Head Of Finance – Critical Infrastructure Nuclear & Government Relations

Please note this role will require travel, London, Bristol, Manchester

Business Overview

Mitie are the UK’s leading Integrated Facilities Management (IFM) and Professional Services company with revenues of c.£4bn and established as one of the UK’s 250 largest public companies. We are proud to serve a large, diverse, blue-chip customer base, from banks and retailers, to hospitals, schools and critical government strategic assets.

TMS(Revenue c£1.5bn) is one of the four major divisions within Mitie. Our clients encompass Financial Institutions, Professional Services Firms, Media, Telecommunications Companies, and Nuclear and Critical Infrastructure Organisations. By partnering with Mitie we help our clients deliver their portfolio and location strategic goals and objectives through a range of outsourcing models which include; IFM, Bundled Services (comprising hard and soft facilities services) and Specialist Services, coupled with our unrivalled Enterprise capability which includes delivering large scale Capital Projects, Estate rationalisation and Lifecycle Management, Energy, Sustainability and Decarbonisation, Connected Workspace Technologies including insights and analystics, and Mobile Telecom Networks.

Main Duties

The Critical Infrastructure, Nuclear & Government Relations sector comprises c.30 contracts with c.£150m revenue.

The Head of Finance role is commercially focused, supporting the Sector Director, operational teams, and business development teams in a business partnering capacity. This important finance leadership role will be instrumental in setting and managing plans, improving processes and monitoring and enhancing the performance of the business to achieve the F&PS financial and business performance targets and objectives. The Head of Finance will be integral to developing a high performing finance team, help drive performance across the Mitie Group and TMS division including managing and building relationships across the matrix lines of business/service lines, developing strong partnerships with Mitie Shared Services, and developing strong relationships with key and strategic clients.

• Support the Sector Director and Sector SLT in developing the strategic plan for the Sector and by developing critical insights to maximise the performance of the Sector and wider TMS division. This includes owning the 3-year Sector Growth Plan and ensuring that across the key levers of People, Performance and Growth, we are able to deliver these long-term targets
• Owns the Sector Enterprise AOP including the FY Plan development process, ongoing management and governance, plus any resulting plans and programmes required to ensure the AOP targets are delivered (such as Operational Excellence, Profit Improvement, and P&L Risk Mitigations)
• Owns the Sector financial governance relating to major account expansions, new services, and renewals, plus supports the acquisition of new strategic deals ensuing that all business cases meet the required financial performance targets
• Review and ensure timely and accurate monthly management reporting to provide the Sector SLT and operational teams with clear visibility and understanding of the financial performance the Sector relating to the key/strategic accounts. This includes providing insight and MI as part of the Sector contract review/governance process
• Identify and implement new initiatives to improve financial processes and controls
• Provide detailed financial information and analysis to optimise decision making at both a sector and contract level.
• Embed strong financial control into the team to ensure integrity, accuracy and consistency in our financial reporting
• Review and enhance the performance of Mitie Shared Services to the Sector.
• Provide forward looking insight, using historic data and analysis as well as financial and business skills.
• Partnering with the operational leads and Account directors/managers, including relevant line of business/service line finance leads, to prepare full annual budgets and periodic forecasts for the trading and profitability of the contracts.
• Work closely with account teams and credit control to maximise working capital efficiency
• Be pro-active in identifying and implementing added value opportunities.
• Support and lead the ad hoc analysis and presentation of complex problem solving to enable financial information and P&L risks and opportunities’ to be presented in response to senior management requests.
• Develop and support your direct reports to help them meet their full potential with Mitie. Manage your talent pipeline and put in place strong succession plans for yourself and your team
• Establish deep, strong relationships with key stakeholders, including operational teams, support functions and customers. Support and coach your team to do the same
• Act an an ambassador for F&PS Sector, which includes actively supporting key client governance and relationship forums such as QBRs and ABRs
• Support inorganic growth strategies and opportunities such as in-fill M&A in response to senior management requests.

Person Specification

• Qualified accountant (ACA/ACCA/CIMA) or equivalent within a comparable financial role ideally within the services industry.

• Inspiring, confident, engaging, and inclusive leadership style – one that engenders commitment and willingness of colleagues to go the extra mile through living and practicing role model behaviours
• Able to build strong trusting relationships and advise / influence senior management (both finance and non-finance audiences and stakeholders) internally within Mitie and also across key/strategic clients, enabled through bringing a balance of IQ and EQ to the role and situations
• Highly driven and commercially astute individual able to deliver sustainable results in a large complex matrix organisation which requires effectively managing shadow P&Ls, as well as establishing successful internal and external networks
• Accomplished problem solving capability coupled with the ability to manage complexity and ambiguity particularly relating to onerous contracts and commercial models
• Seasoned planning, communication, presentation, and negotiating skills, underinned by adept storytelling capability
• Possesses a pragmatic understanding and appreciation of the operational and business development demands and challenges faced by the accounts and Sector
• The ability to work under pressure in a calm, positive way
• A desire and ability to succeed through the success of your team, which includes the ability to coach and develop talent and high potentials to become future leaders
• The ability to work on big strategy and on fine detail – and to know when to prioritise each
• The ability to express your thoughts clearly, whether written or spoken
• Effective collaborator and business partner with a track record of earning the trust and respect of operational and functional colleagues across the Sector and wider organisation.
• Evidence of experiences that have given you the Key Competencies above