and at Board level.
• Demonstrable ability to manage, support and motivate individuals and teams, ensuring high levels of performance.

Interpersonal and communication skills

• Commercially astute with strong business acumen.
• The authority and credibility to influence decision making at a senior strategic level.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with an ability to build strong working relationships with key internal and external stakeholders.
• Excellent communication, presentation and report writing skills.
• Able to present financial information in a clear and concise manner to both financial and non-financial audiences.
• The energy, drive and resilience to positively effect change.
• Resilient and innovative in addressing complex problems.

Additional requirements

• Excellent attention to detail.
• Promotes equality and values diversity.
• Willingness to work outside normal working hours when required.

What's on Offer

Competitive salary plus benefits

Where specific UK qualifications are required we will take into account overseas equivalents. All third party applications will be forwarded to Michael Page.

Ref Code: MPFEJN1220225870301Z