BBC

Band: Senior Leader

Contract: 1 x continuing (permanent) contract

Location: Flexible. Can be based in any of the BBC’s UK locations, with regular travel required

We’re happy to discuss flexible working. Please indicate your choice under the flexible working question in the application. There is no obligation to raise this at the application stage but if you wish to do so, you are welcome to. Flexible working will be part of the discussion at offer stage.

• Excellent career progression – the BBC offers great opportunities for employees to seek new challenges and work in different areas of the organisation.
• Unrivalled training and development opportunities – our in-house Academy hosts a wide range of internal and external courses and certification.
• Benefits – we offer a competitive salary package, a flexible 35-hour working week for work-life balance and 26 days (1 of which is a corporation day) with the option to buy an extra 5 days, a defined pension scheme and discounted dental, health care, gym and much more.

Job Introduction

The Finance Director, Financial Planning and Insights is a new role at the BBC, reporting directly into the Group CFO. The role has been created to ensure the improvement of the data and insights the Finance function provides to Divisional Finance Directors and teams across the organisation.

The role will partner both internally and externally to provide the strategic analysis of data, and enable Finance to contribute to the strategic direction of the BBC as a whole, working closely with the Group Director of Strategy & Performance.

The core purpose of the role is to lead the BBC’s business performance management, long term planning, corporate development, corporate reporting activities, working alongside the Finance Leadership team to provide financial leadership and insight to all BBC divisions, with an international remit, to focus on the following main areas:

1. Performance – responsible for monitoring and reporting of performance across all Divisional platforms; scrutinise and challenge ‘Return on Investment’ issues across the BBC Group.

• Provision of timely, accurate and appropriate financial information and analysis support division decision making.
• Contribute to the development of the annual BBC budget of the division’s operating budget to ensure that all financial targets are met and financial and statutory regulations complied with.

2. Strategic Support – the role will support the Group Board, ExCo and PSB Divisions to develop their strategic plans, coordinating Finance support in developing concepts and implementing plans.
3. Group Planning – Preparation and presentation of insightful analysis as the foundation for strategic decision-making, resource allocation and performance management.
4. Corporate Development/Finance – This role has management responsibility for the Corporate Development team and manage external relationships. The role will take a lead on all M&A activity across the Group and will support the interactions with Group Strategy, Businesses and Divisions and Senior Leadership in understanding the implications of M&A activity on Group performance in the long term strategic plan regarding Group P&L performance. The Corporate Development team have responsibility for maintaining the Corporate Finance Models for the BBC.
5. Special Projects – A key member, contributor and leader on special projects as and when they arise across the Group. This includes engagement with external advisory partners, government bodies and financial institutions.

Main Responsibilities

• In partnership with Group Financial Controller, offer constructive and insightful challenge and review of business plans and projects developed by the BBC’s commercial subsidiaries as part of the annual planning and reporting cycle and governance of the subsidiaries; offer similar challenge and review of other initiatives developed across the BBC Group as required.
• Manage BBC Group resources effectively and efficiently with responsibility for the establishment of financial priorities, management of financial risk, effective cash management and the provision of effective financial advice to senior management.
• Demonstrate a commitment to value-for-money on behalf of the licence payer in control of expenditure.
• Provide leadership by action as a role model to all financial professionals across the BBC.
• Deliver expertise across the BBC Group on the assessment, structuring and negotiation of financial transactions, investments and partnerships.
• Lead on projects in relation to stakeholder interactions, group strategy, financial resilience and risk management, working with teams and functions across the BBC Group.
• Advise the leadership team on value for money, managing public money and the stakeholder and regulatory environment for the BBC Group’s financial strategy more generally, particularly in relation to transactions, investments and partnerships.
• Work with stakeholders across the Group to participate in special projects. The nature of these projects is varied, but will typically include financial modelling and the ability to provide a range of scenarios. From time to time this aspect of the role will require working with external advisors to help interpret Group performance or direct them accordingly.
• Review and critically appraise divisions’ long range financial plans, ensuring consistent assumptions are made across the BBC, strategic objectives are addressed, action plans properly agreed and reflected.
• Responsible for the oversight and reporting of the BBC Pension Fund, including the Triannual valuation process.
• Analysis and review of financial performance, especially drivers, trends, and the competitive environment, to enhance understanding thereof on the part of management, the Board, regulators and key stakeholders.
• Performance Measurement and Reporting: Pro-actively analysing, investigating, escalating and explaining key movements and trends to Senior Leadership teams and Divisional Finance Directors.
• Work with partners across Finance to ensure consistent planning and reporting of forecasts and results.
• In partnership with FD Transformation & Operations to explore and leverage digital opportunities to enhance and improve existing reporting of analytics to better support future business requirements.
• Identifying risks that arise, and assess, escalate and actively engage in the management of such risks.
• Provide and develop the tools, analytical capability and data to support thoughtful planning and target setting, as well as to drive business initiatives
• Provide effective and efficient processes for corporate financial management and set relevant financial and operating policies.
• In partnership with Group Finance Controller, provide the BBC Group Finance and ExCo with objective analysis of business, highlighting key issues and problem areas as well as making appropriate recommendations for action.
• Provide inspirational leadership and support career development and talent retention.
• Contribute to the wider development and leadership of the division, promoting and championing collaboration, creativity and diversity.

Are You The Right Candidate?

• Significant experience in large, complex global businesses with a strong preference to candidates with Group level experience
• Excellent communication skills, able to grasp and distil complex issues into simple key messages to provide powerful insights to the Executive team and Board level
• Thought leadership, creativity, innovation and clear direction across area of accountability, fostering strong performance and bringing strong Finance Planning Analytics skills that support the BBC in becoming a simpler and more efficient organisation.
• Able to lead the BBC with long-term vision using cutting edge creative, technical and/or professional skills.
• Adept at managing numerous, diverse senior and executive level stakeholders, able to undertake significant change and project management activities with wide-ranging BBC impact, often operating under tight timescales and managing numerous competing priorities – in a collaborative way.
• An understanding of economic/commercial/political issues affecting the BBC and the wider industry, equipping the job holder to contribute to long term objectives and strategies with major impact on the function/division, and often the BBC as a whole.
• Experience of operating at a senior level
• A convincing and persuasive communicator, able to influence and negotiate with senior stakeholders across the BBC, and external agencies/stakeholders, often required to present and defend complicated issues which have a wide-ranging impact on the BBC.

Saxton Bampfylde Ltd is acting as an employment agency advisor to the BBC on this appointment. For further information about the role, including details about how to apply, please visit www.saxbam.com/appointments using reference HAFQF. Alternatively telephone +44 (0)20 7227 0880 (during office hours). Applications should be received by midnight on 16^th July.