Assistant Finance Business Partner – Science Division (Band 3/SEO)

Diverse Perspectives and experiences are critical to our success, and we welcome applications from all people from all backgrounds with the experience and skills needed to perform this role. We look forward to receiving your application.

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is the independent regulator for work-related health and safety in Great Britain.  Our mission is protecting people and places which is expanding as HSE’s role and responsibilities are growing, particularly in the areas of building safety, chemicals regulation and supporting sustainable, healthy, workplace practices.

Our ten-year strategy, Protecting People and Places: HSE strategy 2022-2032 reflects our role at its broadest. A role that goes beyond worker protection, to include public safety assurance on a range of issues. External drivers include the introduction of new technologies in the workplace, the growth of the gig economy and the government’s commitment to the net zero agenda. HSE also has added responsibilities, such as becoming the appointed Building Safety Regulator and our extended role in chemicals regulation, post EU Exit.

We are recruiting an Assistant Finance Business Partner and are looking for someone with a finance background with excellent analytical and communication skills.

You will support HSE’s Science Division (SD), which delivers high quality science, engineering and analysis to support HSE’s strategic objectives and underpin operational and policy activities.  SD also supports incident investigations that protect workers and safeguard the public and delivers externally funded research, training, consultancy and bespoke testing and monitoring for other parts of government, public and private sector organisations. 

This is an exciting job opportunity for an Assistant Finance Business Partner to join HSE. You will report directly through to the Finance Business Partner, providing support to ensure that the Divisional Director and senior managers receive expert advice on all matters relating to finance, planning, business performance and financial risks and opportunities, to inform effective decision making on the strategic direction of the  division. 

 As a member of the Finance and Planning community you will bring strong technical skills combined with wider business experience and, a willingness to develop your skills in a supportive and challenging environment. The role includes contributing positively to HSE’s overall performance and seeking business improvements in how we deliver our objectives.

Your role will include:

• Providing proactive expert advice to the Division in relation to its financial performance and contributing to our corporate financial strategy as a key member of the finance team.
• Working across the division to increase financial capability, ensuring that senior managers understand and are challenged about their use of resources to meet business objectives.
• Supporting the development of realistic budgets for the division which are based on operational plans and ensure that all resource needs are identified. This requires a sound understanding of relevant guidance including Managing Public Money and Consolidated Budgeting Guidance.
• Supporting the development of forecasts which provide an early view of significant financial risks and opportunities and, provide advice to ensure that risks and opportunities are fully understood so that mitigating decisions are taken.
• Analysing divisional performance, and supporting the production of clear, concise and evidenced explanations for performance levels and details of agreed corrective actions.
• Ensuring that financial and performance reports presented to senior management, highlight key insights in a clear and concise way.
• Helping to provide expert advice to the division in relation to business planning.

We encourage those who are a part or fully qualified accountant or accounting technician to apply, but this is not an essential requirement. 

At HSE, we are proud to be able to offer our people the opportunity to work in a hybrid way which combines working from home and the office. This is a voluntary, non-contractual arrangement and your allocated office will be your contractual place of work. There will be a requirement to travel to the office for various activities e.g., collaborative working, supporting and training colleagues. If hybrid working is suitable for you and your role, the arrangements will be determined primarily by business need, but personal circumstances and other relevant circumstances will also be taken into account. Therefore, we would encourage candidates to consider if the commute from home to the office is a feasible distance to travel before making an application. Please note that if you are successful, hybrid working will be discussed prior to taking up the post.

Please note: If successful, you will be required to attend the office in Buxton a minimum once a week, but personal circumstances will be taken into account. Within the initial first 6 weeks of being in post, you may be required to attend the office more frequently for training.

Essential requirements

• A confident communicator with a proven ability to work with, and challenge, senior business leaders to deliver improved performance.
• Excellent analytical skills, with the ability to work with high volumes of data, identifying key performance drivers and presenting meaningful summaries to senior financial and non-financial colleagues, to support decision making.
• Proven track record of proactively identifying and implementing reporting and process improvements to increase the accuracy, efficiency and relevance of financial output.
• Experience of building strong customer relationships to develop a deep understanding of your business area and combining this with an appreciation of the big picture to provide insight to senior audiences.
• Experience of working in a finance function.

We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Managing a Quality Service
• Delivering at Pace
• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions

• Learning and development tailored to your role.
• An environment with flexible working options.
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity

We invest in our people with;

• Competitive rates of pay
• Highly competitive Civil Service Pension Scheme to which HSE contribute 27.1% far more than in the private sector.
• Family friendly policies and working hours to help balance your home life and career.
• 25 days annual holiday increasing to 30 days after 5 years’ service, plus bank holidays and 1-day Civil Service privilege leave.
• Parental leave benefits.

This post is eligible for Excess Fares Allowance. A successful internal candidate currently based at another office may be entitled to Excess Fares Allowance in line with HSE policy (http://intranet/finance/expenses/excess-fares-allowance-policy.htm)

Job contact :

• Name : Alice Redhead
• Email : alice.redhead@hse.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : hr.resourcing-team@hse.gov.uk