About the job

Job summary

This position plays a key role in providing finance support to manage budgets for the Homeland Security Group (“HSG”) in the Home Office.

The first duty of Government is to protect the public. Since 1782, the Home Office has led work to keep the country safe from those who seek to do it harm; in doing so, we make a vital contribution to HM Government’s plan for a stronger, fairer, outward-looking and united Britain.

The Home Office covers Public Safety, Homeland Security and Migration & Borders. These areas work collaboratively to deliver our cross-cutting priorities, whilst providing increasingly efficient and secure services for the public. These are challenging areas that can rapidly change in the global environment we work in – this makes us one of the most exciting and stimulating government departments in which to work.

The HSG budget is large and complex, totalling c. £1.4 billion, and spanning a range of high-profile areas such as counter-terrorism, economic crime and wider national security.

Finance Business Partners (“FBPs”) work alongside, and have a close understanding of, the businesses they support.

Whilst this position will be located in alignment with the Places for Growth strategy, Home Office Finance Directorate staff currently located in London/Croydon who are successful in this campaign will have their current location honoured.

Job description

You will work with the wider FBP team to support HSG stakeholders through strong relationships and the provision of financial insight for their area, challenge and innovative solutions to problems. Bringing insight and influence through effective communications, you will enable them to achieve the best outcomes for the public and support the strategic direction of the group.

The role will involve collaborating with colleagues from across Home Office Finance and HSG to deliver successful outcomes. You will also assist in providing insightful financial analysis and establishing a robust challenge to inform decision making and business planning.

The role will include:

• Analysing, interpreting and explaining financial performance within large sections of the business.
• Influencing key operational decisions.
• Advising on key business planning assumptions, trade-offs and opportunities.

Due to the busy nature of this role, the successful candidate will be required to work full time hours and candidates should take this into consideration when submitting their application.

The post holder may be expected to travel within the UK on an ad-hoc basis to attend meetings, stakeholder engagements, and other functions. For more information or clarification, please contact the vacancy holder. The cost associated with any travel will be met by the business area.

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). 

Person specification

As an SEO Finance Business Partner your key responsibility will be to support the HSG Board and the wider HSG FBP team in managing HSG’s financial position through implementing savings, making robust investment decisions, implementing action plans, strategic planning and other work.

•    Develop in-depth understanding of business units and provide challenge to the business unit to test assumptions and risks.

•    Review and analyse financial information, including historical trends and evidence of delivery against efficiency plans, to provide advice on the financial position of business areas, to identify financials risks and providing support to mitigate the risks (both in year to provide a HSG overview and to individual business areas).

•    Monitor the accuracy of financial information held on the finance system, ensuring all relevant information is shared to increase the quality of information and assist in resolving and tracking any issues.

•    Challenge and support the business through the monthly, quarterly and annual finance planning cycles, commission this activity from business areas and monitor its progress, including the accuracy of full year forecasts.

•    Work effectively with the management accounts team to provide timely, accurate reports to the business units.

•    Support the drafting of briefings for monthly finance meetings and submissions.

•    Support the drafting of board papers (and InvestCo papers) to present the month end position and highlight areas of risk, trends and key messages.

•    Supporting the budget setting process, working with stakeholders across the group and finance to negotiate and agree group and then director level allocations ahead of finalising delegation letters.

•    Work closely with business representatives to assist in developing financial plans for the business and provide analysis of the financial position to enable the effective management of financial envelopes.

•    Assist in recommending actions that can be taken to mitigate financial and budgetary pressures and maximise the value that can be achieved from available resources.

•    Work alongside business units to support the development of high quality business cases based around the core principles of value for money, supporting them to identify savings opportunities and challenging the business to maximise efficiency, identifying issues and promoting new ways of working.

•    Support business change programmes, including providing support to business case development.

•    Provide ad hoc analysis and insights on specific issues, using resources provided from the management accounting function.

•    Use accounting knowledge to resolve specific accounting issues and to ensure compliance with HO, HMT, and audit requirements, escalating where appropriate. 

•    Optimise and look for avenues to make the finance processes more efficient.

•    Ad hoc support to finance team as directed. 

Essential Criteria  

We are looking for motivated individuals who can demonstrate the following:

•    Strong financial skills.

•    Strategic financial leadership.

•    Strategic Stakeholder Management Skills.

•    Capacity to work collaboratively within a multi-stakeholder environment, developing successful relationships between own team and other areas.

•    Good communication and networking skills.

•    Good organisational skills and be able to deliver at pace.

•    Studying towards or have completed a Consultative Committee of Accountancy Bodies (CCAB) qualification or willingness to study.

Desirable Criteria

The following experience would be beneficial, but is not essential:

•    Drafting of submissions to ensure they reflect financial impact and risks maintenance of key assurance processes including Risk Registers and Issues Log.

•    Ability to produce impactful presentations to bring complex data together in a simple way making best use of MS Office (PowerPoint & Excel).

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 you will be asked to complete:

- A CV detailing job history/qualifications/skills 
- A statement of Suitability (1000 words max) 
- Provide evidence of the behaviour 'Communicating and Influencing' (250 words maximum)

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

The statement of suitability should be aligned to demonstrate your skills and experience for the role and how you meet the essential criteria as detailed in the job description.
 
The sift will be held on the behaviour Communicating and Influencing and the statement of suitability (personal statement). The CV will be used for information purposes only and will not be scored.

However, if a large number applications are received, an initial sift will be based on the Lead Behaviour – Communicating & Influencing. Candidates who pass the initial sift will be progressed to a full sift. 

If you are successful at sift stage, you will be invited to an interview which will be a blended approach of strength-based questions and behaviour-based questions. 

All applications are screened for plagiarism and copying and generating of examples/answers from internet sources including Artificial Intelligence. If any is detected the application may be withdrawn from the process. Further action, including disciplinary action, may be considered in such cases involving civil servants. Providing false or misleading information would be contrary to the core values of honesty and integrity expected of all Civil Servants.

Sift and Interview Dates  

Sift is expected to take place week commencing 08th April 2024.

Interviews are expected to take place week commencing 22nd April 2024.

We will try to meet the dates set out in the advert. There may be occasions when these dates will change. You will be provided with sufficient notice of the confirmed dates.

Interviews will take place remotely. Candidates will be required to have access to:

• A laptop (personal or work) with a working webcam
• Good internet connection
• Microsoft Teams

It is advisable to access your interview from a windows operating system laptop, desktop, phone or tablet as there is no guarantee that Microsoft Teams will work without issue on an Apple laptop, tablet or desktop.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to time constraints we may not be able to offer alternative interview date(s). It is therefore expected that candidates who are successful at sift stage will make themselves available during the above time frame given.

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

The successful candidates will be DV clearance or a willingness to undergo DV clearance is an essential requirement for this role. Successful candidates will be permitted to start with SC whilst they undergo the DV clearance processes.

A location-based reserve list of successful candidates will be kept for 12 months. Should another role or similar role become available within that period you may be offered this position.  
 
When completing your application, you will have the opportunity to select your preferred location(s). Please ensure you select all locations you are interested in. Candidates who are successful at Interview will be placed in order of merit per location and provisional job offers will be made in strict merit order per location preference. Provisional offers are made, as they are on condition that you successfully pass all pre-employment checks.

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.

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.