About the job

Job summary

The award-winning Commercial and Contracts Capability Team is a division within the Government Commercial Function. It was formed in 2014/15 and was established to ensure all government departments bolstered their commercial and contract management capability to deliver the best value for the taxpayer.

The role is based in the finance arm of the Commercial and Contracts Capability Team. This role predominately supports the people’s services pillar.  This section is responsible for providing a commercial specialist recruitment service and administering the pay and benefits of employees in the Government Commercial Organisation.

The role however is flexible and there will be a need to cross cover equivalent duties within other areas of the finance team when business need permits e.g. due to annual leave.  This may include for example supporting the faculty pillar who are responsible for delivering commercial and contract management training packages to enable specialists to build capability and maximise the value they are getting for contracts in the public sector.

The commercial and contracts capability finance team is currently based in York and London. The role can be based full time on site or can be worked in a hybrid manner working some of the week from home.

It is envisaged that the role will need to travel on a quarterly basis to meet up with other team members in the York, Manchester and London offices.

Job description

The Assistant Finance Manager’s role will lead on the recharges to Government Departments and the wider public sector. This includes leading on quarterly billing cycles for services provided band developing strong relationships with customers to influence them to pay their bills on time and reduce accrued income and aged debt. 

They will work closely with the finance manager and Cost Recovery and Efficiency Lead to business partner with the pillars that they support and lead on transactional work such as raising invoices/purchase orders, undertaking financial analysis and preparing journals for month end accounts.

They will be responsible for forecasting, budget setting and budget manager meetings with senior stakeholders for the areas that work and they will deputise for the finance manager or Cost Recovery and Efficiency Lead where appropriate in project meetings.  The organisation has an array of on-going improvement projects there are lots of opportunities to work on new areas of work such as implementing new systems, improving billing processes, changing payment mechanisms or improving data flows.

The work is fast-paced and plays an important role within the organisation and the job holder will be key to ensuring the sound financial management of the organisation.

Key Accountabilities:

• Undertake cost recovery – for the pillars that they are responsible for. They will ensure government and wider public sector bodies are billed promptly and accurately. Cost recovery is a critical and major part of the role.
• Query Management - The post holder will follow up on any Cost recovery queries from government departments and strive to recover cash as quickly as possible with Cabinet Office guidelines. They will strive to reduce the value of non-recoverables and drive value for money for the organisation.
• Relationship Building – The post holder will need to establish points of contacts, creating end-to-end processes with key controls and ensuring that information can be validated, to recharge departments accurately and within agreed time frames.
• Month end process – working to tight deadlines to review, analyse, accrue and make accounting adjustments as required to ensure each cost centre in the People Services Directorate reports accurate income and expenditure.
• Internal Reporting – prepare reports and provide commentary on the board pack for areas of responsibility.
• Financial transactions and working with budget holders – undertake accounts payable and accounts receivable transactions, answer finance queries from internal colleagues and explore methods of process improvement to make financial processes slicker and more efficient.
• Budget management and forecasting – lead on budgeting, business planning and forecasting for the organisational pillars that they support. Build positive working relationships with budget holders to advise them of their financial performance so that they can implement corrective action when necessary.
• Compliance – ensure compliance with internal policies & procedures, financial reporting standards, including principles around managing public money and FReM. Answer audit queries as required.
• Governance and financial accountability – conduct data analysis or prepare narrative as required for Customer Board, Oversight Committee or any other governance group as required.
• Deputise for the finance manager and/or cost recovery lead – where necessary.
• Undertake any other work and projects, in support of the Capability programme and the Government Commercial Function which is commensurate with the role.

Person specification

Essential Criteria:

• The ability to work as a senior financial administrator with excellent numeracy skills.
• Experience working in a busy transactional environment with elements of finance in the role.
• Demonstrable analytical and data processing skills including a strong grasp of intermediate Microsoft Excel (e.g. lookups, pivot tables, sumif formulas etc.)
• Excellent record keeping abilities and ability to pay close attention to detail even when completing transactional tasks.
• Confident to challenge data quality when information feeds look incorrect.
• Strong organisational skills, ability to manage conflict/ urgent tasks and manage expectations. The ability to remain professional whilst working and delivering at pace and a willingness to meet challenging deadlines.
• High levels of interpersonal skills, ability to build and maintain strong working relationships with stakeholders, demonstrating an ability to engage effectively and influence others.
• Adaptable and resilient, willing to review role and priorities to meet the current and future needs of the organisation.
• A team player, willingness to work collaboratively, reliable and consistent to produce quality outcomes.
• Experience of using own initiative to complete tasks to a high standards.
• Positive attitude and welcomes the opportunity to problem solve.

Desirable Criteria:

• A part qualified accountant or AAT qualified
• AP and AR/ Cost recovery experience (including administering the recharge data and customer queries)
• Experience of using a financial ledger system.
• Experience of succinctly communicating complex financial information to a wide variety of audiences.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £35,400, Cabinet Office contributes £9,558 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths, Experience and Technical skills.

Application process

To apply for this role please complete: -

• CV
• Personal statement which demonstrates why you feel you are a good fit for the role, how you meet the essential and desirable criteria for the role, and how you have experience of demonstrating the behaviours required for the role (1,000 words maximum)

Behaviours required for the role are:-
Managing a Quality Service (Lead behaviour)
Changing and Improving
Communicating and Influencing
Delivering at Pace

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be undertaken using the name-blind CV. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview. 

Selection process
At interview
1. There were be four questions linked to the behaviours above.
2. Three strengths will be tested.
3. A Microsoft Excel test will be required.

Expected timeline (subject to change)
Expected sift date – w/c 8/01/2024
Expected interview date/s – w/c 22/01/2024
Interview location - Online via 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:

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 you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

Further information
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.

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 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 applicant’s 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

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

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). 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. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.