Interim Head of Finance – Executive Interim

Hammond Clarke have the priviledge of partering with a London Local Authority, south of the river, in thier search for an Interim Head of Finance. The Head of Finance will be an integral part of the Departmental Leadership team for the relevant department and will be the departmental lead on all financial matters at a delivery level including feasibility of financial savings, budget setting and forecasting.

They will provide operational leadership and support to the departmental leadership team and manage the core financial processes of the relevant department to ensure effective financial management in delivery of the Council’s vision and priorities and the relevant Departments’ core principles, key aims and service objectives.

Job Purpose:

The postholders will be responsible for providing the strategic financial lead for the relevant department. They will provide customer focused support to both the Departmental Leadership team (DLT) and the Executive Leadership team (ELT) when required.

They will ensure that DLT and the budget managers in the department have access to sound and timely financial advice on policy and strategic issues and will be responsible for developing and enhancing the financial management competencies of budget managers.

They will provide the financial lead on the capital budget proposals for the relevant department and ensure that there is compliance with the Council’s corporate financial framework.

They will lead, manage and develop a financial team to ensure robust support for the organisation and an ability to be flexible with changing demands

Key Outcomes:

• To enable the Council to set a balanced budget each year by providing financial support, challenge and guidance to the relevant department
• To ensure that robust financial management is in place within the organisation to deliver a balanced financial position in each financial year
• To deliver a proposed capital budget and robust financial monitoring to ensure delivery of the aspirations of the authority
• To develop a skilled and well qualified finance team to ensure support and advice to the organisation
• An organisation with robust governance and financial controls

Key Deliverables:

• To provide operational financial leadership and support to DLT.
• To provide personal support and advice to Executive Directors, Cabinet Members and committees
• To manage the core financial processes of the relevant department to ensure effective financial management and control
• To deliver financial support and expertise to provide accurate and comprehensive strategy proposals
• To provide support and guidance on the capital programme proposals to ensure a programme that is fit for purpose and will deliver the aspirations of the organisation
• To provide financial expertise and support to other areas within the finance team to ensure that the statutory accounts are delivered to deadline and without audit qualification
• To ensure that all future financial risks for the department are fully understood and appropriate actions taken
• To manage the financial and management accounting processes for the relevant department including budget preparation, budget monitoring, financial analysis and accurate accounting records
• To manage the team to provide accurate grant claims, statistical returns and deliver statutory requirements to required deadlines
• To ensure that financial processes are as efficient as possible and continually improved, ensuring that systems are as robust and effective as possible

Please introduce yourself with just a few details and one of our Executive Consultants will be in touch.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Hammond Clarke Executive are delighted to announce a partnership with a London Local Authority.
Director of Transformation.

We understand that it’s a challenging time for local government. But it’s also a period of great
opportunity. We’re ambitious about becoming a modern and effective council, focused on delivering
services that help make our area a great place to live and work. Because it’s about time everyone
had what they need to succeed. Which is why we’re going through a radical transformation
programme. Now, we’re looking for experienced professionals to join our realigned leadership team.
Not only is it a chance to be here at the start of our transformation – it’s also an opportunity to make
us a more progressive council, and to create a lasting legacy.

As the Director of Transformation, you’ll play a key role in our ambitions, helping us deliver
innovative solutions to the challenges we face. It’s all about improving our services for our residents
so it can become a great place to live and work for everyone – all within the resources available. As
part of this, you’ll design, drive and deliver our Transformation Programme, ensuring we meet our
Vision objectives. A member of our realigned leadership team, you’ll identify opportunities for
business change and service transformation, working with other Council members and our partners.
This will see you develop and nurture strong, positive relationships with key stakeholders, making
sure that people are engaged and on board with the delivery of change.

With substantial experience of successfully leading significant change in a large, complex and
dynamic organisation, you’ll come to us with a relevant degree. Alternatively, you’ll have a related
professional or management qualification at post graduate level. Beyond that, you have a strong
background of transforming and leading technology and digital services. You’ll also have successfully
implemented digital and information technology strategies that meet business needs and objectives.
An effective communicator, you’re an authoritative and influential leader, able to develop strong
relationships and foster joint working across services and organisation boundaries. That way, you
can help us ensure we achieve our ambitions, and create a modern, progressive council that works
for all of our residents. Because, it’s about time.

Please introduce yourself with just a few details and one of our Executive Consultants will be in touch.

We look forward to hearing from you.

SEND Recovery & Rapid Transformation – Executive Interim

Hammond Clarke Executive have partnered with a Local Authority in West Yorkshire and require a SEND specialist responsible for delivering the new duties & SEND reformation agenda. The SEND Reforms took effect from April 2014 and signal the most significant change in over 30 years. The Local Authority is the lead organisation held to account for ensuring the delivery of the reforms and as such has a significant number of new statutory duties and legislative compliance requirements. The Local Authority is expected to have altered its systems, processes and practices in order to deliver all aspects of the reforms and for the majority of these to have been successfully implemented by March 2018. Bradford have been slow to deliver against all the requirements of the reforms. As a result, there is now an expectation that the Council takes rapid steps to deliver recovery at a significant pace. Nationally Ofsted intend to inspect all LAs under the SEND Framework by July 2019. Therefore we can expect an inspection on SEND in the next 9 months or less. Failure to demonstrate significant progress against the reform agenda will result in a negative outcome from the Ofsted inspection and could impact on the reputation of the Council and the wider District.

Creation of the SEND Transformation & Compliance Team:

When the SEND Reforms were implemented, LAs were encouraged to consider having a specialist team to drive forward the transition into the new duties. Given where the council is on its journey towards delivering the reforms, the creation of this team would be positively viewed by Ofsted and the DfE.

The team will need to be in place for at least 2-3 years and will consist of 4 people:

Strategic SEND Reform & Compliance Manager (to provide oversight and partnership engagement & challenge for the SEND reforms)
2x SEND Delivery Officers (to coordinate the key deliverables for the SEND reforms)
SEND Partnership Officer (administrates & coordinates the SEND Board and associated work-streams)

The outcomes delivered by this specialist team will be:

• Clarity on the remit, function & governance arrangements for the SEND Strategic Partnership Board, along with a coordinated approach on the remit and role of associated task & finish groups
• Engagement and co-production on the SEND agenda with parent forums and C&YP with SEND
• Key partners, namely the CCG, parent/carers schools and the LA are fully aware of their duties and challenge where there are gaps in delivery
• Creation of an overarching SEND strategy across education, health and social care that has been co-produced and widely shared with parents/carers and C&YP
• Ensure the District is fully self-aware of progress and risks to delivery via an appropriate self evaluation system
• Preparedness for the SEND Inspection and to be the SPOC

Please introduce yourself with just a few details and one of our Executive Consultants will be in touch.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Hammond Clarke is working with the Commercial Programme team within a London Local Authorities Commercial and Development department, you will project manage a range of technically complex high-value property new build and refurbishment projects. We are looking for two talented individuals with strong commercial acumen, performance management and leadership skills to join our team.

You will have demonstrable expertise in managing stakeholder engagement, contractor procurement/delivery and ensure the success of our construction project(s).

You will be MRICS qualified or with a Project Management qualification. Significant experience in developing pre-acquisition feasibility studies, developing schemes to achieve a successful planning application and managing the contractor build programmes are also essential for these posts.

The role offers a competitive package which also includes:

• Essential user car allowance or lease car option
• Flexitime or Flexible working e.g. nine-day fortnight, compressed hours, partial homeworking
• Up to 28 days annual leave
• Childcare Voucher scheme
• Up to 18.5% employer pension contributions
• Reimbursement of professional fees
• Learning and Development Opportunities
• Leisure and travel discounts