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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
We are recruiting for two Finance Business Partners within the Insolvency Service Finance, Commercial, Sustainability and Property directorate. These are interesting and rewarding roles within an established team of finance professionals.
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 Finance, Commercial, Sustainability and Property Directorate manage, oversee and analyse the Agencys financial and commercial activity. By reporting on our current position, forecasting our future budgets and working closely with internal and external stakeholders, we play an active part in understanding the agencys performance and in shaping its current and future financial position.
The Project & National Interest Case FBP Team works within the Finance, Commercial, Sustainability and Property Directorate, and is strategically placed at the heart of the organisation to provide project finance advice to key stakeholders and Senior Leaders across a growing project portfolio.
Tackling debt is at the heart of the governments economic strategy and the Insolvency Service plays an important role providing debt solutions for people and businesses in financial difficulty. The service is undertaking a significant programme of change with a broad portfolio of projects including operational delivery transformation and the development of systems and processes to provide a better service for our customers. The change portfolio will facilitate implementation of the Services 5 year strategy and the teams provision of expert financial support to SROs, Project Managers and other stakeholders is key to the change programmes success.
The successful candidate can expect to be involved in a range of the following:
Finance Business Partnering
- Be the single point of Finance contact for your stakeholders, fostering excellent working relationships
- Hosting or attending meetings, e.g. monthly forecast review meetings, presenting key finance information at project boards
- Field and reply to finance queries from stakeholders, focussing on delivery outcomes whilst remaining impartial and providing appropriate challenge
- Being a key stakeholder on strategy formation, working collaboratively with stakeholders and Finance colleagues
Technical and Accounting
- Ensure accounts are reflective of the accruals concept.
- Provide auditable and transparent records relating to accounting transactions.
- Monitor and address potential issues of novel and contentious spend.
- Provide advice around accounting and VAT treatment of transactions, ensuring financial transactions are appropriately recorded
Business Case Development
- Provide financial input into business case development, working collaboratively with stakeholders to obtain information, challenging assumptions when necessary
- Assessing financial impacts across multiple years, e.g. capitalisation and IFRS16 lease accounting
- Assisting with obtaining necessary internal and external approvals of business cases
Budgets, Forecasts and Spending Reviews
- Work closely with stakeholders to support them with developing robust financial forecasts, utilising available tools, e.g. resource tracker
- Understand potential under and over spends and areas of financial risk early, reporting and monitoring appropriately
- Provide monthly consolidated returns to stakeholders such as the Management Accounts and Financial Accounts team.
- Provide annual budget and spending review returns to the Financial Planning Team, matching these to internal forecasts and applying narrative to support
Line Management (if required)
- Provide the Cost Centre Manager (CCM) with line management support, undertaking quarterly performance reviews and developing capability.
- Oversight of CCMs Cost Centre and Ledger Management duties relating to transactions and journal processing.
- Oversight and support the CCMs cross-team task.
- Provide CCM direction on non-standard reporting requirements, ensuring delivery to stakeholders in a suitable method and reviewable time-frame
Please note that as this is a Finance role month-end is a critical time, therefore leave for the 1st and 2nd working day of each month can only be approved by exception
Person specification
You will have an inquisitive mind and be able to constructively challenge at all levels to achieve the right results.
You are able to keep your own and the teams efforts focused on the goals that really matter and successfully manage, support and stretch yourself to deliver agreed outcomes by being proactive and taking ownership and accountability for decisions and commitments.
You will have a keen eye for detail and a tenacious approach to your work.
You will have strong analytical and problem solving skills and be able to recognise patterns, trends and draw key conclusions in a wide range of evidence and data.
You will have the ability to build and establish positive relationships with a range of stakeholders to support the delivery of business outcomes and possess good interpersonal skills and communication skills, written and verbal.
Essential
- You must be a CCAB member (including CIMA) or in the final year of studies towards full CCAB/CIMA qualification. Those in their final year of studies will be committed to completing their studies and log book within 1 year of appointment
- Experience in Management or Project Accounting
- Have a strong level of excel skills, with the willingness to enhance further.
- Be able to work autonomously without prompt
Desirable
- Experience of PowerBI
- Experience of Business World
Important
- If you are not a fully qualified accountant, but in your final year of studies, you will be committed to completing your qualification and log book within 1 year of appointment. This will be a contractual obligation.
- Successful applicants will receive full funding towards their final year of CCAB or CIMA qualification, if appropriate.
Travel to other locations may be required.
This post is advertised nationally and will only be available in Croydon and Stratford (London) to existing Insolvency Service employees.
Qualifications
Memberships
Behaviours
We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:
- Communicating and Influencing
- Managing a Quality Service
- Delivering at Pace
Technical skills
We’ll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- Short accounting treatment assessment presentation.
Benefits
£11,307 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%
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, 500 word personal statement and Behaviours. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
With particular reference to the essential criteria stated in the person specification, and in no more than 500 words, please explain how you consider your personal skills, qualities and future aspirations demonstrate your suitability for the role.
Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the Personal Statement and lead behaviour Communicating and Influencing. 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 behaviours, technical skills and strengths. 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 4th December 2023
Interview w/c 11th December 2023
Location – MS Teams
Candidates are asked to note the above timetable, exercising flexibility through the recruitment and selection process
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 40% 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 : Sarah Jeffrey
- Email : sarah.jeffrey@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.
