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

  • follows up health and social policy, carries out policy analyses and participates in planning maintains monitoring indicators and analysis tools
  • supports and coordinates the assessment of the impacts of legislation and participates in the development of the assessment
  • coordinates and develops statistical information and production of statistics in the administrative branch, participates in relating international activities, and participates in OECD cooperation relevant for the administrative branch as far as it concerns the Employment and Social Affairs Committee
  • coordinates research and development in the administrative branch and influences the intersectoral and EU cooperation relating to science policy
  • is in charge of and coordinates the Government's joint analysis, assessment and research activities for the part of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health
  • participates in the monitoring of international economic policy and related cooperation concerning the administrative branch, for example with regard to the EU's Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), OECD's joint public government reviews and the International Monetary Fund (IMF)

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)