Finance Business Partner

Tēnei tūranga – About the role

The Finance Business Partner would partner with the business and with the Head of Finance Business Partnering to set the direction and drive the implementation of the business group’s financial strategy while ensuring alignment with the overall Ministry strategic plan and stated outcomes.

They would use their extensive financial expertise to work with the Head of Finance Business Partnering to lead the effective financial management, and would provide support for the non-financial management, of the business groups. This would be achieved through aligning with the business and providing accurate, high quality, multi-year strategic financial advice to influence the strategic and operational decision making process.

The role would provide authoritative financial advice, effectively influence senior stakeholders in addition to providing assurance to the Senior Leadership Team that financial management processes, procedures and reporting comply with legislative requirements and best practice.

Ngā herenga – Requirements of the role

Personal specifications

• Significant experience in management reporting within large, complex, and diverse organisations.
• Strong experience in driving outcomes and managing diverse stakeholder interests.
• Significant experience in leadership roles.
• Strong strategic financial management experience within a large, complex, and diverse organisation.
• Strong analytical, strategic, and planning skills as well as being commercially savvy.
• Excellent written and verbal communication and presentation skills and ability to articulate complex messages clearly, simply, and concisely.
• Ability to overview and consider principles alongside being pragmatic.
• Ability to establish and maintain positive and successful working relationships.
• Strong team player and ability to collaborate and contribute at senior leadership team level.
• High standards of professionalism and performance driven.
• Experience in leading successful change initiatives.

Education and professional memberships

• Tertiary qualification in accounting supported by at least 7 years relevant work experience.
• CAANZ Chartered Accountant qualification (or equivalent).

Takohanga tuhinga o mua – Key accountabilities and deliverables

Business planning and strategic decision making

• Provide financial leadership and advice to shape the business strategic financial planning and support the development of metrics to monitor their performance against strategic objectives.
• Provide both strategic and technical advice to business customers in the definition and review of their performance measures, annual plan, and budget.
• Assess the commercial viability of investment decisions, articulate financial risks and opportunities, and support post- investment appraisal of business initiatives.
• Develop innovative, practical, effective, and durable financial options that help achieve desired business outcomes.
• Apply advanced frameworks and analysis methodology to identify fiscal risks, analyse the issues and identify and assess financial options.
• Participate in strategy development and planning with business customers.
• Work with Performance and Reporting colleagues to ensure effective integrated planning processes and financial input to develop and deliver a robust business plan and financial strategy.
• Recognise, assess, and proactively monitor and manage foreseeable risks and issues and ensure that managers are aware of these.

Delivery and results

• Will have responsibility for their branch/es from an end-to-end perspective. Will be responsible to a particular GM (or GM’s) to be able to answer all queries that involve the Finance and Performance team that relate to their branch.  May include capital planning and balance sheet management. In practice, this means:
  • Ensuring the finances are accurate (actuals/forecasts/budgets) including how these flow into appropriations and relevant memo accounts.
  • Understanding how costs are allocated internally within the group and also how corporate costs are allocated to their branch.
  • Detailed involvement in Baseline Updates, Budget Bids, Cabinet papers and Fee reviews that involve their branch, including active engagement with relevant Policy groups.
  • Driving change and improvements within their branch to improve financial capability (and ensuring any improvements are done across the Business group).
  • Having a place on branch Leadership teams and driving wider discussions than just those relating to finance.
  • Anticipating issues, doing independent enquiries, trend analysis and providing options and solutions to leadership teams.
  • Being able to present to the DCE if required.
• Provide monthly reporting to support the respective branch, including core financial (Statement of Financial Performance and Statement of Financial Position) and non-financial information, variance analysis, commentary, key performance ratios and metrics relevant to the branch and insights and a result of a forward view of both the business and this information.
• Review and analyse all monthly reporting to provide strategic insight and advice to the respective Business Group leadership team. This will include analysis of core financial and non-financial information, key performance ratios and developing strategic scenario modelling to influence the financial decision-making process.
• Ensure the provision of core information will occur on an efficient basis and leveraging the standard template and reporting process for this information by MBIE. In this regard core information and reporting will be produced centrally after principles of simplification, standardisation, automation, and rationalisation have been considered and adopted where appropriate.
• Facilitate the process enabling Business Units to complete key external accountability documents such as baseline updates, statement of intent and the 4 year plan.
• Provide financial advice and education as well working with the business units to identify and manage financial issues and risks.
• Ensure there is a tight management and reporting process in relation to appropriations including providing appropriate advice on the impact of decisions on appropriations where relevant.
• Work with business groups to ensure that the Manager Finance Business Partnering, General Manager Finance Business Partnering, CFO, DCE, Ministers are informed of key financial risks and decisions.
• Provide ad hoc financial advice and support to the business to enable individual initiatives and key decisions to be supported from a financial advice perspective.

Optimise processes and practices

• Optimises processes and practices to drive value, increase efficiency and reduce waste.
• Seeks out current processes and practices which could be automated and designs and implements appropriate solutions.
• Develop systems and processes, structures and procedures that improve financial accountability at operating unit level and incentivise the efficient and effective use of resources.

 Improve organisational financial performance and capability

• Identify capability gaps within Finance and Performance and work alongside managers and Finance colleagues to address these.
• Assist in building the Ministry’s wide financial management capability and confidence.
• Provide customer focused feedback, insight, and recommendations to the business on financial performance, focusing on key drivers.
• Support the Finance Business Partner in encouraging the adoption of a high performance finance culture across the business through effective communication, timely delivery of insightful advice and continuous improvement.
• Works with the Manager Finance Business Partnering and Finance + Performance Managers to ensure a cohesive shared services experience for business managers.
• Implement and review appropriate internal controls throughout the business.

Financial governance

• Provide the lead on training and advice to Business Branches to ensure that they comply with the Ministry’s financial policies, legislative requirements, and best practice.

Wellbeing, health & safety

• Displays commitment through actively supporting all safety and wellbeing initiatives.
• Ensures own and others safety at all times.
• Complies with relevant safety and wellbeing policies, procedures, safe systems of work and event reporting.
• Reports all incidents/accidents, including near misses in a timely fashion.
• Is involved in health and safety through participation and consultation.

Tō tūranga i roto i te Manatū – Your place in the Ministry

The Finance Business Partner position reports into the Head of Finance Business Partnering within the Finance and Performance branch. The branch sits within the Corporate Services, Finance & Enablement group.

More information about MBIE’s structure(external link)

To mātou aronga – What we do for Aotearoa New Zealand

Hīkina Whakatutuki is the te reo Māori name for the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. Hīkina means to uplift. Whakatutuki means to move forward, to make successful. Our name speaks to our purpose, Grow Aotearoa New Zealand for All.

To Grow Aotearoa New Zealand for All, we put people at the heart of our mahi. Based on the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi / The Treaty of Waitangi, we are committed to upholding authentic partnerships with Māori.

As agile public service leaders, we use our breadth and experience to navigate the ever-changing world. We are service providers, policy makers, investors and regulators. We engage with diverse communities, businesses and regions. Our work touches on the daily lives of New Zealanders. We grow opportunities (Puāwai), guard and protect (Kaihāpai) and innovate and navigate towards a better future (Auaha).

Ngā matatau – Our competencies

Cultivates innovation We create new and better ways for the organisation to be successful by challenging the status quo generating new and creative ideas and translating them into workable solutions.

Nimble learning We are curious and actively learn through experimentation when tackling new problems by learning as we go when facing new situations and challenges.

Customer focus We build strong customer relationships and deliver customer-centric solutions by listening and gaining insights into the needs of the communities we serve and actively seeking and responding to feedback.

Decision quality We make quality and timely decisions that shape the future for our communities and keep the organisation moving forward by relying on an appropriate mix of analysis, wisdom, experience, and judgement to make valid and reliable decisions.

Action oriented We step up, taking on new opportunities and tough challenges with purpose, urgency and discipline by taking responsibility, ownership and action on challenges, and being accountable for the results.

Collaborates We connect, working together to build partnerships with our communities, working collaboratively to meet shared objectives by gaining trust and support of others; actively seeking the views, experiences, and opinions of others and by working co-operatively with others across MBIE, the public sector and external stakeholder groups.

Te Tiriti o Waitangi

As an agency of the public service, MBIE has a responsibility to contribute to the Crown meeting its obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi (Te Tiriti). Meeting our commitment to Te Tiriti will contribute towards us realising the overall aims of Te Ara Amiorangi – Our Path, Our Direction, and achieve the outcome of Growing New Zealand for All. The principles of Te Tiriti - including partnership, good faith, and active protection – are at the core of our work. MBIE is committed to delivering on our obligations as a Treaty partner with authenticity and integrity and to enable Māori interests. We are committed to ensuring that MBIE is well placed to meet our obligations under the Public Service Act 2020 (Te Ao Tūmatanui) to support the Crown in strengthening the Māori/Crown Relationship under the Treaty and to build MBIE’s capability, capacity and cultural intelligence to deliver this.

Mahi i roto i te Ratonga Tūmatanui – Working in the public service

Ka mahitahi mātou o te ratonga tūmatanui kia hei painga mō ngā tāngata o Aotearoa i āianei, ā, hei ngā rā ki tua hoki. He kawenga tino whaitake tā mātou hei tautoko i te Karauna i runga i āna hononga ki a ngāi Māori i raro i te Tiriti o Waitangi. Ka tautoko mātou i te kāwanatanga manapori. Ka whakakotahingia mātou e te wairua whakarato ki ō mātou hapori, ā, e arahina ana mātou e ngā mātāpono me ngā tikanga matua o te ratonga tūmatanui i roto i ā mātou mahi.

In the public service we work collectively to make a meaningful difference for New Zealanders now and in the future. We have an important role in supporting the Crown in its relationships with Māori under the Treaty of Waitangi. We support democratic government. We are unified by a spirit of service to our communities and guided by the core principles and values of the public service in our work.

What does it mean to work in Aotearoa New Zealand’s Public Service?(external link) — Te Kawa Mataaho The Public Service Commission