Strategic Finance Director

Belfast, Cardiff, Croydon, Dover, Glasgow, Liverpool, London, Manchester

The Home Office is at the heart of British life. As the government department tasked with keeping the nation safe, we oversee law and order, immigration and security. Our remit is deeply complex and highly interesting, and as such, we offer an exceptional career prospect to dynamic and forward-thinking individuals.

We are now looking for a qualified accountant (CCAB, CIMA or equivalent) with a significant background in financial leadership to head up our Finance team. With responsibility for maximising the efficiency of the department’s work, you will be a valued member of the cross-government Finance Leadership Group and a trusted advisor to the Director General, delivering robust financial management to a huge variety of projects.

With the capacity to both respond quickly to emerging knowledge and shape long-term financial plans and strategies, you will ensure the department is ready for every eventuality. As such, you will use analysis and insight to help us make the best business decisions, ensuring corporate functions are joined-up where relevant, and you will collaborate with HM Treasury across challenges such as fiscal events. On a day-to-day basis, you will also oversee the work of Accounting Officers, ensuring their advice is being considered and acted on. As you will be required to provide a seamless business partnering services to colleagues across the department, you will bring an innovative mindset to each opportunity, with the ability to influence management at board-level.

To excel in this career-defining role, it is vital that you are capable of constructively challenging colleagues at all levels. As an inspirational leader who enjoys motivating and developing the skills of finance professionals, you will have experience of promoting a team-spirited environment in which shared actions lead to cross-departmental wins. Coming from a similarly complex and customer-focused organisation, you will be capable of working in a politically-sensitive environment, and you will have substantial experience of overseeing business planning, analysis, budget management and performance appraisal.

In turn, we can offer you a high-desirable package that includes a salary of £97,000 – £119,000 dependent on your qualifications and experience, plus a competitive contributory pension scheme. You will also be encouraged to develop your skills with ongoing training opportunities, and you will benefit from a friendly and supportive environment in which inclusivity is vital to the entire team. Join us in our nationally-important work, and we are confident that you will thrive.

Key responsibilities: 

• At the most basic level, be responsible for interpreting financial information to help shape and influence organisational strategy in a large, complex and politically sensitive environment.
• Ensure that corporate functions are joined up where appropriate to enhance business outcomes and senior customer experience, maximising the influence of business partnering across the department.
• Lead, motivate and develop a diverse team of finance professionals and deepen a spirit of teamwork across functional and organisational boundaries to deliver an effective and efficient service, with specific experience of driving and improving performance.
• Influence the Executive Committee and other senior leaders at board level, demonstrating strong analytical skills and the ability to communicate complex positions clearly and compellingly.
• Work with a wide range of stakeholders within a highly complex and politically sensitive environment both internally and externally in different ways and different styles.
• Be part of a senior management team overseeing business planning, analysis, budget management and performance appraisal.
• With Director colleagues, take responsibility for the join-up of corporate services to create an excellent customer offer that is focused on business outcomes.
• Contribute to creating an inclusive environment whereby every member of staff can bring the best of themselves to work.

Essential Criteria  

The successful candidate will need to demonstrate their knowledge, experience, capability and behavioural approach to a high standard against the following key criteria:

• CCAB, CIMA or equivalent qualified accountant with a substantial track record of success in a senior finance leadership role in a fast-moving finance area in a highly complex, ambiguous and customer focused organisation.
• Substantial experience of leading, motivating and developing a diverse team of finance professionals and of developing a spirit of teamwork across functional and organisational boundaries to deliver an effective and efficient service, with specific experience of driving and improving performance.
• A successful track record of working as part of a senior management team of a large organisation, with direct and considerable experience of effective business planning, analysis, budget management and performance appraisal.
• Experience of and a commitment to ensuring that corporate functions are joined up where appropriate to enhance business outcomes and senior customer experience.
• Experience of working with a wide range of stakeholders within a politically sensitive environment both internally and externally in different ways and different styles.
• Experience of influencing management at board level with strong analytical skills and the ability to communicate complex positions clearly and compellingly.

Alongside your salary of £97,000, Home Office contributes
£26,190 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.

Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• 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%

This role has a minimum assignment duration of 3 years. An assignment duration
is the period of time a Senior Civil Servant is expected to remain in the same post to enable them
to deliver on the agreed key business outcomes. The assignment duration also supports your career through
building your depth of expertise.

As part of accepting this role you will be agreeing to the expected assignment duration set out above.
This will not result in a contractual change to your terms and conditions.
Please note this is an expectation only, it is not something which is written into your terms and
conditions or indeed which the employing organisation or you are bound by. It will depend on your
personal circumstances at a particular time and business needs, for example, would not preclude any
absence like family friendly leave. It is nonetheless an important expectation, which is why we ask you
to confirm you agree to the assignment duration set out above.

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.

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Job contact :

• Name : DG Corporate and Delivery
• Email : DGCorporateandDelivery@homeoffice.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : HORCSCSRecruitment@homeoffice.gov.uk