During the recruitment of a permanent Finance Coordinator for the Facility Management Department, the City of Ghent engaged a Finance Coordinator to ensure continuity. The assignment took place in a challenging political and financial context. The city was facing structural budget savings of up to €120 million. Close monitoring of budgets and investments was therefore critical.
Temporary assignment as Financial Coordinator evolves into a structured change initiative
The Finance Coordinator was responsible for overseeing key capital investment projects together with the project manager, including the new City Office and the Community Service Center in Ghentbrugge. The role also required close alignment with multiple stakeholders and continuous safeguarding of financial continuity within a politically and financially challenging environment.
To help alleviate the pressure associated with budget monitoring and control, TriFinance Project Consultant Emily De Ryck was engaged. The City of Ghent was already familiar with TriFinance's pragmatic, hands-on approach through a TriFinance Public consultant who had fulfilled a similar role in another department. Building on this positive experience, the city once again called upon TriFinance's expertise.
Following a brief onboarding period, it became clear that Emily's role would extend beyond operational support. The previous Finance Coordinator had taken on a new role within the organization. An unclear definition of the role's responsibilities was one of the contributing factors. While the assignment initially focused on financial coordination, its emphasis quickly shifted towards streamlining processes and redefining roles and responsibilities.
A key role in a challenging context
The assignment included end-to-end coordination of the Facility Management Department's budget cycles and close financial monitoring of approximately sixty major construction projects, including the new City Office and the Community Service Center in Ghentbrugge. Given the scale and financial impact of this project portfolio, a proactive approach was essential.
At the same time, it became clear that, in practice, the Finance Coordinator served as the primary point of contact for all financial matters. There was no clearly defined framework, and roles and responsibilities had not been sufficiently delineated.
This had a noticeable impact on day-to-day operations. Ownership of requests and case files was not always clearly assigned, resulting in slower coordination and placing pressure on collaboration with other departments. This translated into operational inefficiencies and an increased workload within the team.
A transition to a more structured way of working was necessary to restore stability within the role and prevent similar issues from recurring. What initially started as a finance-focused assignment quickly evolved into a broader engagement focused on creating structure, clarifying roles and responsibilities, and establishing greater stability within the team
What started as a financial role quickly evolved into a broader assignment focused on creating structure, clarity, and stability within the team
Redesigning processes to establish clear roles and responsibilities
To establish a clear division of responsibilities and well-defined accountabilities, Emily conducted a thorough analysis of the department's existing internal processes. Based on this assessment, processes were redesigned and streamlined to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of internal service delivery.
Her contribution extended beyond the original scope of the assignment. The role required close collaboration with a broad range of stakeholders, including technical project managers, the finance team, and policy-level management. Through her collaborative approach and flexibility, Emily successfully aligned these different stakeholders and their respective interests.
During her first year, Emily successfully fulfilled the role of Finance Coordinator (COOF). She subsequently assumed the role of Head of Investments, where she continued to focus on process optimization, strengthening internal operations, and establishing sustainable organizational stability within the team.
Project monitoring, knowledge management, and employee training
To ensure operational continuity during staff transitions, the focus gradually shifted from process analysis to knowledge management and employee guidance. Emily played a key role in this transition by developing, documenting, and embedding new ways of working across the organization.
Targeted process guides were developed to ensure that organizational knowledge was captured and retained in a structured manner. This enabled the department to onboard new employees more quickly and efficiently while significantly reducing its dependence on individual knowledge holders.
In addition, further digitalization was supported through the implementation of a centralized SharePoint environment. This improved the transparency and accessibility of information and documentation. As a result, internal collaboration improved, and the number of operational ad hoc requests was significantly reduced.
The implementation of a centralized SharePoint environment created a single, transparent source of information for documentation, procedures, and project knowledge
Measurable results and sustainable improvements
The engagement was completed over a period of eighteen months. During this time, the following results were achieved:
- Process optimization: Existing processes were analyzed and optimized. Roles, responsibilities, and ownership were clearly defined, resulting in greater operational efficiency and improved collaboration across teams.
- Knowledge transfer and onboarding: A range of process guides and supporting documentation was developed. This enabled the department to onboard new employees more quickly while ensuring that critical organizational knowledge was systematically captured and embedded within the organization.
- Transparency through SharePoint: The implementation of a centralized SharePoint environment created a single, accessible source of information. This improved internal information sharing, increased transparency, and significantly reduced the number of ad hoc requests.
- End-to-End organizational perspective: By successively serving as Finance Coordinator and Head of the Investments Unit, Emily developed a unique end-to-end perspective on the team's operations and the underlying processes. This enabled the organization to respond quickly to staff absences, personnel changes, and shifting priorities.
The engagement delivered more than continuity during the recruitment of a permanent Finance Coordinator. By combining department-wide budget management with targeted process optimization, the Facility Management Department established a stable operational foundation. Today, the organization benefits from greater structure, increased operational stability, and a more future-oriented way of working.
Working in close collaboration with the department's internal teams, Emily De Ryck successfully delivered the engagement. For the City of Ghent, this meant partnering with a consultant who responded closely to the organization's needs, contributed to greater stability within the team, and combined financial expertise with practical experience in organizational change.
