The Divisional Financial Controller (DFC) leads the financial governance, financial management, and financial strategy of Estates Services in support of the University’s Estate Strategy. This is a senior leadership role with Estates Services and has significant influence on the short, medium, and long-term success of the Service.

The DFC acts as a trusted partner, providing leadership, support and advice to the Director of Estates Services, the Senior Management Team in Estates Services, a number of high profile committees at the University, other senior University officers, and senior decision makers both within Estates Services and within the central University. The DFC makes a significant contribution to the strategic planning activity of Estates Services in support of the Director of Estates Services.

The DFC provides visible leadership of the finance function across Estates Services  and is the point of professional engagement for finance staff.. Through this leadership, the DFC is responsible for creating a financial environment in which Estates Services and the broader University Administrative Services (UAS) can optimise their financial sustainability by effectively managing competing claims on resources. The DFC provides high quality financial and business information to the Division and the central University, and conveys the consequences of decisions in an impartial manner which gains the trust of all parties.

Responsibilities

There are three main areas of responsibility for the role:

Financial leadership

• Leading and taking ownership of implementing the financial aspects of Estates Services strategic and operational planning, ensuring that the financial aspects of all activities and operational decisions are accurately reflected at all stages of decision-making processes and their implications properly understood, advising the Director of Estates, and senior management team members and University officers as required.
• Embedding a culture of financial sustainability across Estates Services.
• Working with and supporting Estates Services to ensure that areas of financial weakness are addressed and opportunities for income generation are exploited, within the context of the strategic priorities of Estates Services, UAS, and the University as a whole.
• Managing financial risk actively across Estates Services, ensuring that an appropriate level of risk management and risk appetite exists during times of rapid change and development.

Business Partnering

• Taking ownership of the Estates Services’s budgeting and quarterly forecasting cycles, ensuring that Estates services departments provide high-quality and accurate information that complies with both Estates Services’s and central University’s requirements and enables full and effective reviews to take place.
• Ensuring that proper, efficient and robust accounting and financial management processes and controls are in place across Estates Services.
• Ensuring that the underlying factors for variances to budgets and plans are fully understood and that appropriate actions are taken to remedy this.
• Ensuring that the accounting structures facilitate the quick and efficient production of accurate financial reports and other management information.

Collaboration

• Acting as an effective channel of communication between Estates services and the central University, ensuring that each party understands the needs and perspectives of the other and fostering an environment in which the combined resources of the parties are most effectively coordinated.
• Providing effective leadership and management of the Estates Services finance team, ensuring the team’s continuing professional development in support of maintaining the highest quality of service delivery and customer satisfaction.

Person Specification

• A recognised accounting qualification at CCAB/CIMA level or equivalent.
• Strong and effective verbal and written communication skills with finance and non-finance staff and an ability to operate effectively in an intellectually demanding environment.
• Broad-based, relevant post-qualification accounting experience with proven and demonstrable technical skills, including project accounting, budgetary control and financial planning.
• Experience in strategic financial control and planning with an estates finance and/or capital projects environment.
• Strong financial acumen with the ability to deal sensitively with key issues and gain the confidence of staff at all levels.
• Strong and effective verbal and written communication skills with finance and non-finance staff and an ability to operate effectively in an intellectually demanding environment.
• Change-management skills with a proven record of proactively identifying requirements and successfully driving change.
• Computer literate, with strong understanding of financial systems, including experience of using such systems and delivering effective management reporting.
• High levels of personal effectiveness, particularly co-ordination, organisation, and the ability to focus on achieving deadlines, ensuring that timetables/plans can be met.
• Develops a highly informed understanding of the range of various disciplines and associated financial contexts that the departments operate within and the impact that this has on their activities. Has the capacity to interpret and convey, to a non-specialist audience, central University financial requirements, ensuring that they are effectively communicated and adopted.
• Functions effectively and delivers change in a complex environment where governance is often by consent, requiring a sophisticated and adaptable approach and highly refined negotiating skills.
• Manages competing and potentially conflicting demands from the central University, the Head of Division and individual departments without compromising effective working relationships.
• Delivers effective solutions which often require a high degree of personal engagement in the delivery of these solutions.
• Experienced in staff management with a demonstrable commitment to mentoring and development.
• Acts as a ‘good citizen’ within Estates Services, Finance Division and broader University; both able to see the bigger picture and actively contribute to it.

Salary and Benefits

Working at the University of Oxford offers several exclusive benefits, such as: 

• 38 days of annual leave (inclusive of public holidays) to support your wellbeing, with the option to purchase up to 10 extra days and additional leave after long service.
• One of the most generous family leave schemes in UK higher education, offering up to 26 weeks of full-pay maternity and adoption leave, plus 12 weeks of full-pay paternity/partner leave.
• A commitment to hybrid and flexible working to suit your lifestyle.
• Access to the excellent contributory “Universities Superannuation Scheme” Pension
• Affordable and sustainable commuting options, including a cycle loan scheme, discounted bus travel, and season ticket loans.
• Access to a vibrant community through the University’s social, cultural, and sports clubs.