About the job

Job summary

At Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S), we supply and maintain vital equipment and services for the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force. Together, we deliver a vast range of essential defence programmes, and strive for what's next. Because it helps keep our military at the top of their game and our nation safe – for today, and tomorrow.

We offer 25+ days’ holiday, flexible and hybrid working, enhanced parental leave schemes, shopping discounts, and an exceptional employer pension contribution of around 27%, to help work, work for you.

At DE&S we support Smarter working, which empowers you to make decisions about when, where and how you work. Please note there will be an expectation to attend the stated site atleast 60% of your working week to support regular in-person attendance to promote the benefits of face-to-face collaboration, alongside flexibility of hours to support work-life balance.

Please note, due to security requirements, some posts are reserved for Sole UK Nationals only. We are not able to sponsor a visa for this position. It is therefore NOT open to applications from those who will require sponsorship under the points-based system. Should you apply for this role and be found to require sponsorship, your application will be rejected and any provisional offer of employment withdrawn.

This role requires you to have lived in the UK for the last 5 years and obtain Security Check (SC) security clearance. Clearance must be obtained without any caveats that prevent you from carrying out the role you have been recruited for. If it isn’t obtained, or is obtained but with caveats that prevent you from carrying out the role, any conditional offer made to you will be withdrawn. Obtaining SC security clearance can be a lengthy process, and we reserve the right to withdraw any conditional offer made if the necessary security clearance isn’t obtained within 12 months.

Job description

At Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S), we are excited to be expanding our Finance & Accounting team with excellent opportunities to join our organisation as a Finance Officer based at MOD Abbeywood, Bristol and Leonardo Helicopters, Yeovil.

As a Finance Officer, you will be involved with a wide variety of work, from the delivery of financial processes in accordance with the pre-determined timescale and requirements to ensuring value for money.

You will gain exposure and experience from working with teams and stakeholders across our business and corporate finance teams, whilst delivering robust financial information to senior managers.

We will offer you the support and guidance to develop your skills and further your expertise with a clear pathway to excel in our organisation.

We champion flexible ways of working. Regular in-person attendance is required to promote the benefits of face-to-face collaboration alongside flexibility of hours to support work-life balance. Initially, you may be expected to attend more frequently to familiarise yourselves with the site, the team, and your role.

All interviews will be taking place in person at MOD Abbey Wood, Bristol.

What you’ll be doing

• Advise on the content of management reports to ensure they provide insight into financial performance
• Analyse and challenge financial and non-financial information to ensure accurate forecasts
• Prepare financial statements and ensure accuracy, completeness and compliance with reporting requirements by also providing guidance on relevant accounting treatment in accordance with financial accounting principles and concepts.
• Ensure financial policies and procedures are consistently applied in accordance with published processes (from the Business Management System)

Person specification

To be successful with your application, you'll need to show that you meet the following essential criteria:

• Minimum of 5 GCSE or equivalent grades 9-4 (A* to C) including English and Maths
• 2 x A Levels grades A* to E in any subject and/or equivalent experience

In addition to the responsibilities above, the following technical competences and behaviours will be assessed at interview:

• Making Effective Decisions
• Delivering at Pace
• Technical Accounting Standards, Statutory Reporting & Compliance – Practitioner
• Financial Planning, Reporting and Resource Management - Practitioner

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £34,800, Ministry of Defence contributes £9,395 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

Your application will go through the following stages of assessment:

1. Pre-sift - We will check that you meet any essential or eligibility criteria that are listed in the Person Specification section of this advert. On your CV, please clearly show how you meet the essential criteria.
2. Sift - Your CV will be assessed against the following categories, using a simple numerical scoring system: Key Achievements; Relevant Experience; Applied Knowledge and Skills

Please follow our guidance on CV writing for best chance of success.

1. Interview - If you're invited to interview, you'll be assessed against the Sift categories listed above, as well as the Technical Competences and Behaviours listed in the Person Specification section of this advert.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). 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.