Director of Financial Planning and Strategy

at  University of Stirling

The Post
In this exciting new role, you will shape our university’s financial ambition while maintaining a firm focus on service quality. If you are a dynamic leader with a knack for getting things done and a commitment to exceptional service, we invite you to join our team and be a driving force behind our journey to financial success.
Reporting directly to the Executive Director of Finance, you will lead a dedicated team working to achieve our university’s financial ambitions. Guided by our new Strategic Plan, you will play a pivotal role in driving income growth to help us reach our income milestone of £250 million by 2030.
Description of Duties
As the Director of Financial Planning and Strategy, you will have a range of strategic responsibilities aimed at propelling us to financial success:
Effective Leadership: Provide highly specialised professional leadership and direction to a dedicated team.
Financial Strategy: Develop a robust financial plan that steers us toward our income growth goals. Your insights will shape income assumptions and drive cost efficiencies.
Business Partnering: Work closely with Deans, Executive Directors, and cross-functional teams to ensure our financial efforts align with our Strategic Plan and Financial Strategy.
Financial Oversight: Analyse performance metrics, manage risks, and ensure our strategic developments are financially sustainable.
Continuous Improvement: Collaborate with the Head of Policy and Planning to refine our university’s planning approach. Provide financial insights to enhance various aspects of our operations.
Industry Insights: Stay informed about financial trends and shifts, providing valuable input for our strategic financial planning.
Business Support Innovation: Guide the development of professional finance support that bolster our business initiatives, fostering growth and performance.
Maximise financial return: Assess the financial viability of new initiatives and projects, offering recommendations to optimize returns.

Essential Criteria

• Educated to degree level or equivalent with a relevant professional accountancy qualification
• Strategic financial leadership experience in a large and complex organisation
• Demonstrable record of accomplishment of developing and implementing vision and strategy that enables growth in activity and reputation
• Proven ability to influence the direction of organisational development, and to translate strategic goals into action
• Experience of leading an effective finance function with evidence of successful management of human and financial resources
• Evidence of leading and implementing sustainable change that impacts across an organisation

• MANAGING SELF AND PERSONAL SKILLSBeing aware of your own behaviour and mindful of how it impacts on others, enhancing personal skills to adapt professional practice accordingly.
• DELIVERING EXCELLENT SERVICEProviding the best quality service to external and internal clients. Building genuine and open long-term relationships in order to drive up service standards.
• FINDING SOLUTIONSTaking a holistic view and working enthusiastically to analyse problems and to develop workable solutions. Identifying opportunities for innovation.
• EMBRACING CHANGEBeing open to and engaging with new ideas and ways of working. Adjusting to unfamiliar situations, shifting demands and changing roles.
• USING RESOURCES EFFECTIVELYIdentifying and making the most productive use of resources including people, time, information, networks and budgets.
• ENGAGING WITH THE WIDER CONTEXTEnhancing your contribution to the organisation through an understanding of the bigger picture and showing commitment to organisational values.
• DEVELOPING SELF AND OTHERSShowing commitment to own ongoing professional development. Supporting and encouraging others to develop their professional knowledge, skills and behaviours to enable them to reach their full potential.
• WORKING TOGETHERWorking collaboratively with others in order to achieve objectives. Recognising and valuing the different contributions people bring to this process.
• ACHIEVING RESULTSConsistently meeting agreed objectives and success criteria. Taking personal responsibility for getting things done