Financial controller

Band 8c · Head of finance · 653 job evaluation points

Financial controllers, sometimes called assistant directors of finance, lead a major part of the finance function, such as financial accounting and control or financial planning, and deputise for senior finance leaders.

Responsibilities

Lead financial accounting, financial control, treasury, and transactional services, or financial planning and business partnering.
Make sure the annual accounts are delivered on time with a clean audit opinion.
Maintain an effective system of financial control, and report on it to the audit committee.
Lead the financial planning cycle and in-year financial reporting to the executive.
Advise directors on major financial decisions, including large technology contracts.
Lead and develop several finance teams.

Skills

Skill	Expected level	What this level means
Financial reporting and statutory accountsThis reference	Expert (4)	You can: own the organisation's annual report and accounts and the accounting policies behind them advise the board and audit committee on significant judgements and new standards lead the response to qualified audit opinions or material misstatements assure that reporting meets public accountability rules
Financial planning and forecastingThis reference	Practitioner (3)	You can: lead budget setting and forecasting for a directorate or large programme model scenarios and sensitivities, such as inflation, delays, or changes in funding build multi-year forecasts for digital programmes, including the running costs that follow investment present forecasts and risks to senior managers
Financial controls and auditThis reference	Expert (4)	You can: own the organisation's financial rules and scheme of delegation report to the audit committee on financial control and audit actions lead the response to significant control failures or fraud build a culture where staff understand their duty to use public money properly
Public sector financeThis reference	Expert (4)	You can: represent the organisation with funders and oversight bodies advise the board on regularity, propriety, and value for money shape funding agreements and financial regimes for the organisation's services
Financial managementUK GDaD PCF	Expert (4)	You can: influence or create complex budgets across an organisation, programme or product view manage the budget you are given and make it work
Financial management for digital, data and technologyUK GDaD PCF	Practitioner (3)	Senior leadership skill: the UK GDaD PCF defines it with one statement, not by level. You can: Examples of leadership using this skill: own, manage and optimise budgets across digital, data and technology secure appropriate investment to deliver organisational strategy and priorities negotiate investments in shared technologies across the organisation and across government prioritising competing demands for investment in people, infrastructure and innovation across digital, data and technology to maximise value identifying risk to critical services and influencing stakeholders to increase investment to ensure they are maintained balancing short-term tactical gains with longer-term strategies to ensure value now and in the future
Leadership and guidanceUK GDaD PCF	Practitioner (3)	You can: make decisions characterised by medium levels of risk and complexity and recommend decisions as risk and complexity increase build consensus between services or independent stakeholders identify problems or issues in the team dynamic and rectify them engage in varying types of feedback, choosing the right type at the appropriate time and ensuring the discussion and decision stick bring people together to form a motivated team and help create the right environment for a team to work in facilitate the best team makeup depending on the situation
People managementThis reference	Practitioner (3)	You can: line manage a team, setting objectives and running appraisals support wellbeing and manage attendance, performance, and conduct plan the team's development and succession
Corporate governance and complianceThis reference	Practitioner (3)	You can: run the governance cycle for boards and committees review policies and advise on compliance
Organisational risk managementThis reference	Practitioner (3)	You can: run the risk process for a directorate or programme assess risks against the risk appetite and escalate them report on risks to committees

Typical qualifications and experience

A recognised accountancy qualification, with extensive senior experience in public sector or complex organisations.

Band 8c outline

Knowledge: Expert knowledge, and wide organisational and sector understanding.
Autonomy: Sets strategy for a function; accountable to a director.
Scope: A function or department.
Leadership: Leads a function through several management layers.
Accountability: A function's performance, workforce, and budget.

Job evaluation (illustrative)

Factor	Level	Level summary	Points
Communication and relationship skills	6	Gives highly complex, highly contentious information where there are significant barriers to acceptance, using the highest level of communication skills.	60
Knowledge, training, and experience	7	Highly developed specialist knowledge across the range of the specialism (master's level or equivalent).	196
Analytical and judgemental skills	5	Judgements on highly complex facts or situations needing analysis, interpretation, and comparison of options.	60
Planning and organisational skills	5	Forms long-term strategic plans, with uncertainty and effects across the organisation.	60
Physical skills	2	Skills gained through practice, such as standard keyboard use or driving.	15
Responsibility for patient and client care	1	Helps patients, clients, or relatives during incidental contact.	4
Responsibility for policy and service development	5	Implements and develops a range of policies or services for a directorate.	45
Responsibility for financial and physical resources	5	Holds or sets budgets, or manages assets, for several services.	45
Responsibility for people	4	Line manages a function or department, designs training programmes as a main duty, or delivers a full range of HR services.	32
Responsibility for information resources	6	Manages and develops information systems across the organisation as the main duty.	46
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	5	Works within general policies, and in most cases decides how to interpret them.	45
Physical effort	1	Sitting, standing, and walking, with little physical effort.	3
Mental effort	3	Frequent concentration on unpredictable work, or occasional prolonged concentration.	12
Emotional effort	2	Occasional exposure, or frequent indirect exposure, to distressing circumstances.	11
Working conditions	2	Occasional unpleasant conditions, frequent travel or outdoor work, or near-continuous screen use on most days.	7
Total (Band 8c: 630 to 674)			653

Financial resources is level 5 because the job manages budgets and financial processes across several services. Information resources is level 6 because the job owns the finance systems and data used across the organisation.