The CFO (SMF2) is a key member of the executive leadership team and will contribute to the strategic direction of the Bank. Reporting to and working alongside the CEO, the CFO will take a leading role in driving the achievement of this new bank’s ambitious growth plans, as it enters its second phase of evolution. The CFO will head the Finance and Treasury functions, defining, planning and delivering the bank’s financial plans and reporting to the Board, , executive committees and the regulators about the firm’s financial affairs. The post-holder will have governance oversight for the production and integrity of the firm’s financial information, statutory and regulatory reporting and financial systems and controls. The CFO will lead the production of insightful MI to aid effective decision making at Board and operational level.
Post Pandemic Flexibility WFH has been agreed as a WFH 2/3days split.
Executive responsibilities:
- Part of the Executive leadership team, contributes to the development and delivery of the Bank’s strategy in line with overall Group strategy
- Works closely with the Bank's Board to implement the firm’s strategy and communicates effectively at Board level
- Takes leading role in building stable and secure platforms to secure growth and profitability and meeting financial performance targets
- Contributes to the leadership and safe governance of the firm in line with statutory, regulatory and risk appetite frameworks
- Produces and takes responsibility for the integrity of the firm’s financial information, processes and reporting
- Contributes to the effective running of the Exco team
- Attends and/or chairs assigned boards/committees
Finance and treasury management:
- Assesses principal financial risks to the firm and puts in place adequate systems and controls to mitigate them
- Establishes and implements strategy for operational development of the Finance and Treasury functions
- Manages the financial control functions of the Bank with prime responsibility for balance sheet management and the achievement of financial targets set in the corporate plan and budgets
- Oversight of the daily operation of the treasury function to ensure capital, funding, liquidity and interest rate risk limits/ratios are maintained in accordance with the firm’s procedures, policies and risk appetite
- Oversight of the preparation of annual accounts, budgets, projections, statutory returns and ad hoc reports as required by the Board, Chief Executive Officer, Audit Committee, PRA and other regulatory bodies
- Oversight of taxation and other legislative and regulatory requirements
- Oversight of the production, review and update of procedures manuals and other documentation relating to the finance and treasury functions
- Liaises with professional advisers including external and internal audit, tax/treasury, bankers and legal advisers
Leadership of the finance and treasury functions:
- Builds, leads, organises, develops and nurtures the finance and treasury teams
- Oversee the team’s performance, ensuring targets are met, high standards embraced and the business plan delivered
- Performs all required management functions including objective setting, performance management and learning and development
- Drives a culture of compliance and commitment to financial/operating systems, controls and process within the team
- Instils the bank’s values of inclusivity, respect, tolerance and openness across the team
Financial analysis, M.I. and reporting responsibilities:
- Interprets the bank’s financial information to identify and rectify key issues and put in place appropriate systems and controls to respond, at speed, to changing events
- Builds integrated financial MI systems
- Is attuned to developments in political, social/economic, competitor (market dynamic), technological (digitisation) and regulatory and accounting (IFRS) environments and uses insight to competitive advantage
- Prepares reports for the Board, CEO, Auditors or regulators, as required
Regulatory knowledge and responsibilities:
- Has and maintains a detailed knowledge of the legislative, regulatory and financial frameworks in which the firm operates and ensures they are met
- Establishes strong and transparent relationships with the PRA/FCA, disclosing to the regulators appropriately anything of which they would reasonably expect notice
- Understands and embraces the FCA’s conduct regulations as applicable to our business
Knowledge, skills and experience:
- ACCA/ACA qualified
- Minimum 5 years’ senior experience in a small bank, building society or similar financial institution
- Significant experience at senior level, chairing committees and defining strategy
- Primary oversight of statutory and regulatory reporting and knowledge of IFRS
- Proficient at implementing strong risk management and governance of financial systems, controls and processes ideally in an early stage institution
- Can demonstrate experience of leading finance functions through development and growth phases
- Relishes the dual challenges of operating at both strategic and operational levels.
