Strategic Finance Principal Lead

Tēnei tūranga – About the role

The Strategic Finance Principal Lead position is a senior strategic finance role and reports to the Head of Finance Business Partnering. The Strategic Finance Principal Lead is the technical expert and will lead and promote financial and non-financial performance within their respective business group. They will provide information, metrics and insight, together with education and understanding, to facilitate improved decision making within the business.

The role is also a key relationship and coordination point between the business and the overall Finance unit.

Ngā herenga – Requirements of the role

Personal specifications

• Ability to drive and lead project teams without direct reporting lines.
• Strong experience in driving outcomes and managing diverse stakeholder interests.
• Strong strategic financial management experience within a large, complex and diverse organisation.
• Strong analytical, strategic and planning skills as well as being commercially savvy.
• Excellent written and verbal communication and presentation skills and ability to articulate complex messages clearly, simply and concisely.
• Ability to overview and consider principles alongside being pragmatic.
• Ability to establish and maintain successful working relationships.
• Strong team player and ability to collaborate and contribute at senior leadership team level.
• High standards of professionalism and performance driven.
• Experience in leading successful change initiatives.

Prerequisites

• Considerable experience in business facing senior management roles (Private or Public Sector).
• Tertiary qualification in accounting, business administration or management.
• CAANZ Chartered Accountant qualification (or equivalent).
• Must have the right to live and work in New Zealand.

Takohanga tuhinga o mua – Key accountabilities and deliverables

General Management

• Works with the Head of Finance Business Partnering to develop portfolio work programme, priorities and strategy.
• Uses project planning and management techniques to effectively lead and carry out multiple concurrently complex projects maximising the capability of the FBP team.
• Works with the Head of Finance Business Partnering in building, monitoring and maintain fit for purpose innovative capability (people and structures) needed to achieve desired goals and objectives, and achieve expected efficiency benefits and on-going improvements in cost effectiveness.
• Monitors and adjusts work programmes to enable the Branch to adapt to changing circumstances.
• Uses influence to lead the team to achieve the programme of work.
• Proposes and implements strategic initiatives across the whole business group (including proposing initiatives to their manager).
• Identifies own priorities and manages own workload independently.
• Delivers high quality products across their business group that don’t need to be reviewed by their manager.
• Works autonomously.
• Can lead the team when necessary using their influencing skills to direct people they don’t have a mandate over.
• Proposes and drives new ways of working.

People Leadership

• Models exemplary management and leadership behaviours, and State Sector ethics and values.
• Provides a sense of vision and leadership that engages and motivates others participate and make things happen.
• Fosters an open, collaborative environment that encourages quality, innovation, on-going learning and knowledge sharing.
• Monitors branch and team performance against branch objectives/KPIs to ensure performance targets and outcomes are met. Identifies issues and brings to Manager’s attention in a timely manner and addresses any issues, as required).
• Works with the Head of Finance Business Partnering in ensuring an engaged, functional branch (including pro-actively identifying and effectively addressing any issues that detract in a timely manner).
• Works with the Head of Finance Business Partnering so that the team operates effectively and efficiently, and delivers agreed outputs to support achievement of MBIE outcomes.

Technical Expertise

• Provides technical advice and support to the Head of Finance Business Partnering and Business Group.
• Provides mentorship and guidance to Finance Business Partners.
• Considered an expert in financial aspects of the Business Group.

Delivery and Results

• Provide all monthly reporting to support the respective business unit, including core financial (Statement of Financial Performance and Statement of Financial Position) and non-financial information, variance analysis, commentary, key performance ratios and metrics relevant to the Business Unit and insights and a result of a forward view of both the business and this information.
• Ensure the provision of core information occurs on an efficient basis and leveraging the standard template and reporting process for this information by MBIE. In this regard core information and reporting will be produced.

Takohanga tuhinga o mua – Key accountabilities and deliverables continued

• centrally after principles of simplification, standardisation, automation and rationalisation have been considered and adopted where appropriate.
• Provide financial advice and education as well working with the business units to identify and manage financial issues and risks.
• Ensure there is a tight management and reporting process in relation to appropriations including providing appropriate advice on the impact of decisions on appropriations where relevant.
• Work with business groups to ensure that the Head of Finance Business Partnering is informed of key financial risks and decisions.
• Provide ad hoc financial advice and support to the business to enable individual initiatives and key decisions to be supported from a financial advice perspective.

Strategic Planning and Strategic Decision Support

• Lead strategy development and planning from a finance perspective with business customers.
• Provide financial leadership and advice on the long-term financial planning process and support the development of metrics to monitor their performance against strategic objectives.
• Work with Enterprise Performance and Reporting colleagues to ensure effective integrated planning processes and financial input to develop and deliver a robust business plan and financial strategy.
• Facilitate the process enabling Business Units to complete key external accountability documents such as baseline updates, statement of intent and the 4 year plan.
• Provide both strategic and technical advice to business customers in the definition and review of their performance measures, annual plan and budget.
• Assess the commercial viability of investment decisions, articulate financial risks and opportunities and support post- investment appraisal of business initiatives.
• Recognise, assess and proactively monitor and manage foreseeable risks and issues and ensure that managers are aware of these.

Improve organisational performance and capability

• Identify capability gaps within Finance, Performance and Assurance and work alongside managers and Finance colleagues to address these
• Assist in building the Ministry’s wide financial management capability and confidence
• Provide customer focused feedback, insight and recommendations to the business on financial performance, focusing on key drivers
• Encourage the adoption of a high performance finance culture across the business through effective communication, timely delivery of insightful advice and continuous improvement

Wellbeing, health & safety

• Displays commitment through actively supporting all safety and wellbeing initiatives.
• Ensures own and others safety at all times.
• Complies with relevant safety and wellbeing policies, procedures, safe systems of work and event reporting.
• Reports all incidents/accidents, including near misses in a timely fashion.
• Is involved in health and safety through participation and consultation.

Tō tūranga i roto i te Manatū – Your place in the Ministry

The Strategic Finance Principal Lead position reports into the Head of Finance Business Partnering within the Finance & Performance branch. The branch sits within the Corporate and Digital Shared Services group.

More information about MBIE’s structure

To mātou aronga – What we do for Aotearoa New Zealand

Hīkina Whakatutuki is the te reo Māori name for the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. Hīkina means to uplift. Whakatutuki means to move forward, to make successful. Our name speaks to our purpose, Grow Aotearoa New Zealand for All.

To Grow Aotearoa New Zealand for All, we put people at the heart of our mahi. Based on the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi / The Treaty of Waitangi, we are committed to upholding authentic partnerships with Māori.

As agile public service leaders, we use our breadth and experience to navigate the ever-changing world. We are service providers, policy makers, investors and regulators. We engage with diverse communities, businesses and regions. Our work touches on the daily lives of New Zealanders. We grow opportunities (Puāwai), guard and protect (Kaihāpai) and innovate and navigate towards a better future (Auaha).

Ngā matatau – Our competencies

Cultivates innovation We create new and better ways for the organisation to be successful by challenging the status quo generating new and creative ideas and translating them into workable solutions.

Nimble learning We are curious and actively learn through experimentation when tackling new problems by learning as we go when facing new situations and challenges.

Customer focus We build strong customer relationships and deliver customer-centric solutions by listening and gaining insights into the needs of the communities we serve and actively seeking and responding to feedback.

Decision quality We make quality and timely decisions that shape the future for our communities and keep the organisation moving forward by relying on an appropriate mix of analysis, wisdom, experience, and judgement to make valid and reliable decisions.

Action oriented We step up, taking on new opportunities and tough challenges with purpose, urgency and discipline by taking responsibility, ownership and action on challenges, and being accountable for the results.

Collaborates We connect, working together to build partnerships with our communities, working collaboratively to meet shared objectives by gaining trust and support of others; actively seeking the views, experiences, and opinions of others and by working co-operatively with others across MBIE, the public sector and external stakeholder groups.

Te Tiriti o Waitangi

As an agency of the public service, MBIE has a responsibility to contribute to the Crown meeting its obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi (Te Tiriti). Meeting our commitment to Te Tiriti will contribute towards us realising the overall aims of Te Ara Amiorangi – Our Path, Our Direction, and achieve the outcome of Growing New Zealand for All. The principles of Te Tiriti - including partnership, good faith, and active protection – are at the core of our work. MBIE is committed to delivering on our obligations as a Treaty partner with authenticity and integrity and to enable Māori interests. We are committed to ensuring that MBIE is well placed to meet our obligations under the Public Service Act 2020 (Te Ao Tūmatanui) to support the Crown in strengthening the Māori/Crown Relationship under the Treaty and to build MBIE’s capability, capacity and cultural intelligence to deliver this.

Mahi i roto i te Ratonga Tūmatanui – Working in the public service

Ka mahitahi mātou o te ratonga tūmatanui kia hei painga mō ngā tāngata o Aotearoa i āianei, ā, hei ngā rā ki tua hoki. He kawenga tino whaitake tā mātou hei tautoko i te Karauna i runga i āna hononga ki a ngāi Māori i raro i te Tiriti o Waitangi. Ka tautoko mātou i te kāwanatanga manapori. Ka whakakotahingia mātou e te wairua whakarato ki ō mātou hapori, ā, e arahina ana mātou e ngā mātāpono me ngā tikanga matua o te ratonga tūmatanui i roto i ā mātou mahi.

In the public service we work collectively to make a meaningful difference for New Zealanders now and in the future. We have an important role in supporting the Crown in its relationships with Māori under the Treaty of Waitangi. We support democratic government. We are unified by a spirit of service to our communities and guided by the core principles and values of the public service in our work.

What does it mean to work in Aotearoa New Zealand’s Public Service?(external link) — Te Kawa Mataaho The Public Service Commission