Finance Partner – Systems & Payment Services (Final April 2015

Work Profile
Position Title:
Finance Partner – Systems & Payment Services
This role has been identified as a Business Partner role under the Business Support
Model.
Position Number:
Responsible To:
Council Program:
Classification Level:
Manager Financial Planning & Analysis
Finance & Risk
Level 8
Overview of Program
The Finance and Risk Program will ensure public resources and assets fund long term financially
sustainable outcomes while maximising opportunities through responsible risk management.
Key Relationships / Interactions
Internal
 General Manager – Strategic Finance & Business Services
 Program & Corporate Managers
 Finance & Risk team members
 ICT team members
 People & Culture Business Partners
 ICT Business Partners
 Strategic Procurement Business Partners
External
 Council benchmarking networks
 Professional peer networks
 State Government departments
 Financial institutions and transactional intermediaries
 Enterprise systems vendors
 Enterprise systems user groups
 Business Intelligence systems vendors and reference sites
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Job Specification
Primary Purpose
The Business Partner is responsible for supporting the business goals of the Portfolios
and Programs that they support.
This is achieved through providing support at a strategic level, helping to resolve
complex problems, supporting long-term planning and identifying synergies across
Council Programmes.
As part of the Finance & Risk Program, the Finance Partner Systems & Payment
Services will:
 Strategic Advice – Develop finance and risk strategies that leverage the long term
efficiencies and capabilities of integrated financial management systems.
 System/Process Improvements – Working across the Finance and Risk program
review identify, investigate and make recommendations to drive process
improvements and associated efficiencies.
 Payment Services – Establish payment services excellence by focusing on the
standardisation, efficiency and effectiveness of end-to-end processes for Accounts
Payable and Payroll and an ongoing focus on continuous improvement.
 Financial Analytics – Project manage the design and delivery of a Finance Analytics
solution.
 Finance Systems – Lead the team providing financial information systems support
and implementation of system/process improvement initiatives.
Responsibilities
Business Partner responsibilities:
All Business Partners (i.e. Finance Partners) within the Business Support Model are
responsible for:
 Developing a close understanding of the strategic goals and priorities of their
partners.
 Providing strategic advice that supports the achievement of their partners’
objectives.
 Assisting their partners with long term planning (2-5 years typically).
 Operating as a valued member of their partners’ team, sharing accountability for
their results.
 Identifying synergies across the ACC, enabling improved service delivery or efficiency.
 Aligning corporate initiatives.
 Providing leadership to the Business Advisers (i.e. Systems Accountants).
Function-specific responsibilities:
 Establishing and delivering a Finance Analytics solution on a hindsight, insight and
foresight basis (including the Long Term Financial Plan) to support corporate decision
making and in particular the delivery of the Finance Partner service and Corporate
Financial reporting within agreed timeframes.
 Provide effective leadership and direction to the Payment Services team in delivery
of best practice transactional processing functions for the organisation.
 Acting as the technical expert (Finance Analytics/Intelligence) to Programs to support
Finance Partner – Systems & Payment Services (Final April 2015)
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consistent approaches and opportunities for benchmarking across local government.
 Working with key stakeholders to integrate finance analytics and financial reporting
frameworks and outputs into the Long Term Financial Plan and Annual Budget
processes.
 Ensuring a strong knowledge of emerging Finance Analytical concepts and
incorporate these into the continuous improvement methodology for the Financial
Planning & Analysis function.
 In collaboration with the Financial Planning & Analysis team, identify, investigate and
recommend process improvement changes.
 Co-ordinate the development, refinement and delivery of the Finance for NonFinance Managers course and roll-out as part of induction training.
 Development and refinement of the Finance Framework that will support a
consistent approach to the provision of financial support for projects across the
organisation.
 Assisting the organisation with cost management initiatives and initiate, investigate,
evaluate and negotiate proposals to maximise synergies across portfolios and the
organisation as a whole.
 Provision of assistance and support to the Manager Financial Planning & Analysis
with other Finance & Risk related tasks and projects as required.
 Ensure training and career development needs of self and direct reports are
managed proactively, through ongoing coaching and the annual Performance
Planning and Review (PPR) process.
Corporate responsibilities:
 Supporting the application of and demonstrably engaging in the ACC’s Equal
Employment Opportunity, cultural diversity and ethical practice policies.
 Ensuring WHS legislative compliance is maintained within the program or area of
corporate responsibility.
 Implementing the ACC WHS management system within the program or area of
corporate responsibility.
 Undertaking activities to achieve WHS objectives and targets.
 Identifying and allocating the human and financial resources to ensure a safe working
environment is maintained.
 Scheduling all reasonably foreseeable hazards for assessment and control by
elimination if possible.
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Selection Criteria/Competencies Required for the Role
(*) Candidates should ensure that their application clearly demonstrates their ability to meet the Essential
Criteria detailed below.
Qualifications
 Tertiary qualification in Commerce or Accounting
Essential
 CA or CPA professional qualification (or equivalent)
Essential
 Project Management certification (PRINCE2 or equivalent)
Desirable
Business Partner Competencies
• Strategic thinking involving understanding the implications of social,
economic, political, and global trends
•Takes a long-term perspective on problems and opportunities
•Applies insight and creativity to the development of strategies that help the
organization gain or sustain competitive advantage
•Proposes innovative strategies that leverage the ACC's position and open up
new opportunities
•Understands the ACC's strategic plan and takes a corporation wide approach
in delivering to outcomes
•Prioritizes actions based on what is best for the organization.
Strategic and
Innovative Thinking
• Demonstrates knowledge of customer needs and uses this information to
help determine the way forward, builds on others' ideas.
Essential
• Understands and drives toward increasing the work unit’s financial
performance (e.g., understands the financial impact of plans and decisions).
• Anticipates strategic problems and opportunities and makes strategic
decisions to address them.
• Continuously identifies and evaluates viable future opportunities for the
organization.
• Demonstrates creative thinking to solve strategic issues (e.g., proposes
innovative strategies that capitalize on the unique qualities and core
competencies of the organization, explores better ways).
•Proactively monitors industry trends and benchmarks appropriately to gain
insights on optimal practice/innovation that can be shared to the benefit of
the organization.
Finance Partner – Systems & Payment Services (Final April 2015)
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• Customer focus such that employees understand the priorities of the
Programs that they support and the priorities of the ACC's customers. Is able
to build effective relationships with the Programs that they support
•Establishes a clear understanding of the Program's underlying drivers and
strategic outcomes, creates a shared vision of future success
•Interprets the interdependencies between projects and prioritises in line
with customer requirements
•Establishes and maintains effective relationships with customers, inspires
trust and respect
Customer Focus
•Agrees stretch goals
Essential
• Educates customers—Shares information with customers to build their
understanding of issues and capabilities
• Takes action to meet customer needs and concerns—takes ownership,
considers how actions or plans will affect customers, responds quickly to
meet customer needs and resolve problems and avoids over-commitments
• Acts consistently and ethically.
•Sets up customer feedback systems—implements effective ways to
monitor and evaluate customer concerns, issues, and satisfaction and to
anticipate customer needs.
•Demonstrable business and financial acumen and the technical and
organizational knowledge needed to make the best decisions for the
organization
•Understands how the organization works
•Assesses the financial implications of business based decisions and actions
•Balances data analysis with judgment, experience and common sense.
Business and Financial
Acumen
• Understands how their role contributes to the overall success of the
organization, the City and the community
• Understands the financial and community impact of decisions and actions.
Essential
• Analyzes data to identify trends and issues that are important to the
organization and interprets the results to make recommendations for how
the organization should address the issues.
• Understands how internal and external business measurements are
defined and influenced.
• Continuously learns and demonstrates an in-depth understanding and
knowledge of the organization’s core business and how the organization
operates (e.g., has a thorough understanding of overall organization
Finance Partner – Systems & Payment Services (Final April 2015)
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structure, processes, policies, functions, and their interrelationships).
• Assesses existing talent base to determine whether the right mix of
skills/competencies is in place to ensure the current and future success of
the work unit.
• Has a working knowledge of profit and loss and other key financial
measurements used in the organization in terms of current performance,
forecasting, and longer-term organization planning.
• Skilled at detecting and interpreting subtle clues, often nonverbal, about
others’ feelings and concerns
•Displays and acts in line with empathy and sensitivity to the needs and
concerns of others and proactively offers support to others when they are
facing difficult tasks
•Seeks out people and actively shares information instead of waiting for
others to connect
• Promptly returns all forms of communication to others including e-mail,
voicemail, and more traditional forms.
• Displays empathy when a person is dealing with a difficult problem or
situation.
• Understands and adapts to the different working styles, personalities, and
cultural backgrounds of the people he or she works with.
Interpersonal Skills and
Resilience
• Offers to provide advice and support when a person is facing a difficult
problem or issue.
• Listens actively to detect both verbal and nonverbal cues in conversation
Essential
•Sets a positive example and reinforces the goals of the ACC's culture
program
•Demonstrates resilience and stress tolerance by continuing to perform
effectively when faced with time pressures, adversity, disappointment, or
opposition
•Remains focused, composed, and optimistic in difficult situations and
bounces back from failures or disappointments by focusing on the
opportunity to learn and clear line of sight to the desired outcome
•Maintains progress (while maintaining quality) when handling multiple
tasks and projects, even under stressful situations or when faced with
competing deadlines.
•Is patient, tenacious, and resourceful when seeking information to satisfy a
request or complete a project
•Sees issues and problems through to completion.
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• Able to influence other people using a range of adaptive techniques that
appeal to reason, values, or emotion to generate enthusiasm for the work,
support for or commitment to a task objective, or compliance with a
request. This includes using appropriate tactics to alter a person’s attitude,
beliefs, or behaviors
•Talks in a persuasive manner about the importance of achieving tasks or
objectives.
• Describes a clear and appealing vision of what can be accomplished with a
person’s cooperation and support.
Influencing Skills
• Develops enthusiasm for a task or project by appealing to a person’s needs
or values.
Essential
• Adapts style or approach to meet the other person’s style.
• Explains the benefits of the task objectives to others.
• Demonstrates willingness to incorporate input from others.
• Listens to others’ points before making their own points.
• Does not rely primarily on position power to influence others.
•Generating and evaluating data and options/alternatives before making a
decision or taking action and considering the opportunities and risks
associated with each option
•Able to select the appropriate option or pursue a course of action by
balancing risk and reward and consulting with or encouraging input from
others when it is appropriate
•Prepared to act consistently with a decision once made without wavering
(unless information or circumstances make it necessary to do so and while
remaining willing to consider appropriate alternatives) and proactively
evaluating the effectiveness of decisions after they have been implemented
and ensuring the learning is shared
Decision Making
•Understands the reasoning behind a decision and educates others to gain a
corporate wide understanding and build a consistent, principles based
approach
Essential
•Decisions are evaluated for effectiveness and improved approaches are
considered
•Anticipates the consequences and implications of decisions.
• Involves people appropriately in decisions that may impact them.
• Makes decisions, sets priorities, and chooses goals based on risks and
rewards.
Finance Partner – Systems & Payment Services (Final April 2015)
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• Quickly responds with a back-up plan if a decision goes amiss.
• Proactively identifies and prioritizes the key issues involved to facilitate the
decision-making process for the team or group.
• Considers alternative positions and remains flexible, but committed to a
decision where appropriate, even when faced with resistance or opposition
• Delivers on agreed priorities
• Coaching others through sharing information and insight to support their
development of new skills
•Remains clear about expectations, offering direction and advice on the
development that would support their potential, and providing support and
timely, example based feedback to enhance performance
•Reinforces positive performance, provides constructive feedback and
advice on opportunities for development
•Empowers and supports people, offering to provide advice or assistance
when others need help with a difficult task or problem.
• Provides extra instruction or coaching to others to help improve job skills
or learn new ones.
Develops and Coaches
People
• Encourages others to create a personal development plan.
Essential
• Provides feedback both on the spot and through periodic meetings to
monitor progress against goals.
• Helps others understand the impact of their behavior on their peers, the
work unit, the customer, and others involved.
• Remains available as a resource to direct reports (e.g., provides
information, helps to remove barriers to their effectiveness, acts as a
sounding board to generate ideas).
• Is patient and helpful when giving complicated explanations or
instructions.
• Offers helpful advice on how team members can advance their careers.
Function Specific Competencies
Technical Knowledge &
Experience
 Significant senior accounting experience incorporating analysis and
problem solving principles within a medium to large organisation.
 Significant working knowledge of accounting and business disciplines
including, but not limited to, management and cost accounting, statutory
reporting, transactional processes (payroll/accounts payable) and financial
management system improvements.
 Able to demonstrate prior experience in their ability to identify trends in
data and highlight areas requiring focus.
Finance Partner – Systems & Payment Services (Final April 2015)
Essential
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Project Management
 Highly developed project and consultant management skills which
underpin the timely development of strategies, projects and programs and
assist in cross functional collaboration.
 Ability to act as “Change Champion” and have the ability to effectively
communicate with and influence others towards acceptance and
understanding of change programs.
 Demonstrable experience driving process improvement programs to
deliver tangible benefits in medium to large organisations.
Essential
Government
Experience (if external)
 A working knowledge and understanding of the Local Government Act
1999, the City of Adelaide Act 1998, and related Regulations.
Desirable
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I make a difference – Our Leadership Framework underpinned by our values, and based on the concept of
collective leadership – we are all leaders and we all can make a difference, captures the essence of what will
guide us on our journey of future success; growing and developing ACC.
Our Values - will guide us towards becoming a stronger, more effective organisation with a positive and mutually
beneficial work environment for everyone.
Achievement - Delivering Council’s outcomes
 we celebrate our successes and recognise the achievements of our people
 we promptly deliver the services, policy and assets that realise the goals of Council
 we set clear achievement goals and give people what they need to deliver on them
 we continually give and accept performance feedback
Collaboration - Working with others
 we work across divisions to achieve outcomes that require a team effort
 we make the effort to support, understand and value others
 we focus on sharing information with others to achieve shared goals
 we support our community
Customer commitment - Understanding and meeting the needs of others
 we deliver on our promises
 we take ownership and follow through
 we listen to our customers and have empathy
 we will provide exceptional service to all
Integrity - Honesty, trust, respect and ethics
 we do what we say we will do
 we listen to and value the perspectives of others
 we display behaviours that reflect our organisational Values
 we respect each other
Innovation - Finding a better way to deliver
 we look for options and ways to say yes instead of no
 we have the courage to put forward bold proposals if they will deliver the results we want
 we reward new ideas for delivering outcomes and people who take calculated risks
 we will always identify the solution, never just the problem
Finance Partner – Systems & Payment Services (Final April 2015)
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Our Guiding Principles
The following principles will guide how we plan, set policy, make decisions, manage risks and allocate resources to
deliver lasting results for the City of Adelaide and its people.
Our Focus – we develop place-based and community-specific plans, which mesh with city-wide policies
and strategies
Our Service – we listen to our community, understand its expectations and deliver services that respond
to its needs
Our Openness – we value and facilitate community involvement in what we do, which includes making
information about our policies, plans and decisions easy to access
Our Approach – we work with our community to build capability, entrepreneurship and innovation to
achieve positive outcomes for the community and the city as a whole
Our Stewardship – we ensure all expenditure and the management of assets provides value for money
and grows community wealth now and into the future
Our Sustainability – we ensure our actions do not compromise the ability of future generations to
achieve appropriate economic, social and environmental outcomes for the city
Our Purpose
Is to be: ‘One City One Team’ – this means we will work together as one team with Council and the community to
achieve our dream of making Adelaide a great city.
We will achieve this by being an organisation that is a:
Brilliant service provider who puts the customer first and gives each customer a great experience of
Council’s service
Trusted partner who actively engages with others to combine expertise and resources and to produce the
best possible outcome for each party and the city
Professional administrator who provides great advice to Council and consistently delivers on the things
that matter
High-achieving team full of creative people who inspire and bring out the best in each other to deliver
what is promised
Best practice organisation which leverages our knowledge, systems, assets and resources to deliver
current priorities, and innovates to create future wealth and capability
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

Special Conditions:
Performance will be based upon the delivery of the agreed goals recorded in your Performance Review
documentation.
Some out of hours work may be required in order to meet the requirements of your role.
Physical Demands:


While performing the duties of your job, you are required to regularly:
Sit
Stand
This Position Description is only descriptive of the type of duties to be undertaken by you during your employment
and you accept the Corporation may require you to carry out any duties which are within your skills and
competence.
Manager/Team Leader Signature: .............................................. Date: ...../...../.....
Manager/Team Leader Name:
..............................................
Employee Signature: ...............................................................
Employee Name:
...............................................................
Finance Partner – Systems & Payment Services (Final April 2015)
Date: ...../...../.....
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