Location
Westway Information Centre, Kensington & Chelsea Citizens Advice

Hours
Full Time

Salary
£68,685 per annum

About the Role
As a Finance Manager at the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, you will provide expert financial strategy and insight to shape our services and build a fairer borough. You will play a vital role in shaping how we deliver services and invest in our community by combining strategic thinking with hands-on financial management. Your work will help senior leaders make informed, evidence-based decisions that ensure value for money and support our residents.

You will act as a trusted partner to School Governors, Senior School leaders, and Heads of Service, providing high-level financial insight and guidance across your designated service area. Your expertise will help turn strategic priorities into deliverable financial plans, aligning resources with the Council’s vision and ensuring strong financial governance.

A key responsibility is leading the school’s annual budgeting, monitoring, and financial planning process. Working closely with business partners, you will support them in identifying savings opportunities, growth pressures, and investment priorities – all grounded in robust analysis and evidence.

This role offers a unique opportunity to deepen your business partnering and financial expertise within a dynamic and complex environment. You will manage maintained schools’ finances that directly affect the delivery of services to children in the borough, while navigating a high level of stakeholders, grant funding, and reporting. You will also provide practical, strategic support to schools and stakeholders on all relevant initiatives, including understanding new grant funding, balancing school budgets, auditing reporting, and developing new processes – ensuring that children and finance sit at the heart of decision-making.

You will take ownership of budget monitoring, forecasting, and year-end reporting, ensuring accuracy and accountability. This includes proactively identifying risks, managing pressures, and recommending solutions. You will ensure adherence to financial regulations, lead a small team, and may deputise for the Senior Finance Manager when required.

Interviews will take place week commencing 7th September 2026.

You will be based in the Borough for 3 days a week, playing a key role in serving the local community. Whether working on the frontline or behind the scenes, you will be part of a dedicated team making a real difference to residents’ lives.

We are committed to promoting equality and respecting diversity and welcome applications from all sections of the community. We are a Disability Confident Employer, committed to ensuring that our recruitment and selection process is inclusive and accessible. RBKC will consider requests for flexible working at the point of hire. Please discuss any flexibility you may need at interview.

Experience
You will be a fully CCAB-qualified accountant with significant experience managing large and complex budgets within a local government or school environment. You will have a solid understanding of financial frameworks, regulations, and budgetary controls, alongside a proven ability to influence and guide senior leaders.

About you
You will have strong analytical and IT skills, confident in using financial systems and advanced Excel or other analytical tools to interpret complex data and provide actionable insights. You will be a clear and persuasive communicator, capable of presenting complex financial information in a way that inspires confidence and drives decision-making. You will also have the confidence to challenge and question existing processes where necessary, helping to improve efficiency and effectiveness.

Qualifications
Fully CCAB-qualified accountant.