Vacancy: Senior Governance and Finance Manager

14/10/2025

Apply before 11:55 pm on Wednesday 5th November 2025

Reference number

432770

Salary

£47,676 - £56,445A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Job grade

Senior Executive Officer

Contract type

Permanent

Business area

The Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru (DBCC) is a statutory body sponsored by Welsh Government and has statutory functions which are set out in the Local Government (Democracy) (Wales) Act 2013 (as amended), the Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections)

Type of role

Finance
Governance

Working pattern

Flexible working, Full-time

Number of jobs available

Location

Cardiff

About the job

Job summary

It is your role to act as the Senior Governance and Finance Manager and be responsible for providing strategic leadership in finance and governance, ensuring that both Commissions deliver their statutory functions with integrity, accountability, and value for money. The postholder will play a central role in shaping financial strategy and embedding robust governance frameworks across both Commissions. This is a senior leadership position within a small but high-profile organisation. The role offers direct influence over financial planning and governance arrangements, visible responsibility for corporate accountability, and the opportunity to engage with senior stakeholders across Welsh Government, UK Government, and the wider public sector.

The postholder will report to the Head of Business and line manage the Corporate Services Manager.

Job description

Strengthen governance frameworks and ensure compliance with statutory and corporate governance requirements.
Draft high-quality governance papers, reports, and briefings for Commissioners, the Governance & Audit Committee, and senior stakeholders.
Lead on the review and monitoring of the Corporate Risk Register, ensuring risks are managed effectively at Board level.
Oversee the implementation and monitoring of Internal and External Audit recommendations.
Lead financial forecasting, budget setting, and long-term financial planning.
Monitor expenditure against agreed budgets and provide quarterly financial and governance reporting to the Chief Executive and the Board.
Ensure robust financial controls and policies are embedded across the organisation.
Lead the strategic management of budgets, annual accounts, and grant-in-aid funding.
Provide high-level advice to the Chief Executive and Commissioners on financial planning, investment priorities, and risk management.
Oversee the relationship with external accountants, auditors, and government finance teams to ensure compliance with audit, governance, and financial regulations.
Lead on the use of SAGE financial software to manage accounts, track expenditure, produce financial reports, and ensure accuracy and compliance in financial data.
Oversee the arrangements for payroll including staff salaries, calculation and payment of pension contributions.
Provide effective line management, coaching, and professional development to the Finance Officer.
Build financial capability across the organisation, ensuring non-finance colleagues understand and meet financial responsibilities.
Provide Secretariat support to the Governance and Audit Committee
Other general duties

Person specification

Job Specific Criteria (essential):

Demonstrable experience of financial management at a strategic level, including budget setting, monitoring, and reporting.
Strong understanding of corporate governance frameworks, risk management, and audit processes.
Proven experience of leading or managing staff, with the ability to coach, mentor, and develop others.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to produce high-quality reports for senior boards and stakeholders.
Strong organisational and problem-solving skills, with the ability to deliver results under pressure.
Practical experience of using financial management software, particularly SAGE, to oversee accounts, produce reports, and support decision-making.

Desirable Criteria

Professional finance or governance qualifications (e.g. CIPFA, AAT, ICSA).
Knowledge of working with Boards or within a regulatory or arm’s length body context.

Welsh Language Requirement :

Welsh language skills are desirable for this post.

Listening

1 = Able to understand basic enquiries in Welsh

Reading

1 = Able to read basic words and phrases

Speaking

1 = Able to conduct a general conversation (greetings, names, sayings, place names)

Writing

1 = Able to write basic messages

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

Seeing the Big Picture
Changing and Improving
Leadership
Communicating and Influencing
Managing a Quality Service
Delivering at Pace

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £47,676, Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru contributes £13,811 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Learning and development tailored to your role
An environment with flexible working options
A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours.Applications (CV and covering letter which includes how you demonstrate the competencies), should be submitted via Civil Service Jobs by 05/11/2025. The covering letter should be no more than two A4 pages.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

UK nationals
nationals of the Republic of Ireland
nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

Name :David Burley
Email :vacancies@dbcc.gov.wales
Telephone :02920 464819

Recruitment team

Email :vacancies@dbcc.gov.wales

Attachments

SEO Senior Governance and Finance Manager Opens in new window(pdf, 267kB)

SEO Senior Governance and Finance Manager c Opens in new window(pdf, 287kB)

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