Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole   

BOLD, CONFIDENT, PROUD 

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) is the UK’s newest city region and it’s brimming with prospects, positivity and pride.  

It’s a place where culture and heritage meet innovation and modernity, village meets town, country meets coast, creativity meets digital, businesses flourish and people thrive.

BCP Council is the tenth-largest urban local authority in England and our communities are vibrant and diverse, with an outstanding quality of life, where everyone plays an active role – a globally-recognised coastline of opportunity, where people love to live, learn, work, explore, invest, relax and play.  

Being innovative is at the heart of what we do. The council has recently started on a major multi-year transformation programme. This includes implementing new financial systems and developing more efficient ways of working. This role will be significantly engaged in these activities.  

We have completely redefined our budget strategy to deliver on members’ aspirations confidently and within a challenging budget environment. This year, the council limited council tax increases below the permitted maximum and harmonised rates for all households in our area.

An innovative £50 million Futures Fund for infrastructure investment will release resources for schemes that add value to our civic spaces and improve jobs. Drawn down in tranches of £10 million a year over five years, it’s funded through borrowing with capital and interest repayments factored into the 2021/22 budget and MTFP.

We’re now seeking an Assistant Chief Financial Officer to join us at this exciting time.

The Chief Finance Officer is supported in his role by two Assistant Chief Finance officers. The two roles lead and manage the accountancy function of approximately 100 staff. This post will lead on corporate finance and financial systems, as well as overseeing payroll and creditor functions.  

Proposed Interview date: 1^st July 2021 - It is likely that interviews will be conducted virtually and involve candidates giving a brief presentation on a topic provided in advance.

The successful applicants will be CCAB qualified and have extensive experience in strategic leadership and change management, detailed knowledge of local authority finance and technical accounting, treasury management, and implementation and development of complex accounting systems within a multi-disciplinary organisation.

The post is 37 hours, working 5 days per week. BCP Council supports agile and flexible working and equipment will be provided to enable remote working. Any authorised return to an office location will be to the Town Hall in Bournemouth.

If you would like further information about this opportunity please contact Adam Richens at adam.richens@bcpcouncil.gov.uk  or by telephone on 01202 123027 or mobile 07788 381418.

As a result of the creation of BCP Council in 2019, we are working on simplifying our terms and conditions of service and will be creating a single pay structure which all of our employees will move on to. It is important to us that we offer benefits that our colleagues value as part of their total employment package and we are reviewing these to make sure we have it right. We’re hoping to implement these changes in early 2022 and all colleagues joining us will be included in these changes.