Finance and Administration Co-ordinator – Children’s Social Care

Please note that this is a Fixed Term Contract / Secondment opportunity for a period of 18 months.

This position has been classed as an anywhere worker but has an expectation that for the first few months the successful candidate will attend the office, in Basildon, 4 days in 5 while getting up to speed with the job but following that only 2 days per week in the office will be needed, with the remaining time allowing for remote working if desired. Working Monday to Friday 8:30am to 5:00pm. 

Interview dates: Friday 13^th March 2026 at County Hall, Market Road, Chelmsford, Essex. CM1 1QH.

Here in Essex, we continue to raise the bar about practice and our investment in our workforce is second to none. It’s an exciting time to join us having received our 2^nd Outstanding Ofsted rating in a row.

The Opportunity

This role is central to ensuring financial accuracy, oversight, and operational efficiency across children’s care and education packages. The Resource Co-ordinator manages complex financial workflows, maintains detailed registers, and supports strategic financial planning. They provide up-to-date financial information to senior leaders and contribute to monthly forecast outturns through accurate recording, monitoring, and reconciliation of support packages agreed at in and outside of panels and forums.

The postholder is expected to contribute to thematic and high-cost panels, complete Individual Placement Agreements (IPAs), and support the development of financial governance across the service. This includes ensuring compliance with funding agreements, identifying trends, and enabling informed decision-making.

The role demands a high level of autonomy, analytical thinking, and collaboration with social work colleagues, education colleagues, finance teams, and external providers. Strong attention to detail, the ability to self-manage, and a commitment to meeting deadlines are essential.

Accountabilities

• Responsibility for ensuring accurate minute taking of critical financial decisions made in forms, panels and by senior leaders.
• As an active member of quadrant panels and forums, provide financial oversight of support packages under discussion. Ensure decisions are accurately recorded for case management, audit compliance, and financial tracking.
• Responsible for recording, reconciling, and implementing financial decisions made in or outside of panel/forum to ensure information is accurate and investigated where necessary and appropriately actioned (e.g. setting up/amending placement agreements, direct payments, creating and overseeing purchase orders to care providers/placements, and recharges via invoicing and journal transfers).
• Provide robust analysis and forecasting on current and future spend to the Executive Director, Local Director, Service Manager, finance colleagues, and other stakeholders as requested, including FOI requests.
• Timely reporting and reconciliation of financial expenditure, following up on queries, as necessary.
• Contribute to strategic financial reviews and reconciliation exercises.
• Support the development and implementation of digital tools and dashboards to improve visibility and efficiency.
• Work collaboratively with the wider Children and Families function and finance team to ensure compliance with budget or to prevent overspend and savings exercises are progressed to maximise delivery and commissioning opportunities.
• Resource Co-ordinators actively ensure packages of support for children and families are correctly in place and reviewed. This involves working with social workers, colleagues in Education and health and other stakeholders with curiosity and scrutiny.
• Point of contact to support financial queries (from Social Workers, providers, families, and other internal and external services).
• Work collaboratively with other Resource Coordinators to ensure consistency, support, and cover, thus providing a seamless countywide service.
• Knowledge of legislative and policy funding guidance applicable within settings and cases.
• Specific individual and shared targets and objectives are defined annually within the performance management framework.
• Monitoring of direct payment accounts to ensure unused surplus funds are returned to ECC.
• Prepare Individual Pupil Agreements and ensure these are formalised and signed by all parties. 

The Experience You Will Bring

• Ability to interpret financial data to identify patterns, risks, or anomalies, and respond with timely, customer-focused solutions that prevents financial inaccuracies and supports the timely provision of resources supporting the Local Authority’s financial integrity and service delivery.
• Experience of recording and monitoring financial information within databases to support operational decision making.
• Understanding of how financial decisions impact broader service delivery and long-term planning.
• Strong communication skills with proven ability to translate information/data in a clear way.
• Demonstrates strong attention to detail, with the ability to compile and analyse data to produce clear, accurate, and meaningful reports.
• Skilled in managing sensitive financial conversations and resolving disputes diplomatically.
• Capable of managing multiple priorities and ad-hoc requests while maintaining core responsibilities.
• Educated to Level 3 or equivalent by experience, with extensive knowledge of working with different systems and processes within a business environment.
• Willingness to engage in training (e.g., financial literacy, systems) and adapt to evolving service needs.
• Proven track record of building working relationships with partner organisations and external agencies.
• Knowledge of legislative and policy funding guidance.
• Excellent working knowledge of Microsoft Office (specifically Microsoft Excel) is essential as is the ability to learn new systems.
• Strong written, minute taking and time management skills to ensure accurate and prompt recording of decisions within weekly panels and forums.
• Ability to develop tools that will have a focus on results, supporting behaviour and forging strong links with individuals and teams to support operational targets.
• Able to exercise sound judgement and initiative to independently solve problems and deliver effective solutions, without the need for immediate guidance or managerial input.
• Highly self-motivated, with the ability to meet strict deadlines while consistently maintaining a high level of accuracy and working effectively with minimal supervision. 

To read more about our business area, please visit: Children & Families

Please take a look at our ‘No Magic’ Children & Families video

Why Essex?

As one of the largest and most dynamic UK local authorities, Essex offers a stimulating public service environment. Covering over 1,420 square miles and serving 1.8 million residents, we’re committed to transformational change and delivering better quality at lower cost. Recognised in the top three of the latest IMPOWER index for productivity, we ensure everyone matters in Everyone's Essex. With flexible working options and a focus on innovation, whether you are looking to develop your career or contribute to the local community, Essex is the ideal place for you.

In February 2025, Greater Essex was accepted onto the Government’s devolution priority programme, which will see local authorities in Essex work towards establishing a Mayoral Combined County Authority by May 2026. You can read more about devolution and local government reorganisation (LGR) on our careers site.

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process. We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

Once you’ve secured your role within Essex County Council you will receive many great employee benefits, including support for unpaid carers and flexible working arrangements to accommodate their needs.

At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles, including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

If you would like to be kept up to date on other relevant opportunities, blogs, news, events and industry related news at Essex County Council, please join The Essex Talent Community

If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email daniel.warner@essex.gov.uk

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