Finance team leader

Band 5 · Finance officer · 376 job evaluation points

Finance team leaders manage a transactional finance team or work as finance analysts, making sure processes are accurate, controlled, and efficient, and that reporting is ready on time.

Responsibilities

Lead a transactional finance team, planning its work to meet payment, debt, and month-end deadlines.
Manage a ledger or financial process, and report its performance, such as payment times and aged debt.
Test and improve financial controls, and provide evidence to internal and external auditors.
Prepare balance sheet reconciliations and working papers for the annual accounts.
Improve processes, for example by automating invoice matching or introducing self-service for budget holders.
Train, support, and review the work of staff in the team.

Skills

Skill	Expected level	What this level means
Financial transactions and ledgersThis reference	Practitioner (3)	You can: manage a ledger or transaction process and keep it accurate and up to date investigate and clear complex reconciling items and aged balances improve transaction processes, for example by automating matching or approvals train and check the work of other staff
Financial reporting and statutory accountsThis reference	Working (2)	You can: prepare month-end and year-end entries, such as accruals, prepayments, and provisions prepare sections of the annual accounts and supporting notes apply accounting standards to routine transactions, such as capitalizing software and hardware
Management accountingThis reference	Working (2)	You can: prepare monthly budget reports and explain the main variances code costs correctly between cost centers, projects, and capital and revenue support budget holders to understand and manage their budgets
Finance systemsThis reference	Practitioner (3)	You can: administer the finance or payroll system, including access, workflows, and reporting design reports and dashboards for budget holders test system changes and upgrades automate repetitive finance tasks
Financial controls and auditThis reference	Practitioner (3)	You can: test and improve the controls for a financial process manage audit requests for an area and agree actions on findings write and update financial procedures work with counter-fraud specialists to reduce fraud risk
TaxThis reference	Working (2)	You can: prepare tax returns and reconciliations under supervision apply the right tax treatment to common purchases and income check employment status for contractors under guidance
Public sector financeThis reference	Working (2)	You can: apply the organization's capital and revenue rules to everyday spending explain how funding allocations and spending limits affect your area recognize spending that needs approval from a funder or spending control
Stakeholder relationship managementUK GDaD PCF	Working (2)	You can: identify important stakeholders and communicate with them clearly and regularly tailor communication to stakeholders' needs and work with them to build relationships while meeting user needs build and reach consensus with stakeholders work to improve stakeholder relationships using evidence to explain decisions
People managementThis reference	Working (2)	You can: supervise day-to-day work and give feedback take part in recruitment and induction hold regular one-to-one conversations
Information governance and data protectionThis reference	Working (2)	You can: apply data protection principles to your work contribute to data protection impact assessments handle information requests and records correctly

Typical qualifications and experience

An intermediate or advanced accounting qualification, or equivalent experience.
Experience of leading or coordinating financial processes.

Band 5 outline

Knowledge: Professional or technical knowledge, typically from a degree or equivalent experience.
Autonomy: Works to broad objectives within professional standards; plans own work.
Scope: Own professional work within a team or product.
Leadership: May guide and check the work of support staff and apprentices.
Accountability: Quality of own professional work.

Job evaluation (illustrative)

Factor	Level	Level summary	Points
Communication and relationship skills	4	Gives complex, sensitive, or contentious information needing persuasion, negotiation, or training skills, or highly complex information.	32
Knowledge, training, and experience	5	Expertise in a specialism, underpinned by theory or practical experience (degree level or equivalent).	120
Analytical and judgmental skills	3	Judgments on a range of facts or situations needing analysis or comparison of options.	27
Planning and organizational skills	2	Plans straightforward tasks or activities, some ongoing.	15
Physical skills	3	Developed skills needing speed or accuracy, such as advanced keyboard use.	27
Responsibility for patient and client care	1	Helps patients, clients, or relatives during incidental contact.	4
Responsibility for policy and service development	3	Implements policies for own area and proposes changes that affect other areas.	21
Responsibility for financial and physical resources	3	Authorizes payments, buys some assets or supplies, monitors or holds a delegated budget, or maintains assets.	21
Responsibility for people	3	Manages a group of staff day to day, teaches core or specialist training, or gives core HR advice.	21
Responsibility for information resources	4	Adapts or designs information systems to others' specifications, or runs information systems for a department as the main duty.	24
Responsibility for research and development	2	Regularly does research, development, trials, or equipment and system testing as part of the job.	12
Freedom to act	3	Follows defined policies and procedures; work is managed rather than supervised.	21
Physical effort	2	Frequent sitting or standing in a restricted position, or occasional light to moderate effort.	7
Mental effort	3	Frequent concentration on unpredictable work, or occasional prolonged concentration.	12
Emotional effort	1	Rare exposure, or occasional indirect exposure, to distressing circumstances.	5
Working conditions	2	Occasional unpleasant conditions, frequent travel or outdoor work, or near-continuous screen use on most days.	7
Total (Band 5: 326 to 395)			376

People is level 3 because the job manages a small finance team day to day. A finance analyst at this band would score people at level 2 and analytical at level 4.