Director Finance, Operations and Digital

About the Government Legal Department

From energy to security, health to human rights, we help the Government deliver life changing law for citizens.

The Government Legal Department (GLD) is the largest provider of legal services across government, advising most government departments on high profile matters that are frequently scrutinised in Parliament and the media. 
Our work includes:

• Providing legal advice on policy development
• Preparing and drafting legislation
• Handling high profile public and private law litigation including inquiries and inquests
• International trade negotiations 
• Commercial legal services ensuring value from commercial contracts worth billions of pounds
• Providing the Civil Service’s employment law advice and litigation

We are at the heart of delivering the Government’s priorities and our success depends on our people. 

As a non-ministerial government department, we are sponsored by the Attorney General and headed by the Treasury Solicitor, our Permanent Secretary. We employ nearly 3000 people, including over 2000 legal professionals and have offices across the UK. 

Our vision is to be an outstanding legal organisation and a brilliant place to work where everyone can thrive and fulfil their potential. This is an exciting time for GLD, with cutting edge legal work on global issues and a transformation agenda which is ensuring the Department exemplifies the Modern Civil Service.

About the Government Finance Function 

The Government Finance Function is made up of over 10,000 Finance professionals across government. Our vision is to put Finance at the heart of decision making. Delivering value for money, strengthening public trust.

We exist to enable the delivery of high-quality public services and to ensure that public money is spent efficiently and effectively. We are responsible for supporting the management of over £800 billion of public expenditure each year, as well as over £2,000 billion in assets and £4,500 billion of liabilities.

We are at the forefront of innovation and cross-government collaboration. Finance leaders are working to drive standardisation, efficiencies, share best practice and upskill finance teams across government.

By joining the Government Finance Function you will be joining a community of finance professionals across all departments and Arms-Length Bodies.

Being part of such a vast network gives finance professionals access to a fantastic programme of professional development and learning opportunities from our Government Finance Academy (GFA). It also provides fantastic opportunities to progress your finance career, to gain accreditation and work across a huge number of topic areas that are in the public eye – from defence, to health, to education.

Creating a diverse and inclusive environment is one of the most important objectives for the Government Finance Function. Our senior leaders are committed to a transparent culture and a genuinely diverse workforce. We seek to build a function where individuals feel valued and can bring their whole selves to work.

This is a challenging and rewarding opportunity to play a key role in this cross-cutting Department at the heart of government. As a member of the GLD Board and Executive Team, you will play a significant role in shaping GLD’s future direction and providing GLD with the professional corporate support services it needs to enable the delivery of high-quality legal services to central government. You will be one of three Directors in the Corporate Services Group, alongside the Director for Strategy, People and Culture and the Director of Legal Knowledge and Innovation.

This is an exciting moment in the evolution of the GLD as it seeks to significantly enhance the capacity and capability of its non-legal professions and functions which provide the foundation on which our legal services are delivered. The effectiveness and efficiency of GLD, and by virtue the wider Government Legal function, matters to every strand of Government and is crucial to helping to helping the Government realise its priorities for citizens. As the senior finance professional in GLD, strategic financial leadership and capability building in the finance function – both within GLD and wider Government – will be a significant part of this role. The post holder will support and advise the Treasury Solicitor, in her role as Accounting Officer, on discharging her responsibilities to Parliament and HM Treasury. They will also be responsible for assuring the effective financial stewardship of GLD’s operating budget of around £280m, alongside the Chair of GLD’s Audit, Risk and Assurance Committee and lead GLD’s relationship with the Government Internal Audit Agency. You will chair the Investment and Portfolio Assurance Committee (IPAC) to ensure that GLD has robust business cases for its Tier 1 projects assure the delivery of them. You may also sit on other GLD Committees, including its People Committee, which are chaired by legal DGs in the Department.

What makes this a particularly attractive role is the breadth of functional responsibilities, but also the different nature of the financial model of GLD from many Departments. GLD’s funding model is based on full cost recovery for the services it provides to its clients – this is achieved through a charging model with agreements negotiated annually with Departments based on the volume of legal services they require from GLD. The Department has only a limited ‘on vote’ budget. However, the requirements of Managing Public Money, the need to be able to evidence the value for money we provide, including how we become increasingly efficient and productive in how our services are delivered, are a constant. You will be expected to drive a reinvigorated approach to investment planning, financial forecasting, simplified fee structures and a culture of ever more efficient and productive service delivery. A balanced scorecard reporting approach has recently been developed and the post holder will be expected to lead on its ongoing development as well as the Board’s and ExCo’s risk management process. In addition to the financial elements of the role, the post holder is responsible at Board level for activities and operations across a range of other corporate professions and functions. These include security, property, commercial and DDAT. Whilst these functions are led on a day-to-day basis at Deputy Director level, this role gives the post holder the opportunity to develop relationships and work across a range of functions in Government, enabling them to lead and influence across a range of Civil Service and Government priorities, including Places for Growth, Levelling up and helping to ensure GLD reflects the vision and aspirations of the Modern Civil Service.

In particular, the post holder is responsible for leading the delivery of GLD’s relocation plans which include building up our existing footprint in Leeds, Bristol, Croydon and Salford/Manchester, including GLD’s exit from 102 Petty France in 2026. This will include the development of new locations in government hubs in inner and outer London. They are also responsible at Board level for a programme of digital and technology refreshment, led by their DDAT Deputy Director, an experienced professional in the field. This will include the development and implementation of a new practice and matter management system to take the place of our existing Case Management System (CMS) and lead the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) – for whom GLD provides a range of shared services – preparations to transition a range of corporate services into a shared service model with the Matrix cluster.

As such, this role represents a particularly attractive opportunity for individuals seeking to develop and diversify into future Chief Operating Officer appointments.

Key Responsibilities 

• Rapidly building trusted relationships with key stakeholders and partners across Government, and in GLD, particularly Board and Executive Team members, including to ensure full cost recovery from clients for GLD’s services;
• Leading GLD’s finance function to improve its capability and the overall capability and culture of data analysis and utilisation across GLD;
• Leading delivery of the GFF Functional Strategy within GLD, ensuring that the department’s financial management standards practices are aligned;
• Ensuring the effective stewardship of GLD’s financial systems, including delivery of GLD’s Annual Report and Accounts and the setting of its budget and fees. The post holder is also responsible for the production of the Annual Report and Accounts for the AGO and HM Crown Prosecution Inspectorate, for which the Permanent Secretary of GLD is Accounting Officer;
• Delivery of GLD’s Accommodation and Location Strategy, including its Places for Growth commitments, as reflected in its Spending Review settlement;
• Leading and assuring GLD’s Cyber and Information Security culture and governance;
• Playing a leading role, alongside the Director of Strategy, in responding to a review of GLD’s Corporate Services, including improving the collective leadership and capability of GLD’s Corporate Services;
• Increasing the resilience of GLD’s Digital Technology, including increasing the interoperability between GLD and other Government Departments.

It is essential that in your CV and supporting statement, you give evidence of examples of proven experience and success in each of the 5 essential criteria from the person specification below. 

The successful candidate will be a proven finance professional and an experienced leader who has a proven track record for delivery and experience of working in fast paced, large scale and complex environments. You will be an excellent strategic leader with wide government experience gained working across different functions. You will have excellent stakeholder management skills and be adept at building productive relationships across functions within the Civil Service and beyond.  

Selection will be based on suitability to the post as listed below:

Essential Criteria 

1. CCAB, CIMA or equivalent qualification with extensive experience of financial leadership at Board level;
2. Experienced in giving trusted advice to senior partners e.g., Permanent Secretaries, NEDs, and senior officials and a track record of creating and maintaining strong professional relationships at senior levels and using these to influence and challenge;
3. Strong evidence of strategic and creative thinking, with the ability to set an ambitious vision, inspire continuous improvement and drive forward implementation through motivating others towards a common goal;
4. The ability to work collaboratively with senior peers in leading a large organisation, delivering modernisation projects and driving an organisational culture of professional excellence and continuous improvement;
5. A strong track record of leadership, building high performing teams and developing talent; and proven success in leading in an environment of ambiguity, uncertainty and change.

Desirable Criteria 

1. Experience of working with lawyers in government or other relevant functions.

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%

Job contact :

• Name : Stephanie Robinson
• Email : stephanierobinson@allenlane.co.uk
• Telephone : Stephanie Robinson

Recruitment team

• Email : stephanierobinson@allenlane.co.uk