Changes to single line reporting for Finance staff

The University Executive has recently decided that professional and line management reporting for all University Finance staff, (and by Finance staff what I mean is all University Finance Managers and Accountants or similar senior Finance roles – ‘the Finance Business Partnering Staff’) will be consolidated within the Professional Services structure and report ultimately to the Director of Finance. This process will begin from October 2020.

This briefing provides more detail and information on next steps and was sent on Tuesday to DoPs/Directors, having been circulated on Monday to the Heads of College/Professional Services Groups and Registrars. Briefings are taking place with Finance Managers today and we shared this news with you on the Team Finance call today.

 

To everyone in our Finance community

Our vision in Finance is to be world-class in everything we do, recognised as a trusted strategic partner in the successful delivery of the University’s academic mission. Since I became your Director of Finance, I’ve said that no matter where you sit in the organisation, if Finance is part of your role then I want you to feel part of our University Finance community. So today, I’m excited to let you know about an important change to the professional and line management reporting of all Finance Business Partnering staff - i.e. the staff who do the Financial Management, Planning Budgeting and Reporting - that will truly bring us together as a team.  

 

Why are we making this change and why now?

The work we do in Finance is a key enabler of the University’s academic mission. As a Finance community, we need to be at the top of our game to support our colleagues and the whole institution with the current issues we collectively face, as well as the challenges of the future. That means we must be open to new and better ways of working, starting with how we structure the line management of all Finance Business Partnering staff. This change will make sure that the Finance Business Partnering Staff, wherever they currently sit in the organisation, will benefit from consistent leadership and direction across their objectives and responsibilities. 

 

It goes without saying that we value our people and they’ll always be our top priority. We’re committed to doing as much as we can to support all Finance staff, and this change will allow everyone in our Finance community to have the consistent training and support they need, as well as the opportunities they deserve to develop their careers as finance professionals.

 

Now is the right time to make this change as the priority delivery of the University’s adaptation and renewal work will require the active reprioritisation of our existing plans and budgets and the creation of new ones. In the broader context of significant financial uncertainty for the sector and economy, our University colleagues are counting on us to deliver, and I have no doubt that we will. We also have a number of priorities to deliver across our Finance Transformation programme over the next year and beyond, with new processes, services, new teams and ways of working, underpinned by our new Finance system which will go live in roughly six months’ time. 

 

Line management reporting for Heads of Finance is changing

Our first step towards this goal is already underway and involves the Heads of Finance responsible for our six main budget areas and their respective teams. I’m pleased to tell you that the Heads of Finance for our three Colleges: Andy Davis, Ivor McArdle and Gill Trentham have now become my direct reports. The Heads of Finance for ISG and CSG/USG, Libby McCue and Alison Lindsay, have become direct reports of our Deputy Director of Finance, Rachael Robertson.

 

Andy, Ivor, Gill, Libby and Alison, I am proud to have you as colleagues and leaders in Finance for our University - Rachael and I are both looking forward to working even more closely with you and your teams. 

 

What this means for our Heads of Finance and their teams

At this stage, the change is to reporting lines only; the job titles and job descriptions for our Heads of Finance are unchanged. For College and Professional Service Group teams who already report to a Head of Finance, they will still report to the colleagues noted above, and will be working as closely as ever within their budget areas. Other key points to note are:

·        The Heads of Finance roles will still be a key part of their respective College/Professional Service Group leadership teams and will remain physically located within the College/Professional Service Group;

·        Their main objectives will be to support the delivery of College/Professional Service Group strategy and operational priorities as determined by their respective leadership team, ensuring the highest professional standards at all levels to enable the delivery of the University’s Financial Strategy;

·        The budget autonomy and authority of the six main budget holders and their individual areas is also unaffected (in simple terms, budget holders will still be able to make decisions on how and where to spend their budgets);

·        Our University subsidiary companies are not included in this change of management reporting lines as they are separate legal entities. 

 

Line management reporting for Finance staff in Schools, Deaneries, Institutes and Professional Service Group Departments is also changing

While it’s great to have this first step in place, the next step is equally important and will involve all other Finance staff in Schools, Deaneries, Institutes and Professional Service Group Departments. Between now and December, the Heads of Finance and I will work together with local areas to understand where reporting lines need to change for colleagues with Financial Management, Planning, Budgeting and Reporting responsibilities.

 

Please note: This means that all relevant staff providing professional Finance services will in turn report through the Heads of Finance for their respective area. So, wherever you sit in the University, if you are a Finance Manager or Finance Team Member and you have Financial Management, Planning, Budgeting and Reporting responsibilities this will apply to you. For example, if you work within this type of Finance role in a department that is part of CMVM, you will ultimately report to the Head of Finance for CMVM.

 

At this stage, this will be a change to reporting lines for our Finance Managers and their Finance teams only. Other key points to note are:

·        Finance Managers and their Finance staff will still be a key part of their School/Institute/Professional Service Group teams and will remain physically based in their local areas;

·        Their main objectives will be to support the delivery of their School/Professional Service Group strategy and operational priorities as determined by their respective leadership team, ensuring the highest professional standards at all levels to enable the delivery of the University’s Financial Strategy;

·        We plan to deliver this second step by the end of the calendar year to enable the change to embed fully before the Phase 3 go live of the People & Money system in April 2021; 

·        Staff who are being consulted on new roles in our Procurement Operations team and Finance Operations team will continue with this process.

 

New ways of doing things will naturally bring challenges, but also many opportunities for us to work in better and smarter ways. We’ve always had great people with incredible experience and expertise working across Finance in our University and this is a great opportunity for us to build on current skills, learn new ones, and be part of a world-class Finance team that supports our University’s vision for the future.

 

That said, I know that it can seem like big changes are coming thick and fast right now and this can lead to anxiety, and it can be hard not to worry. I want to reassure you that I will share all the details about our next steps with you as soon as I have them, so look out for more emails in the coming weeks, and as I mentioned on the call, I am very happy to come and speak with individual teams on what I've outlined above. 

 

In the meantime, if you have any questions, please email SEP.Finance@ed.ac.uk.