About the job

Job summary

The Home Office is here to make our country safer. As well as working to reduce crime and enforce the law. We also work to protect the most vulnerable and have a proud history of providing refuge to those who have been displaced or are seeking asylum. Whether it is fighting crime, protecting our borders, or combating slavery, the Home Office is at the cutting edge of public policy in this country and our work is some of the most challenging and rewarding in government.

About the Public Safety Group:

The Public Safety Group’s role is to keep the public safe by cutting crime, disrupting the highest harm criminals, protecting the vulnerable and ensuring that our police, fire, and rescue services are as efficient and effective as they can be in delivering front line public services.

The people in our Group develop and implement policy, provide funding, and deliver legislation. We make the most of innovation, data, and partnerships to prevent crime, protect the vulnerable, and tackle the highest harm crimes. We work with our partners in law enforcement, establishing governance arrangements at a national, regional, and local level.

Job description

We are looking for an experienced financier to support the Police and Public Protection Technology (PPPT) portfolio (Annual budget circa £150m). The role must support and work closely with members of PPPT management team, project staff and other enabling business partners.

PPPT is primarily responsible for the design, build and deployment of national law enforcement systems. PPPT ensure that they are highly effective, efficient systems which leverage modern digital technologies and provide world-class law enforcement capabilities.

Based within the business, the post-holder will be expected to play a key role in the financial business planning and In-Year financial monitoring of budgets, for business units across PPPT. 

Person specification

The purpose of this role is to:

• deliver finance business partnering and reporting services for a programme or projects within a programme.
• provide financial oversight and support on projects aimed at delivering a better and more efficient law enforcement system.
• accountable to the Senior Finance Business Partner for the quality of accounting information and reporting services provided.
• continually improve the performance of services.

This role will also require the Provision of the following deliverables (the exact mix may vary depending on where the programme is in its lifecycle) in a timely and accurate way:

1. Business Partnering

• Planning
• Scenario modelling
• Option appraisal
• Production of finance sections of business cases
• Reporting (In-Year and lifecycle, including responsibility for assuring the accuracy of financial accounting records)
• Benefits management (identification, assessment and tracking)
• Asset management (valuation, recording and tracking)
• Financial risk management
• Identification of value for money opportunities
• Achievement of accounting standards (e.g. CDEL /RDEL classification; treatment of VAT; treatment of assets under construction)
• Overseeing and organising budget delegations/transfers and tracking performance against control totals
• Advise on regularity and propriety to protect the Accounting Officer

2) Relationship management

• Management of stakeholders and budgets across multiple funding streams.  Developing and maintaining effective relationships and partnerships to provide financial support and constructive challenge to optimize VFM.

3) Professionalise programme finance

• Adopt standardised systems and processes
• Develop effectiveness through technology
• Align financial plans for programme with those of live services
• Achieve target forecast accuracy
• Improve the financial governance of programmes

The post holder will have:

• strong interpersonal, communication (both written and oral) and stakeholder management skills
• strong organisational ability and well-developed resource and staff management skills
• ability to adopt and promote an organisational culture that is positive about change and committed to delivery of the strategic vision

Essential Criteria

• Fully Qualified/Part Qualified or actively working towards CCAB/CIMA Qualification
• Ability to build and maintain strong working relationships with stakeholders
• Good understanding of budgeting and financial principles
• Ability to deliver outcomes involving strategic decision making
• Good organisational skills, ability to manage conflict/urgent tasks and manage expectations
• Excellent IT skills
• Good communication skills
• Good data management skills

Desirable Criteria

• Project / programme finance business partnering experience
• Government finance management and control experience

Benefits

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%

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 and Experience.

As part of the application process candidates will be required to submit:

• A CV.
• A Statement of Suitability (of no more than 1000 words) that is aligned to the Essential Criteria as set out in the job advertisement.
• Provide evidence of the behaviour 'Managing a Quality Service'.

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

CVs will not be scored. 

The sift will be on the Statement of Suitability and the behaviour 'Managing a Quality Service'.

In an event where a high volume of applications are received, an initial sift will take place using the lead behaviour Managing a Quality Service.

Candidates who pass the initial sift will be either progressed to a full sift or straight to interview.

Candidates shortlisted will be invited to an interview which is a blended approach of Strength-based questions (no preparation necessary) and Behaviour based questions. 

Sift and Interview Dates

The sift will take place week commencing 26 February 2024.

Interviews will take place week commencing 11 March 2024.

Interviews will take place remotely. Further details and instructions will be provided closer to the scheduled interview.

Further Information

For meaningful checks to be carried out, individuals need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time to enable appropriate checks to be carried out and produce a result which provides the required level of assurance. You should normally have been resident in the United Kingdom for the last 3 years if the role requires CTC clearance, 5 years for SC clearance and 10 years for DV.  A lack of UK residency in itself is not necessarily a bar to a security clearance and applicants should contact the Vacancy Holder/Recruiting Manager listed in the advert for further advice.

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting

Note to Candidates

Please ensure that all examples provided in your application are taken directly from your own experience and that you describe the examples in your own words. All applications are screened for plagiarism and copying of examples/answers from internet sources. If any is detected the application will be withdrawn from the process. Further action, including disciplinary action, may be considered in such cases involving internal candidates. Providing false or misleading would be contrary to the core values of honesty and integrity expected of all Civil Servants.

Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working.  This is a non-contractual arrangement where all employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office, subject to local estates capacity, by Spring 2024.  Applicants can request further information regarding how this may work in their team from the Vacancy Holder (see advert for contact details).  

We often have similar roles available at different grades. If a candidate is suitable for a similar role or a lower grade than they have applied for, we may offer the candidate that role without the need for them to go through a further selection process.

A reserve list may be held for a period up to 12 months from which further appointment may be made.

Every day, Home Office civil servants do brilliant work to develop and deliver policies and services that affect the lives of people across the country and beyond. To do this effectively and fairly, the Home Office is committed to representing modern Britain in all its diversity, and creating a welcoming, inclusive workplace where all our people are able to bring their whole selves to work and perform at their best.

We are flexible, skilled, professional and diverse. We work to recruit and retain disabled staff and area Disability Confident Leader. We are proud to be one of the most ethnically diverse departments in the civil service. We are a Social Mobility Foundation top 75 employer.

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.

For further information please see the attached notes for candidates which must be read before making an application.

Existing Civil Servants should note that some of the Home Office terms and conditions of employment have changed. It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the Terms and Conditions they will adopt should they be successful in application and should refer to the notes for candidates for further details.

Transfer Terms: Voluntary.

If you are invited to an interview you will be required to  bring a range of documentation for the purposes of establishing identity and to aid any pre-employment checks.

Please see the attached list of Home Office acceptable ID documents.

Any move to the Home 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

Reasonable Adjustments

If a person with disabilities is 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 HOrecruitment.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 

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.