About the job

Job summary

The Financial Control function within HMCTS sits at the heart of the organisation.  It challenges HMCTS to deliver value for money and high performance both now and in the future, and supports it by delivery of:

• Management Accounting - accurate and timely financial information, analysis, and insight;
• Financial Operations - a broad range of functions, including purchase to pay, income, banking management, master data set up, financial assurance and service owner support for reforming services;
• Financial Accounting – working with the departmental Centre of Excellence to deliver high-quality and timely Agency Annual Report and Accounts and the Trust Statement
• Judicial Pay and Pensions – Develop clear outcome focused and integrated strategies for the delivery of a payroll service for the judiciary and Magistracy, ensuring that service levels meet the needs of those stakeholders and the wider department.
• Counter Fraud and Investigations –the detection and prevention of fraud, bribery and corruption in HMCTS.

Reporting to the Chief Financial Officer you will be engaging with all parts of the organisation, to maintain efficient and effective financial control in a rapidly changing environment.

You will provide direct leadership and direction to a team of around 95 staff.  A strong Financial Control function brings together the expertise of finance professionals, from a broad spectrum of specialisms, and requires excellent relationship and communication skills.  We are an open and collaborative team, bringing together the best skills but also requiring you to develop an in-depth knowledge of the organisation.

This is a Nationally based role

Job description

For full details about the Role, Key Responsibilities and Person Specification, please download and review the Candidate Information pack

Person specification

• Deliver timely and accurate management accounts and forecasting, creating and maintaining effective relationships across HMCTS, MoJ and with our auditors.
• Design and successfully run efficient financial operations to run as effectively as possible.
• Develop data and systems strategies in support of income recognition, transition to digital processes across fees and fines income and expenditure i.e. removal of cheque payments and receipts.
• Act as Senior Business Owner for a Gold Contract which reconciles and brings to account over £1bn of income from fees and fines.
• Ensure delivery of HMCTS Agency and Trust annual report and accounts through a matrix management approach, working with the MOJ financial accounting centre of excellence.
• Support teams across HMCTS to deliver system and process changes in operational functions.
• Support the delivery of the Judicial Pensions Scheme through timely and accurate reporting of Judicial Payroll data, ensuring data queries are addressed effectively, and that a data strategy for Magistrates and Judiciary is delivered.
• Support a diverse and geographically dispersed function by modelling behaviours and building a function in which its members are supported to develop and deliver quality services.

We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the wider society that we serve. We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice. We champion diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued and a sense of belonging. To find out more about how we do this visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity.

Diversity & Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy.

Please view our candidate information pack for full details about the role, key responsibilities person specification, and the criteria you will be assessed against throughout the recruitment process. If you are interested in this exciting opportunity, and feel that you meet the criteria, we would welcome your application.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £75,000, HM Courts and Tribunals Service contributes £20,925 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 and Experience.For full details of the Selection Process and Recruitment Timeline, please view the Candidate Information pack.

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.