The Role
Post: Head of Finance Capability and Continuous Improvement
Salary: £72,181 per annum
Grade: FRS G
Salary range: £72,181 - £89,656 per annum
Contract type: Permanent
Working pattern: Full-time
Application closing date: 4 PM on Monday 07 July 2025
London Fire Brigade (LFB) is London’s Fire and Rescue Service – one of the largest firefighting and rescue organisations in the world. We are here to make London a safer city.
We employ over 5,500 people, across our operational team (our firefighters), control (our call handlers who answer your 999 calls) and our non-operational team (our teams who work behind the scenes to support our front-line services, including HR, IT, Finance, Procurement, Communications etc.).
This is an exciting time to join the LFB finance team. We have recently implemented SAP4HANA and SAP Ariba, the first public sector organisation to go live with this cloud-based system. This is a new role in the finance team, created to ensure we have a forward-looking function that makes the most of the opportunities our new system brings.
The successful candidate will champion finance capability across the organisation and drive improvements to processes, guidance and ways of working to create a forward-looking finance function. Finance capability is both internal to the finance team, ensuring we have appropriate pathways for qualifications and that we keep our finance professionals up-to-date with the latest accounting standards and best practice, and external to the team, ensuring budget holders understand their responsibilities, that our guidance is easy to follow, that advice is available when needed. Continuous improvement is about ensuring we respond to the dynamic financial landscape, keeping our finance team relevant and effective. The new system brings opportunities but has also changed our ways of working and there will be many process improvements we can make as a result. The successful candidate will work with the team on what the improvement priorities are, what needs to change and how we will measure success.
The successful candidate will:
- be passionate about making incremental changes for the better, with the customer in mind;
- want to create a culture of value-for-money across the organisation, where people are encouraged to put forward innovative ideas around efficiency and effectiveness; and
- be willing to collaborate across different departments, creating virtual teams to achieve our goals.
Further information about the main duties and responsibilities of the role are detailed in the job description. If you are unable to see the job description, salary range or the full advert, please visit our jobs pages at https://jobs.london-fire.gov.uk/alljobs/ to access the full advert.
We value the diversity of our employees and aim to recruit a workforce which reflects our diverse communities across London. The London Fire Commissioner is an Equal Opportunities Employer and we positively welcome applications from all suitably qualified individuals, irrespective of people's age, disability, gender, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or other personal circumstances. We have guidance in place to ensure that all applicants are treated fairly and consistently at every stage of the recruitment process, including the consideration of reasonable adjustments for people who have a disability.
Eligibility
Applicants must have a CCAB, CIMA or equivalent finance qualification.
Assessment Overview
Stage 1
To apply, please complete the online application, upload a copy of your up-to-date CV and provide evidence to address the following selection criteria:
1. Experience of leading continuous improvement in order to achieve efficiencies, productivity improvements or better customer experience.
2. Excellent stakeholder management skills to build collaborative relationships with a range of people and teams across the organisation.
3. Good organisational skills with a proven ability to manage competing priorities, at pace when required, using clear project plans.
4. Excellent people management skills with the ability to promote team cohesion.
Please note that we will score the evidence you provide based on the competencies listed in the selection criteria above.
Shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend stage 2.
Please ensure you give yourself enough time to complete and submit your application. Late or un-submitted applications cannot be accepted.
Please note any correspondence received from us will be via e-mail and sent to the address you provide on your application form.
Stage 2
Assessment for this role is due to take place week commencing 21 July 2025. Please be advised that if you are unable to make the scheduled assessment date, we may not be able to make alternative arrangements.
Additional Information
Benefits of working for the London Fire Brigade
• 26 days’ holiday plus bank holidays
• Flexi-time Scheme (which can result in an additional 12 days annual leave)
• Additional leave between Christmas Day and New Year
• Family (including maternity) leave and emergency support leave
• Flexible working including work from home 60%
• Free access to the Brigade gym
• Use of the Brigade’s Medical Adviser/physios/fitness advisers
• Free counselling
• Season ticket loans
• Join social networks including our Equality Support Groups
• Contributory pension scheme
• Cycle to work scheme
• Staff discount scheme including access to Blue Light Card retail and hospitality discounts
• Opportunity to access affordable accommodation
In line with the Basic Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) employment checks will be completed by successful candidates, which will include a Standard criminal records check. Successful candidate will be required to declare any convictions for offences and any offer of employment is subject to the LFC receiving a criminal records disclosure which it considers satisfactory.
Attachments