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Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
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Corporate Finance
Finance
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About the job
Job summary
Head of System Accounting will act as a subject matter expert to support a project to replace the finance system and have functional oversight of the ongoing use, development, and utilisation of financial systems.
The role will include the assurance that system changes continue to deliver, improve, and protect the Agency, meet statutory accounting and control obligations and allow the flexibility required to meet changing requirements in financial reporting.
The role requires an understanding of developing technologies and shared service provision.
Experience of engaging with projects to scope Financial System requirements, testing and piloting strategies and assure plans will meet robust and auditable mandated outputs in line with HMT Financial Reporting Manual, Managing Public Money, Government Functional Standards and Government Finance Functional convergence on the system accounting job family.
The role will require the successful candidate to assist with mitigating risks associated with Financial Systems and data flowing from systems used for financial purposes.
Key to the role will be stakeholder communication and raising challenges and risks on behalf of Finance and the ability to negotiate, collaborate, and influence on matters relating to financial systems.
We are looking for a candidate who can take forward opportunities to improve data and systems used for Finance purposes for insight, automation, transparency, and auditability.
The role will require close collaboration with other finance heads to brigade their views and take up issues on their behalf on financial system, data, and the user experience matters to ensure flexible and responsive systems.
This role will be the lead for Finance on any system and process changes to ensure financial reporting obligations of the Agency are met and any opportunities to improve efficiency of the finance function associated with systems are maximised. The successful candidate will be the Single Point of Contact for transformation of any systems or any additional demands for data, provide expert advice to ELT and others on financial systems on behalf of Finance and be the Finance lead on any NAO Client Liaison Schedule items relating to Finance systems.
The Insolvency Service is a leading Government agency which plays a crucial role in providing essential services to the public and to business. The work we do is important to the proper functioning of markets, the economy in general and support for thousands of people each year who are in financial difficulty.
Inclusive and diverse teams are important to us. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including groups underrepresented in our workforce. The Insolvency Service strives to ensure that the agency is a safe, inclusive and welcoming place for everybody to bring their true self to work and to help the agency to achieve its diversity objectives. We have 10 active employee network groups available to join or become an ally, these include LGBT+, FACES, Disability & Health, Break the Stigma, Womens, The Shed, Carers, Part Time Workers, No Limits and Grass Roots.
We offer full-time, part-time, job share and flexible ways of working. We value capability, technical skills and experience and we place great emphasis on lifetime development to support our people. We encourage our employees to become more involved in areas they feel strongly about, whether it be for the benefit of the agency, though our Engagement network or in their own local communities via volunteering opportunities.
The Insolvency Service is a great place to work, learn and grow your career.
Job description
The role will report to the Head of Core Finance within the Finance, Commercial, Sustainability and Property Directorate and will work closely with other functional heads within Finance, the wider Agency and cross Government.
This is an exciting new role within the Insolvency Service which will require you to recruit an assistant and build a network of contacts to ensure the new function assists in the delivery of planned improvements of the finance system.
The role offers exposure at senior levels and the opportunity to work with multi-disciplinary projects and cross government initiatives.
Responsibilities
As the Head of System Accounting you will:
Lead on the development of finance requirements associated with the replacement of finance systems and advise on piloting and testing strategies
Collaborate with colleagues to support the resolution of finance system related issues
Report to senior forums on matter relating to the impact of finance systems and make recommendations for the endorsements of plans relating the finance systems
Provide advice and guidance to colleagues on all matters relating to the finance system to ensure the Agency can meet its accounting and financial reporting obligations
Support the internal and external audits in all matters associated with the finance system and provision of data from those systems
Person specification
The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate the following:
You will be a fully CCAB or equivalent accountant
You will be able to prioritise demands for you and your assistant and take ownership of workplans seeing tasks through to successful completion on time
You will have the ability to build strong relationships with subject matter experts in other disciplines and other organisations
You will possess good interpersonal skills and be willing to make challenging decisions even if they prove difficult or unpopular and communicate these clearly, constructively and sensitively
You will need to be flexible and innovative in your approach in order to support the wider finance demands
You will have the ability to analyse outputs in order to assess issues with source data and fomulate recommendations to remediate
You will be required to attend the office at one of the locations listed for 60% of your working time and attend other locations when required as part of the 60% attendance
Essential Criteria
You will be expected to demonstrate how your experience, knowledge and skills meet the essential/desirable criteria below and that you possess the required technical skills and qualifications specified.
You will be a fully qualified (CCAB or equivalent) accountant with significant experience working with Finance systems. You will have experience working in a multi-disciplinary project setting.
Desirable Criteria
Desired qualification: Project management qualification such as Prince 2 or Agile Project Management.
Desirable knowledge and experience of the Lean Six Sigma managerial approach.
Qualifications
Benefits
£13,909 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.
Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
We want you have a good work-life balance and want to support you in all that you do so we offer a great benefits package:
- Flexible working arrangements and flexi-time.
- Full time new entrants to the Civil Service and those Civil Servants on modernised terms and conditions will be entitled to 25 days leave increasing on a sliding scale to 30 days after 5 years service.
- In addition to this you are entitled to 8 public/bank holidays plus an additional day of privilege leave.
- Competitive maternity, paternity and parental leave.
- 5 days paid leave for learning and development
- 5 days paid for volunteering
- Cycle to work scheme
- Season ticket loan
- Staff have access to an employee assistance programme, Workplace Wellness, for confidential, independent support and advice during difficult times in either their professional or personal life.
- A Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
- A Recruitment and Retention allowance of up to £6,100 in addition to salary is applicable to these roles dependant on skills and experience established through the application and interview process, but this will be subject to annual review by the Finance, Commercial, Sustainability and Property Director
Your pension is a valuable part of your total reward package where the employer makes a significant contribution to the cost of your pension. Your contributions come out of your salary before any tax is taken. This means, if you pay tax, your take-home pay will not be reduced by the full amount of your contribution; and your pension will continue to provide valuable benefits for you and your family if you are too ill to continue to work or die before you retire. For more information, visit www.civilservicepensionscheme.org.uk
Things you need to know
Selection process details
As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV and a 1250 word personal statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
Applications will be sifted to select those demonstrating the best fit/ ability with the post against the criteria set out in the job description/person specification. Please ensure you keep this in mind when completing your application/CV/personal statement.
Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the Personal Statement. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.
We will test your experience as part of the sift process, if successful you will be invited to a short interview where we will test your experience. Full details of the selection process will be made available to shortlisted candidates once the sift has been completed.
Expected Timeline (subject to change)
Sift w/c 15 January 2024
Interview w/c 22 January 2024
Location – MS Teams
Candidates are asked to note the above timetable, exercising flexibility through the recruitment and selection process
Drop-in Sessions
In order to assist you in making your decision over whether to apply, we will be holding 4 drop-in sessions where you will be able to hear more about what our finance teams do, who we are as an agency of government and what its like to work in finance within the Insolvency Service. You can access the sessions via the links below or from the Candidate Pack attached to this advert.
The sessions will take place as follows:
Monday 8th January 10am;
Join on your computer, mobile app or room device
Click here to join the meeting
Meeting ID: 320 232 945 65
Passcode: 73rAGJ
Wednesday 10th January 4pm;
Join on your computer, mobile app or room device. Further information on how to access MS teams can be found in the candidate information pack attached to this advert.
Click here to join the meeting
Meeting ID: 344 928 830 817
Passcode: 5JyDrC
Further Information
A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.
Any move to Insolvency from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk
If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service / Disclosure Scotland on your behalf.
However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email Info@disclosurescotland.co.uk
New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
Transforming Workplaces
The Insolvency Service is currently delivering an exciting five-year transformation project that started in April 2022 which will define our future direction supporting a gradual migration to a Regional Centre model combined with smarter ways of working. As part of this, transforming our estate will align us with the government modernisation programmes making The Insolvency Service a great place to work.
We are letting you know about our future plans because if you are joining the Insolvency Service and are recruited into an office over the next five years that is not one of the Regional Centres, you will be expected to move to one of the Regional Centres in the future. This move would not attract financial assistance.
The 11 Regional Centres are : Birmingham, Cardiff, Croydon, Edinburgh, Exeter, Ipswich, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Stratford.
Hybrid Working
Insolvency Service operates a hybrid working policy subject to business need, giving people the flexibility to choose when and where they work and collaborate with others.
Individuals are expected to work from one of the office locations stated in the advert to connect with their colleagues, as required by their role and business team needs. There is flexibility to split the working week, spending a minimum of 60% in the workplace, which includes the office, site visits, court etc.
Reasonable Adjustment
If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
Contact Government Recruitment Service via insolvencyrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
Complete the Assistance required section in the Additional requirements page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if youre deaf, a Language Service Professional.
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the ‘Contact point for applicants’ section.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Nationality requirements
Working for the Civil Service
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
Apply and further information
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Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : Chantel Kelly
- Email : Chantel.Kelly@insolvency.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : InsolvencyRecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Further information
They have been discriminated against under the Equality Act 2010.
There have been procedural irregularities at any stage of the recruitment process.
If you feel that your application has not been treated in accordance with the recruitment principles, and wish to make a complaint, then you should contact in the first instance: insolvencyrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response that you receive you can then contact the Civil Service Commission.
All complaints must be received by the contact point for applicants within 24 hours from the date the applicant is advised of their non-success at sift, assessment or interview. Complaints will be considered by an independent third-party outside of the recruitment campaign. The decision will be conveyed to the applicant, in writing, within 5 working days of receipt of the complaint. The recruitment process will usually be put on hold until the complaint has been resolved.
Complaints may also be made to the Civil Service Commission at any time if the individual believes their application has not been treated in accordance with the recruitment principles (appointment on merit through fair and open competition). However, complaints must first have been raised with Government Recruitment Service.
