Job Description

Salary

From 73,294 to 79,974 per annum (Grade N)

Contractual hours

37

Basis

Full Time

Package

Permanent

Job category/type

Finance

Date posted

28/07/2025

Job reference

REQ00000722



Are you an experienced finance professional looking for a challenging and rewarding leadership role within the public sector? West Berkshire Council is seeking a Service Lead - Finance to join our Finance and Property Service, reporting to the Service Director - Finance, Property & Procurement. This is an excellent opportunity to contribute to the financial management and governance of a forward-thinking local authority.

About the Role

As the Service Lead - Finance, you will play a key role in ensuring the effective delivery of finance services across the organisation. You will be responsible for leading a team of finance professionals, providing expert advice and support to service areas, and ensuring accurate financial planning, budgeting, and reporting. Your main duties will include:

Supporting the Service Director in the overall management and leadership of the Finance and Property Service Ensuring the timely and accurate production of financial reports, including month-end closures and year-end accounts Providing guidance on financial matters such as budgeting, forecasting, and cost control Leading and motivating the finance team to deliver high-quality services Building strong relationships with key stakeholders, including senior managers and budget holders Contributing to corporate initiatives and projects from a financial perspective

About You

The ideal candidate will possess the following skills and attributes:

Extensive experience working in a finance role within a complex organisation, ideally within the public sector Strong technical knowledge of financial management, accounting principles, and reporting standards Proven leadership skills, with the ability to inspire and motivate a team Excellent stakeholder management skills, with the ability to communicate financial information to non-finance professionals Highly organised, with the ability to prioritise and manage multiple deadlines Professional qualification such as CIPFA, ACCA, CIMA, or equivalent


West Berkshire Council offer excellent employment benefits such as:

Flexible working wherever possible between the hours of 07.00-21.00 Hybrid working wherever possible working 40% in the office Access to a wide range of training and development opportunities Generous Local Government pension scheme Family friendly policies A range of local discounts Wellbeing Programme including Employee Assistance Programme and employee benefits You will also be entitled to a generous annual leave entitlement starting at 30 days per annum (plus public holidays) Rising by an additional 5 days after 5 years' service.


Please note that the closing date is given as a guide. 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 to avoid disappointment.

This post is a Sensitive Post for the purpose of the Local Government Housing Act 1989 and the post-holder is therefore restricted from engaging in any prescribed political activities. In summary, this means that you are prohibited from holding political office and from involvement in any political activity within or outside the workplace. Full details of the restrictions can be found in the Council's Policy and Guidance on Politically Restricted Posts

To find out more about the role, please contact Shannon Coleman-Slaughter on 01635 503225 or email shannon.colemanslaughter@westberks.gov.uk for an informal discussion.

Join us at West Berkshire Council and make a positive impact in our community while advancing your career.

Explore everything that a career with West Berkshire Council has to offer here: Working with Us

Equal Opportunities

The Council supports Equal Opportunity of employment and positively encourages applications from people who fall within any of the nine protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010.

How to apply

Please now complete a short online application form. You will then be able to upload your CV.

This role has been identified as public facing in accordance with Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016; the requirement to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence in English applies.

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