QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:

Essential:

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business, or a related field.
• Professional qualification such as ACA, ACCA, CIMA, or equivalent.
• 5+ years of experience in financial management, business partnering, or project finance roles including 2 years of management.
• Strong knowledge of public sector finance frameworks, including the Public Spending Code, Infrastructure Guidelines, and governance standards.
• Proven track record in monitoring and controlling project budgets within a large, complex organization.

Desirable:

• Experience supporting a PMO or working on large-scale infrastructure or capital projects.
• Familiarity with EU funding requirements and compliance.
• Proficiency in financial systems and tools (e.g., Microsoft Dynamics, Keyedin, Excel).

Key Skills:

• Strong analytical skills and attention to detail.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management abilities.
• Ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Advanced financial modelling, budgeting, and forecasting expertise.
• Knowledge of project management tools and methodologies.

Note: The functions and responsibilities initially assigned to the position are based on the current organisational requirements and may be changed from time to time. The person appointed requires the flexibility to fulfil other roles and responsibilities at a similar leve

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE:

The Finance Manager - Projects will play a critical role in supporting the Authority-wide Project Management Office (PMO) and Transport Technology teams in monitoring, managing, and reporting on project costs, budgets, and financial performance. The role requires ensuring compliance with relevant guidance, such as the Public Spending Code, Infrastructure Guidelines, the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies, and general Value for Money principles. By combining expertise in finance, business partnering, and project management, the role will help drive financial discipline and strategic alignment across the company’s portfolio of projects.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Supporting the Authority-wide PMO and Transport Technology teams:

• Collaborate closely with the PMO and transport technology teams to monitor and control project budgets, ensuring adherence to allocated resources.
• Provide detailed financial analysis and reporting for all major projects, including tracking expenditure against budgets, forecasting costs, and identifying potential overruns.
• Assist in the development and implementation of robust financial management processes within the PMO, ensuring alignment with relevant guidance and best practices.
• Regularly review and assess project financial performance to ensure compliance with the Public Spending Code, Infrastructure Guidelines, and other applicable standards.
• Ensure that projects adhere to Value for Money principles, delivering efficient use of public funds while achieving strategic objectives.

Business Partnering and Advisory Support:

• Act as a trusted finance advisor to project managers and stakeholders across the organization, providing guidance on financial processes, budget management, and compliance requirements.
• Work with cross-functional teams to support the development of project charters, project initiation document, project business cases, ensuring they meet the standards outlined in the internal Project Approval guidelines, Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies and other frameworks.
• Support operational teams in identifying cost-saving opportunities, improving financial outcomes and optimizing resource allocation.
• Provide financial training and support to non-finance project leads to enhance their understanding of budgeting and financial management.
• As finance representative, identify and communicate within finance the upcoming and ongoing projects to ensure the relevant operational finance teams are notified and included in project planning and delivery as required.

Financial Oversight and Reporting:

• Produce accurate and timely financial reports, dashboards, and updates for senior management, PMO leads, and external stakeholders.
• Develop and maintain robust financial tracking systems to ensure transparency and accountability in project delivery.
• Assist in the preparation of submissions and reports for external audits, funding applications, and regulatory compliance reviews.
• Management and enhancement of weekly, monthly and annual controls and assist in development and enhancement of control procedures and matrices.
• Monitor expenditure carefully against budget and drive a ‘value for money’ ethos within the finance team and indeed the company as a whole.
• Support the identification, recording and management of fixed assets generated from projects.
• Support detailed quarterly forecasting and reporting to the Capital Programme Office and other senior stakeholders.

Compliance and Governance:

• Ensure procurement procedures are in accordance with national and EU public procurement guidelines, regulations and directives;
• Ensure that a systematic risk assessment process is embedded in each project and play a key role in identifying and managing risk;
• Ensure that each project is developed in accordance with the authorities internal control framework;
• Ensure all project budgets and financial activities comply with the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies, including risk management and audit requirements.
• Identify and escalate financial risks and implement mitigation measures in collaboration with the PMO and finance teams.
• Lead financial reviews of projects to ensure they deliver against stated objectives and funding conditions.
• Develop Financial Policy & Procedural documentation, training and quick reference guides for project managers.
• Support audit assignments performed by Internal Audit, the Comptroller and Auditor General and other regulatory bodies.

Change Management and Transformation:

• Support the implementation of finance transformation initiatives aimed at enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of financial operations.
• Act as a change champion, ensuring finance processes are integrated into the PMO’s workflows and adopted by project teams.