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Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
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About the job
Job summary
Cabinet Office Finance is responsible for all aspects of the Cabinet Offices finances, including business and financial planning, performance reporting, in-year financial management, financial accounting, management of Parliamentary Supply, and production of the Cabinet Offices annual accounts. Cabinet Office Finance is within Assurance, Finance and Controls Group, a multidisciplinary team that bringing together finance, commercial and other corporate functions under the leadership of the Cabinet Office Chief Financial Officer.
Within Finance, the Business Partner teams lead engagement with business units across the department. We need to be resourceful, exercise good judgement and have quick reflexes to make sure that senior leaders have the right financial advice at the right time to deliver important and urgent parts of the Governments agenda. The variety and breadth of the issues we deal with makes these fascinating and fast-paced roles.
We are looking for individuals who are enthusiastic, self-starters who will thrive in a fast-paced and dynamic work environment. The role will provide lots of opportunity for both personal and professional development in an innovative organisation at the heart of Government.
Our vision is for a finance business partnering function that:
- Is aligned with the finance operating model for the rest of the department
- Is recognised as a diverse and inclusive environment where people perform at a high standard
- Gives its people a clear finance career structure, support, training and qualifications that enable them to deliver and develop
- Consistently delivers high quality outcomes using relevant controls, clear decision making and simple, consistent, processes
- Is known for making the best, evidence based, choices underpinned by timely and robust financial management information and accounting policy
- Sets an example to the other parts of the department about what excellence in business partnering looks like
Job description
The Senior Finance Business Partner will be expected to lead their team to provide a professional finance service to each of the business areas in their portfolio. They will be expected to influence and provide insight to the management teams leading each of these business areas, becoming a trusted partner and business advisor. Using robust data and insight provided by the team, the job holder will ensure that a high standard of financial management and planning is embedded within the organisation and value for money is foremost in the delivery of operational performance.
The job holder will be expected to create an inclusive, empowering culture where the team can thrive as a high performing business partnering function. They will be required to take on corporate and team responsibilities as appropriate for a leader in the Government Finance Function. The job holder will be expected to work closely with their counterparts in other functions, such as HR and Commercial, and with the wider finance community in Cabinet Office.
Responsibilities
The role cover the following responsibilities:
- Supporting budget holders in the business in their decision making process, acting as a core part of their management teams, supporting the delivery of their business objectives, understanding the cost drivers of the business area, providing independent advice based on robust financial analysis, helping to prioritise resources effectively and helping them to manage risks and opportunities.
- Leadership: setting direction, building an identity and sense of community across the team, and ensuring that finance is seen as an enabler to the business.
- Supporting Directors General, Directors and budget holders in delivering Cabinet Office priorities in an effective and efficient way.
- Building a comprehensive understanding of the business areas in scope of the role, taking into account the short, medium and long-term vision for the business and how it relates to the wider department and whole of government.
- Building excellent working relationships with other teams in finance and corporate services.
- Engage early in pipeline reviews and policy development, whilst providing the investment appraisal of business cases.
- Work closely with senior commercial colleagues and representing Finance on boards to shape decision making and supporting on financial aspects of the programmes delivery cycle.
- Identify and communicate potential opportunities and risks to enable leadership to make decisions around investments and continuous improvements.
- Support the Directorate on strategic finance exercises, for example, business planning, resource allocation and workforce planning.
- Supporting individuals in their professional development and career planning, qualifications and playing a key role in talent management across the finance function (working closely with the Head of Finance Profession and across government).
Person specification
Essential
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, including experience of advising and influencing at senior levels in a finance role.
- Proven ability for building high performing, diverse and inclusive teams where everyone can bring their best performance. Proven leadership in a matrix organisation while fostering a culture of respect, honesty and reliability.
- Proven ability to build excellent working relationships with a very wide range of stakeholders in a complex organisation by demonstrating an ability to understand the organisation and its challenges.
- Knowledge of government finance with wide experience of financial control and governance in a large public or private sector organisation.
- Excellent technical accounting, commercial and analytical skills across a wide range of financial disciplines and a proven ability to apply them to deliver insight.
Qualifications
Behaviours
We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
Technical skills
We’ll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- At interview you will be asked technical questions to assess your accounting knowledge.
Benefits
£18,573 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 which provides an attractive pension, benefits for dependants and average employer contributions of 27%.
- A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by one day per year up to a maximum of 30.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
As part of your application you will be required to provide a CV setting out your career history and qualifications, highlighting specific responsibilities and achievements that are relevant for this role, together with reasons for any gaps within the last two years.
You will also be required to provide a Statement of Suitability (1000 words max.)
Please use your statement of suitability to explain how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the essential criteria in the person specification section of the job advert.
Your CV and Statement of Suitability will be assessed against the essential criteria listed in the ‘Person Specification’ section.
Please note – Unfortunately, late applications will not be considered.
Candidates who are successful at the application stage will progress to interview where they will be assessed against a mixture of behaviour, experience and technical based questions.
You may also be asked to deliver a short presentation at interview. Further details will be provided if you are invited to interview.
Expected timeline (subject to change)
Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.
Interviews will be held virtually using Google Meet.
Reasonable adjustments
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 cabinetofficerecruitment.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.
Further information
Please be aware the levels of national security clearance are changing which may impact on the level needed for this role by the time of appointment. All efforts will be made to keep candidates informed of any changes and what that will mean in terms of vetting criteria. For more information please See our vetting charter
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the ‘contact point for applicants’ section.
Please note terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.
Any move to Cabinet Office 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.
A reserve list will be held for a period of 12 months, from which further appointments can be made.
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service 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.
New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicants details held on the IFD will be refused employment.
A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.
This role is full time only. Applicants who wish to work an alternative pattern are welcome to apply however your preferred working pattern may not be available and you should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying.
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 : Leslie Gilbert
- Email : Leslie.Gilbert@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : cabinetofficerecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Further information
If you feel that your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and wish to make a complaint, then in the first instance you should contact Government Recruitment Service at: cabinetofficerecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk.
If you are not satisfied with the response that you receive, then you can contact the Civil Service Commission at: info@csc.gov.uk.
For further information on the Recruitment Principles, and bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission, please visit their website at: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk.
