About us
Cheltenham Borough Council serves a population of approximately 118,836 residents with a diverse community spread across various wards within the borough. The services we provide range from waste and recycling to planning and building control, from environmental heath to housing services employing around 240 people in a variety of jobs including finance to deliver those services.
Are you a motivated finance professional seeking your next career opportunity to shape your own team and support our Council in the next phase of Local Government in Gloucestershire?
About our finance team
Cheltenham are an extremely ambitious Council – committed to securing the future of the town for everyone through the Golden Valley development whilst continuing to support all our communities through uncertain economic and political times. And our ambitions are more than words – we have won national awards for our commercial approach as a Council and our Golden Valley development has recently been named in the Government’s National Cyber Strategy.
It is these ambitions which create such a strong sense of identity for the officers, Members and wider stakeholders involved in delivering Local Government services in the town. And it is the place leadership this builds which has led to the development of our credible and cross-party proposal to Government for two unitary Authorities to be created through reorganisation in the County.
Over the last four years, our finance team has been led by Gemma Bell who has brought the service back in-house from our commissioning partner and invested in the key technical and commercial skills needed to build resilience across the team. Most recently, the Council took the decision to bring housing service back in-house which has broadened the finance team again to include the general fund, the housing revenue account and the subsidiary company accounts and audit. In a period when change has been a constant, the team are dynamic, close knit and passionate about the town and making a difference to the place they live. This has meant challenges have been faced positively and all team members, regardless of seniority, have approached new scenarios with energy and positivity.
Following the recent changes, we are looking for a Head of Finance to lead, manage and develop the finance team. The successful candidate will nurture and grow the talent in our team whilst also looking for continuous opportunities for the team to improve the support and value added to the Council and its budget holders.
What do some of our stakeholders say?
‘Cheltenham Borough Council’s finance team is one of the most successful and innovative teams of its kind in the country - there's nothing more rewarding than the life-changing frontline services that good financial management can protect’
‘Strategic outcomes are clear for the council, and these are driven collectively across our services. The focus is on finding solutions and the team effort required to do so means I have the opportunity to work with a wide range of different colleagues across multiple projects. The council has recently approved a significant growth bid for the planning service with the business case built in partnership with the finance team. This recognised the skills and resources needed to deliver against Cheltenham ambitions and growth agendas’
‘My teams work together with the Finance team helping us to manage our budgets, ensuring we achieve our corporate plan and CBC ambitions. Gemma and the team are an essential part of our future planning, and their knowledge and experience always adds value to our discussions’
Latest jobs
| Title | Location | Salary | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Head of Finance | Cheltenham | £62721 - £70328 | Permanent |
