Treasury Manager

Local authority, West Yorkshire | Permanent | £58,000- £62,000 | Hybrid Why this job exists For years, this council’s treasury work was done by another organisation, which looked after it alongside billions of pounds of its own money. That arrangement has now ended, and the council has decided to bring treasury in-house and build it properly. So this is a brand new permanent role. Nobody has done it before you, and you’d shape how it works.

What The Job Involves Most of it is about your mornings. You’ll look at the cash position, speak to the brokers, and decide whether the council should invest surplus cash or arrange some borrowing. Then you’ll make the deal. The aim is simple: earn as much as possible on the cash and keep borrowing as cheap as possible. Behind that sits a debt portfolio of more than £800 million and cash balances of over £100 million.

There’s more to it than the daily deals. You’ll write the Treasury Management Strategy, report to senior leaders and elected members on how things are going, look after the treasury entries in the year-end accounts, and act as the person colleagues come to with treasury questions.

What It Isn’t It isn’t a trading floor. Councils have rules about where their money can go, so you won’t be dealing in hedge funds or exotic products. Most of the investments are short-term money market deals and lending to other local authorities. Some people from the markets might find that too narrow. Others will be glad to keep the interesting technical work and leave the pressure and the late nights behind.

It also isn’t a people-management job. You’ll have no direct reports. You’ll work alongside the Strategic Finance Manager and her team, and your time goes on treasury rather than on managing people.

Who I Think This Would Suit You don’t need to have worked in local government. If you understand investments, cash flow and borrowing, and you’ve done deals through brokers, the council will help you learn the public sector rules.

So this could be a great fit if you’ve worked in:

• banking (investment or commercial), money markets or capital markets
• fund services or investment management
• government-backed finance, such as the British Business Bank
• treasury or financial services audit, with a CCAB qualification behind you (ACA / ACCA / CIMA / CIPFA )

On qualifications, the council is flexible. CCAB, CFA or CISI are all welcome. So is part-qualified, AAT or a degree if you have solid investment experience. Strong experience on its own can count too.

The team and the deal The finance team has been through a big restructure and has come out well. Last year’s accounts and audit are done, and the team is settled and capable. The Head of Finance is properly flexible about hybrid working. You’ll need to come into the West Yorkshire office regularly, but you won’t be expected there five days a week.

The salary starts at £58,000 and goes up to £62,000.

You’ll also join the Local Government Pension Scheme, which is one of the best pensions around.

Interested? The council can move quickly. If this sounds like you, the first step is an informal chat with the team, so you can ask your questions before deciding whether to apply.

Get in touch with me, Lucy Rider, at Broster Buchanan, and I’ll give you the full picture.