Cambridge is a great place to work – beautifully historic as well as internationally renowned and fast-growing, with world-class universities, globally significant bio-medical companies and a tech hub shaping how we will live and work in the future.

We are an ambitious organisation which delivers a wide range of services and, our success in partnership working is widely recognised. As Chief Finance Officer you will be a member of our leadership team and will have the opportunity to lead and shape the Council’s financial strategy, providing high quality financial advice and services to the organisation whilst driving innovation and achieving value for money.

The Council has a track record of strong financial management. While all councils face spending pressures and a challenging outlook; Cambridge has  benefited from being a fast-growing city. You will have responsibility for overseeing the council’s balance sheet and maximising the value it contributes toward the council’s corporate objectives, this includes:

• Over £160m of commercial assets
• Over £780m affordable and social housing assets
• Treasury management investments, currently over £100m
• £200m 5-year capital programme
• Total annual General Fund gross spending of £100m
• Total usable reserves of approximately £150m

As well as fulfilling the duties of the statutory s.151 officer, you will ensure strong financial governance, processes, and systems to enable the Council to deliver services and achieve outcomes for its residents and the city. Leading several key services including financial, technical and service accounting, transactional finance, strategic assets and revenues and benefits you will have the ability to rise to the challenges facing local government and will have the ability to merge strategic vision with operational detail.

With a commitment to our values, this role will provide you with a platform to demonstrate your motivation as a financial leader, providing advice to key decision makers to ensure compliance with statutory and constitutional requirements.

We encourage applications from a broad range and diversity of backgrounds. As an experienced professional you will join us to support continuous improvement, excellence, and efficiency. If you have a passion for purpose, a commitment to improve and a dedication to public service we would welcome your application.

Please click Apply for more information about the role, including details on how to apply, or for a confidential discussion, please contact Ben Parsonage ben.parsonage@gatenbysanderson.com or Rachel Salvia rachel.salvia@gatenbysanderson.com

Closing Date: 14 January 2024