Job title: Finance Manager

Salary: PO4 £46,142 - £49,282

Hours: 37 hours per week

Contract: Permanent

Location: Leeds City Council - Civic Hall 1-2 days a week with hybrid working offered.

Leeds is made up of 812,000 people - from a diverse range of backgrounds, speaking over 175 different languages. A city with a unique geography - a vibrant urban centre surrounded by towns, villages and more rural areas, each with their own distinct history and character. We are proud to be a welcoming city, where our rich culture and diversity is celebrated and accessible for all. Every person in Leeds counts and should have the opportunity to contribute their strengths to Team Leeds.

Leeds City Council is one of the largest employers in the region with over 14,000 employees and we seek to recruit and develop talented individuals who embody our council values and ambitions.

As a Finance Manager in Financial Services you’ll thrive on working in a professional, enthusiastic and supportive team, who care about making a difference through high quality service delivery and continuous improvement.

We are seeking to appoint a Finance Manager to support the strategic corporate finance team and how it supports the ongoing change project for the Council.

About you

As a Finance Manager:

You must be a fully qualified accountant, holding a relevant AAT or equivalent qualification, and have experience of working at a senior level within a finance setting.
You can build credible, collaborative relationships with senior officers and other stakeholders, understanding their needs but providing challenge where needed.
You have good analytical and communication skills and use these to present clear financial information and options to decision makers.
You can work independently to solve problems, and plan and prioritise your work to meet deadlines.
You can lead a small team them to focus on the priorities and motivate them to fulfil their full potential
You have a good knowledge of core finance processes required for a local authority

We are looking for an enthusiastic and proactive individual to join us as a Finance Business Partner in our highly regarded Financial Services team.

About the Finance Manager role:

You will work closely with a portfolio of services, providing high quality financial information and advice, using your business acumen to help senior leaders develop innovative transformation solutions.

You will be expected to build and manage strong relationships with senior officers who deliver front line council services, supporting them in developing, delivering and monitoring robust budget plans as well as providing professional guidance on sound financial management.

What we offer you

We take pride in offering the best employee experience, with benefits including:

a competitive salary and annual leave entitlement plus statutory holidays
membership of the West Yorkshire Pension Fund with generous employer contributions
flexible and hybrid working arrangements subject to service requirements
a clear career pathway and continuing professional development opportunities
a range of staff benefits to help you boost your wellbeing and make your money go further

We have a strong track record of helping people develop their Finance careers, alongside our commitment to improving diversity and wellbeing. In addition to training, development and mentoring, employees can also gain experience in our different Finance teams.

You can also take advantage of our various flexible working patterns including our ‘hybrid’ working model. Staff within Financial Services at present have the option to work both in the office and from home, with an average of 1-2 days per week worked from the office depending on business need.

How to apply

Please apply by completing the online application form and submit by 23:59 Sunday 21^st June 2026.

In-person interviews will take place in early July

To give yourself the best chance of being shortlisted for interview, please ensure you describe how you meet the essential requirements for the role, using appropriate examples where appropriate.

Please check your information carefully and ensure you complete all sections before submitting your application. Read our guidance for further advice.

If you have any queries or would like an informal chat about the roles, please contact:

Chris Knight , Senior Finance Manager:
Email - Knight@leeds.gov.uk or phone - 0113 37 89730

We welcome applications from everyone and actively seek a diverse range of applicants from all backgrounds and cultures. We particularly encourage applications from, but not limited to, women, carers, veterans as well as LGBT+, ethnically diverse, disabled and care experienced people.

This role is based in the UK. Home Office guidance states that candidates must evidence their right to work in the UK prior to commencing employment, either as a UK or Irish citizen, under the EU Settlement scheme or having secured any other relevant work visa.

If you do not have the right to work in the UK, you must consider your own eligibility for sponsorship for a particular role through the Skilled Worker visa route before applying. To be eligible for sponsorship you'll usually need to be paid the standard salary rate of at least £41,700 per year or meet one of the other eligibility criteria. Ensure you are eligible before applying.

Job Description

Job Purpose: Working either as part of a team providing a comprehensive financial management service to directorate based senior officers, the post-holder will model the Council’s values and behaviours in order to help us achieve our ambition of being the best council in the country.

By helping make sure that financial information is placed at the heart of decision-making, the role plays an important part in ensuring that the council is both enterprising and efficient.

The post-holder will report to a Senior Finance Manager and will be deployed in the strategic corporate finance team.

The post-holder will deliver a range of financial support services to directorates. These services will include:

Provision of expert operational financial advice and management information to officers, members and other internal stakeholders in order to support effective decision-making and support the provision of timely responses to enquiries from people/organisations external to the Council
Utilisation of service data and financial forecasts to ensure that budgets are effectively managed, budget-holders are given appropriate levels of support, risks are identified and actively managed and services areas are supported to optimise income generation
Provision of independent challenge, analysis and interpretation of financial and performance information to ensure that inefficiencies, irregularities and performance variances (financial and non-financial) are investigated and opportunities for improved service delivery are identified
Collaboration with directorate senior officers and budget-holders to produce:

Annual revenue and capital budgets
Budget Action Plans and Contingency Plans
Timely and accurate in-year budget monitoring reports and financial health reports encompassing both revenue and capital budgets
Service Plans/Business plans incorporating ‘rolling’ medium term financial forecasts that align with directorate operational plans and priorities.

Provision of financial information and analysis to support investment/disinvestment decisions and the development of complex business cases
Promoting the efficient and effective stewardship of assets and resources, for example by supporting directorate-based senior officers to implement the recommendations of Internal Audit
Preparation of year-end accounts and other financial returns
Line management of a small number of Assistant Finance Business Partners and/or Finance Officers

Responsibilities for Grade:

Manage/supervise a small number of finance staff
Display customer focus and role model the behaviours expected of a manager
Provide accurate and timely financial information, challenge, insight and advice to directorate/school-based budget-holders and managers
Apply a risk-based approach to the monitoring of capital and revenue budgets, attending budget meetings for high risk revenue/capital budgets
Support directorate/school-based budget-holders to analyse and understand the key cost drivers within their services
Lead on the compilation of challenging and robust revenue and capital budgets for a range of directorate/school-based services
Contribute to the identification and development of service reviews and other savings plans
Advise on the optimisation of all current/potential sources of income and alternative approaches to achieve full cost recovery
Explain complex data to non-financial stakeholders to help inform and challenge decision-makers
Provide financial support and challenge to invest to save business cases and other option appraisals.
Maintain financial systems, processes and procedures

Qualifications

AAT qualified or equivalent (which may include substantial relevant work experience within a financial environment)

PERSONAL SPECIFICATION: Method of Assessment will be through one or more of the following Application Form, Test, Interview, and Certificate

ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS: It is essential that the Candidate should be able to demonstrate the following criteria for the post within the context of the specific role duties and responsibilities: Candidates will only be shortlisted for interview if they can demonstrate on the application form that they meet all the essential requirements

Skills Required

Ability to provide independent challenge, analysis and interpretation of financial and performance information
Good written and oral communication and interpersonal skills and the ability to work collaboratively with internal partners/professionals
Ability to plan and organise own work and that of others competently with minimum supervision, and to strict deadlines
Sound problem solving and analytical and skills
Ability to clearly present financial information in a manner appropriate to the recipients of the information
Ability to understand and meet customer expectations
Ability to establish credibility with senior management and other stakeholders

Knowledge Required

Up to date knowledge of current financial and accounting developments
Sound working knowledge of core financial business processes including budget planning, budget monitoring and reporting and closure of accounts
Good knowledge and understanding of the specific financial and business context facing a service directorate and the relevant legislative requirements
Understanding of managers’ responsibility for health and safety.

Experience Required

Practical experience of providing financial support to directorate-based managers with non-financial expertise
Management experience including staff supervision, training and development
Experience of providing financial support to decision making
Experience of supporting service delivery improvements within a financial setting.

Behavioural & other Characteristics required

Take ownership of own personal development
Demonstrate a positive attitude
Credible and reliable
Understand and embrace Leeds City Council values and behaviours and codes of conduct
Committed to continuous improvement in all areas and work towards delivering the Leeds Ambitions of health and wellbeing, inclusive growth, thriving strong communities, and a resilient sustainable city
Able to understand and observe Leeds City Council policies and procedures
Carry out duties having regard to an employee’s responsibility under Health, Safety and Wellbeing
Participate in appraisal, training and development activities to ensure up, to date knowledge and skills
Be aware of and support difference and ensure equality for all working in an anti-discriminatory manner, upholding equality and diversity of Leeds City Council
Recognise and appropriately challenge any incidents of racism, bullying, harassment, victimisation, and any form of abuse, reporting any concerns to the appropriate person
Flexible and adaptable to change to assist other services as required commensurate to grade.
The Council has adopted a flexibility protocol and the role will be expected to work within these parameters.