Interim Head of Management Reporting

The Finance Division at Cambridge is in an exciting period of transition, as we continue to progress the delivery of the Finance Transformation Programme (FTP) to modernise our function with a key focus on transparency of management information in enabling our academic mission.

As part of this journey, we are looking to: consolidate the leadership roles of Chief Financial Officer and Director of Finance; continue to simplify and strengthen the senior functional management structure to enhance the cohesion and operational focus over financial planning, investment decision making and performance delivery; and prioritise FTP programme delivery.

As part of this transition, we are taking the opportunity to appoint an experienced interim resource as Interim Head of Management Reporting, to play a pivotal role as part of our Finance Senior Leadership Team.

The Interim Head of Management Reporting role will provide leadership and a new focal point for our dispersed teams of deep subject matter experts, The role holder will also hold the key reporting relationship with our Finance Business Partners across the Schools and NSIs. Working together to further develop and deliver our exciting new vision for financial transparency. This will bring together and enhance all aspects of management accounting, including long-term forecasting (aligned to Schools' costed academic plans), scenario planning (currently carried out through the Ten-Year Model), proportionate annual budgeting and forecasting, and variance analysis and performance management. At this juncture of FTP (with the plan to bring in our System Integration (SI) partner in Q1 2025), this role will also be critical in supporting the team in defining and triaging key reporting requirements for all stakeholders, in liaison with Schools, Non-School Institutions, and central teams.

The Interim Head of Management Reporting will work very closely with the Interim Head of the Academic Planning Office to ensure that the academic and financial elements of planning remain closely aligned, working jointly to manage the Academic and Financial Planning Analysis team and define optimum reporting lines in advance of the two roles being filled on a permanent basis. The Interim Head of Management Reporting will also work with other areas of the Finance Division in identifying and consolidating in a single unit, other aspects of management reporting that are currently split across different teams.

As a qualified accountant, with expertise and technical knowledge in all aspects of business reporting, the ideal candidate for this role will have substantial experience of working in a senior Management Reporting or Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A) function in a large and complex organisation. Candidates will be able to demonstrate excellent leadership and team management abilities, with the capability of fostering a collaborative and high-performing team culture. Strong analytical and financial modelling skills, with the ability to interpret complex financial data and generate actionable insights will also be essential for this role.

Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 1 years in the first instance.

Once an offer of employment has been accepted, the successful candidate will be required to undergo a basic disclosure (criminal records check) check and a security check.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.

The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.

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