Location
London Borough of Sutton, The Old Rectory, Festival Walk, Carshalton

Hours
Full Time

Salary
£115,877 per annum

About the Role
Joining us means working for not just one high performing London Borough, but two. Sutton and Kingston councils share a number of services, offering you the opportunity to learn from a wider pool of activities and engage with two distinct political bodies. We support flexible working arrangements across Sutton and Kingston offices, including home working, providing the tools and equipment to enable you to work flexibly while encouraging creativity and ambition in service delivery.

Exciting developments are underway in both boroughs. These include the London Cancer Hub, a world-leading cancer research and treatment centre, and Kingston’s largest housing regeneration programme delivering new energy-efficient homes. Both boroughs are committed to tackling the climate emergency through investment in new technologies and societal change to reduce carbon emissions.

Sutton is known for its excellent schools, green spaces, and rich heritage, governed by a Liberal Democrat Administration with high ambitions outlined in the corporate plan “Ambitious for Sutton”. Kingston, a Royal borough with historic charm and vibrant communities, is led by a Liberal Democrat Administration with a vision set out in the council plan “Greener, Fairer, Safer, Together”. Both councils emphasize resident engagement and play leading roles in London’s South West region.

The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, London’s oldest Royal borough, offers a platform for senior leaders driven by purpose, partnership and civic impact. With a population of 168,000, Kingston is a place of contrast and opportunity, from thriving town centres and world-class education to significant regeneration and a diverse community. Financial responsibility and reform underpin strategic decision-making.

As Director of Finance and Deputy Section 151 Officer, you will be a senior leader shaping the Shared Finance Service’s direction and performance. You will lead Kingston’s core finance function, ensuring financial stewardship, integrity of reporting, and strategic financial planning including the Medium-Term Financial Strategy (MTFS). You will advise Members, the Chief Executive and senior leadership on complex financial, regulatory and commercial matters, overseeing financial planning, business partnering, external audit, pensions, capital & treasury, revenues & benefits, and financial inclusion.

Your stewardship will cover a net revenue budget of approximately £193m (General Fund), plus HRA, DSG and Pension Fund investments, a finance workforce of over 160 FTE, full production of Kingston’s annual accounts and audit reporting, and responsibility for financial resilience, statutory controls and assurance. You will also support corporate transformation and major change programmes while shaping a future-ready, data-driven and commercially aware finance function.

We offer a supportive, friendly and collaborative environment to grow your career and skills, encouraging innovation and continuous improvement. Benefits include generous annual leave, enhanced family leave, volunteering days, flexible working schemes, learning and development opportunities, discounts, pension scheme, cycle to work and car schemes, and confidential health and wellbeing support.

Experience
- Significant senior leadership experience within local government or a comparable complex public body
- Proven track record in leading Medium-Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) and budget-setting processes
- Strong technical assurance expertise including accounts, audit, pensions, treasury and governance
- Experience operating politically, shaping financial strategy alongside Members and senior stakeholders
- Ability to inspire, influence and lead through change, building high-performing, future-ready finance teams
- Commercial and outward-facing mindset with the ability to drive innovation, transformation and value

About you
You are an exceptional senior finance leader with credibility, resilience and drive to influence strategic decision-making at the highest levels. You are motivated by purpose and partnership, able to operate effectively within a complex political environment, and committed to delivering excellent financial stewardship and governance. You embrace innovation and transformation, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and high performance within your teams.

Qualifications
You must be a CCAB or CIMA qualified accountant and eligible to deputise for the Section 151 Officer.