Strategic and Financial Management Unit

The Strategic and Financial Management Unit assists and supports the Permanent Secretary and is in charge of developing the Ministry’s strategic leadership. The Unit is responsible for advancing and developing government-level measures in the Ministry. The Unit also participates in the preparation of the strategic objectives for the Ministry and its administrative branch and in the development, implementation and monitoring of wide-ranging issues. 

The Unit manages operational and financial planning, financial and travel administration, procurement support, action planning and performance guidance for the Ministry and its administrative branch. The Unit is also responsible for developing legislative work, coordinating research, development and innovation, and supporting the departments in assessing the impacts of legislation.

Unit groups and personnel

The Strategic and Financial Management Unit has three groups. The Unit is headed by Director General Pasi Pohjola.
(Secretary Katharina Schulze)

Strategy Group

In the Ministry, the Strategy Group prepares and implements:

  • Ministry Group’s strategic planning, preparation and implementation in the Ministry’s administrative branch
  • government-level foresight activities
  • Government’s joint strategy process and the monitoring and guidance of implementing the Government Programme
  • Ministry’s overall corporate guidance
  • coordination and development of legislative drafting and monitoring and development of the quality of legislative drafting
  • coordination of extensive development tasks and projects
  • development of the Ministry’s activities and management system
  • development of and support for the management group activities of the Ministry, the Ministry Group and the ministers.

Pasi Pohjola, Director General
(Katharina Schulze, Secretary)

Evaluation Group

  • assesses the impacts of legislation and participates in the development of such assessments
  • monitors health and social policy and conducts policy analyses
  • assesses and guides the finances of the wellbeing services counties together with the Department for Steering of Healthcare and Social Welfare 
  • coordinates and develops statistical information, production of statistics and analysis tools in the administrative branch together with the administrative branch and other actors
  • participates in the work of the OECD Employment, Labour and Social Affairs Committee that is relevant for the Ministry’s administrative branch 
  • coordinates research and development in the administrative branch
  • participates in the monitoring of international economic policy concerning the administrative branch, for example with regard to the EU’s Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF).

Saara Leppinen, Director
(Jenni Rantalainen, Secretary)

Finance Group

  • is responsible for financial and operational planning and the reporting procedures in the administrative branch
  • is responsible for the Accounting Unit’s financial administration, accounting, handling of expenditure and revenue, and for other financial administration tasks
  • manages tasks related to the system of central government transfers to local government and the municipal economy
  • coordinates and develops travel administration and procurement
  • coordinates performance guidance in the administrative branch   

Mikko Staff, Director of Finance (Päivi Ahtialansaari, Secretary)