About the job

Job summary

Head of System Accounting will act as a subject matter expert to support a project to replace the finance system and have functional oversight of the ongoing use, development, and utilisation of financial systems.

The role will include the assurance that system changes continue to deliver, improve, and protect the Agency, meet statutory accounting and control obligations and allow the flexibility required to meet changing requirements in financial reporting.

The role requires an understanding of developing technologies and shared service provision.

Experience of engaging with projects to scope Financial System requirements, testing and piloting strategies and assure plans will meet robust and auditable mandated outputs in line with HMT Financial Reporting Manual, Managing Public Money, Government Functional Standards and Government Finance Functional convergence on the system accounting job family.

The role will require the successful candidate to assist with mitigating risks associated with Financial Systems and data flowing from systems used for financial purposes.

Key to the role will be stakeholder communication and raising challenges and risks on behalf of Finance and the ability to negotiate, collaborate, and influence on matters relating to financial systems.

We are looking for a candidate who can take forward opportunities to improve data and systems used for Finance purposes for insight, automation, transparency, and auditability.

The role will require close collaboration with other finance heads to brigade their views and take up issues on their behalf on financial system, data, and the user experience matters to ensure flexible and responsive systems.

This role will be the lead for Finance on any system and process changes to ensure financial reporting obligations of the Agency are met and any opportunities to improve efficiency of the finance function associated with systems are maximised. The successful candidate will be the Single Point of Contact for transformation of any systems or any additional demands for data, provide expert advice to ELT and others on financial systems on behalf of Finance and be the Finance lead on any NAO Client Liaison Schedule items relating to Finance systems. 

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, Women’s, 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 role will report to the Head of Core Finance within the Finance, Commercial, Sustainability and Property Directorate and will work closely with other functional heads within Finance, the wider Agency and cross Government.

This is an exciting new role within the Insolvency Service which will require you to recruit an assistant and build a network of contacts to ensure the new function assists in the delivery of planned improvements of the finance system.

The role offers exposure at senior levels and the opportunity to work with multi-disciplinary projects and cross government initiatives.

Responsibilities

As the Head of System Accounting you will:

Lead on the development of finance requirements associated with the replacement of finance systems and advise on piloting and testing strategies

Collaborate with colleagues to support the resolution of finance system related issues

Report to senior forums on matter relating to the impact of finance systems and make recommendations for the endorsements of plans relating the finance systems

Provide advice and guidance to colleagues on all matters relating to the finance system to ensure the Agency can meet its accounting and financial reporting obligations

Support the internal and external audits in all matters associated with the finance system and provision of data from those systems

Person specification

The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate the following:

You will be a fully CCAB or equivalent accountant

You will be able to prioritise demands for you and your assistant and take ownership of workplans seeing tasks through to successful completion on time

You will have the ability to build strong relationships with subject matter experts in other disciplines and other organisations

You will possess good interpersonal skills and be willing to make challenging decisions even if they prove difficult or unpopular and communicate these clearly, constructively and sensitively

You will need to be flexible and innovative in your approach in order to support the wider finance demands

You will have the ability to analyse outputs in order to assess issues with source data and fomulate recommendations to remediate

You will be required to attend the office at one of the locations listed for 60% of your working time and attend other locations when required as part of the 60% attendance 

Essential Criteria

You will be expected to demonstrate how your experience, knowledge and skills meet the essential/desirable criteria below and that you possess the required technical skills and qualifications specified.

You will be a fully qualified (CCAB or equivalent) accountant with significant experience working with Finance systems. You will have experience working  in a multi-disciplinary project setting.

Desirable Criteria

Desired qualification: Project management qualification such as Prince 2 or Agile Project Management.

Desirable knowledge and  experience of the Lean Six Sigma managerial approach.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £51,518, Insolvency Service contributes £13,909 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

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV and a 1250 word personal statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form. 

Applications will be sifted to select those demonstrating the best fit/ ability with the post against the criteria set out in the job description/person specification. Please ensure you keep this in mind when completing your application/CV/personal statement.

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the Personal Statement. 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 experience. 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 15 January 2024 

Interview – w/c 22 January 2024

Location - MS Teams

Candidates are asked to note the above timetable, exercising flexibility through the recruitment and selection process 

Drop-in Sessions

In order to assist you in making your decision over whether to apply, we will be holding 4 drop-in sessions where you will be able to hear more about what our finance teams do, who we are as an agency of government and what it’s like to work in finance within the Insolvency Service. You can access the sessions via the links below or from the Candidate Pack attached to this advert.

The sessions will take place as follows:

Monday 8th January 10am;

Join on your computer, mobile app or room device

Click here to join the meeting

Meeting ID: 320 232 945 65

Passcode: 73rAGJ

 Wednesday 10th January  4pm;

Join on your computer, mobile app or room device. Further information on how to access MS teams can be found in the candidate information pack attached to this advert.

Click here to join the meeting

Meeting ID: 344 928 830 817

Passcode: 5JyDrC

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 60% 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 you’re 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

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.