About the job

Job summary

This position is based nationally

Job description

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.

Ministry of Justice an Inclusive Employer

We recognise the challenges that people with (multiple) protected characteristics may experience on the job market and in their career progression. We are fully committed to being an inclusive employer of choice and ensuring equity of opportunity for all. We welcome the unique contribution diverse applicants bring in terms of their culture, ethnicity, race, nationality or national origin, age, sex, gender identity or expression, religion or belief, disability status, sexual orientation, educational or social background or any other factor. To find out more about how we champion diversity and inclusion in the workplace please visit https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity

Overview

The Ministry of Justice is responsible for the provision of legal aid, administration of justice through courts and tribunals, and detention and rehabilitation of offenders.  Within the MoJ you will provide Finance Business Partnering support to senior business leaders within the MoJ Policy Group which is responsible for setting and advising on policy across the full range of the MoJ’s responsibilities. The Policy Group also support the Lord Chancellor in his constitutional relationship with the judiciary, and provide the department’s Parliamentary business team and the Private Office teams that directly support Ministers. 
You will join a team of up to seven Finance Business Partners that support Policy, with line management responsibility for at least one SEO.

Role Summary

A business expert with strong interpersonal relationships with the business who translates and reports information between business and finance, acting as a trusted partner who provides valuable financial advice, strategic insight and providing solutions to Directors and other budget holders.

As a Finance Business Partner, you will be a key member of the finance team, working with other members of the team, wider MoJ Finance colleagues and key stakeholders from the business area we support. The team is part of the MoJ Finance function within the Chief Operating Officer Group, and supports the two Policy Groups within the MoJ.

Working with the Policy Group provides Finance colleagues with valuable insight into the development and implementation of government policy, with finance playing a key role in challenging and scrutinising proposals, and ensuring the department is driving value on spending plans.

In your role you will be expected to take a lead as a business expert with strong interpersonal relationships with the business who translates and reports information between the business and finance, acting as a trusted partner who provides valuable financial advice, strategic insight and providing solutions to Directors and other budget holders.

As an experienced Finance Business Partner, you will have a key role in providing advice to budget holders, and ensuring spend aligns with strategic priorities. You will be expected to enhance financial stewardship and control, upskill the business in finance skills, and build and maintain trusted relationships with budget holders.

Each Grade 7 within the team provides the lead support and challenge to three directorates within the Policy Group. However, the numbers may vary dependent on the scale and requirements of each directorate.

Typically, the Grade 7 role will also have responsibility for line managing at least one SEO, and take a role in coaching and mentoring junior members of the team and the wider Finance profession to help budil professional capability.  

Typical Role Responsibilities

G7 FBPs are business experts with strong interpersonal relationships. They understand the business and are able translate and present complex financial information clearly. They provide valuable financial advice, challenge and support, strategic insight, and business solutions often to Directors and other budget holders. They take on larger or more complex areas and with a focus on business cases.

Delivery of results through others and effective negotiation at senior levels will be key, with this role requiring significant leadership, management, representational and influencing skills. 

The job holder will be required to undertake the following duties and responsibilities:

Role Responsibilities/Tasks

•    Providing specialist financial advice - engaging with experts on behalf of the business and providing advice on key financial planning, processes, and budget setting.
•    Taking responsibility for all financial information provided to the business, and the associated recommendations, using all available data and analytics tools.
•    Challenging weakness in process compliance within the business and reporting on control effectiveness.
•    Supporting the development and implementation of credible financial plans that are consistent with the department performance and activity plans.
•    Attending and influencing senior leader team boards.
•    Involved at the start of the idea pipeline, engaging early in policy development and business cases.
•    Driving evidence-based policymaking by inputting financial insight throughout the process.
•    Challenging and supporting the business to enhance decision-making and increase performance.
•    Providing coaching and feedback proactively to identify gaps in the financial knowledge of the business.
•    Supporting and coordinating delivery of financial services to the directorate.
•    Horizon scanning to identify potential issues and helping Directorates develop solutions.
•    Management of team members or oversight of other's work and developing leadership skills within and across teams.

Entry Routes 

Suitable for staff with the required skills and / or experience from within or outside Finance.

Within Finance

This role may be suitable for FBP SEOs and other Finance individuals at SEO, Financial Operations SEOs for example, and G7 with the required influencing, stakeholder management, interpersonal skills, and technical financial understanding.
From Outside Finance
This role is not suitable for non-finance professionals or individuals without significant finance experience.

Progression Routes

Staff in this role typically transfer to Management Reporting G7, Financial Accounting and Reporting G7 or Business Support G7 roles, or progress to Financial Business Partnering G6 roles.

Behaviours Required 

Success Profiles will enable a fairer and more inclusive method of recruitment by enabling us to assess the range of experiences, abilities, strengths, behaviours, and technical/professional skills required for different roles. This flexible approach to recruitment focuses more on finding the right candidate for the specific role. To find out more about Success Profiles to support your application please click here for further guidance.

•    Leadership
•    Communicating and Influencing
•    Seeing the Big Picture

Please refer to the Civil Service Behaviours Framework, which can be found here, to complete this application: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/717275/CS_Behaviours_2018.pdf

If we receive a large volume of applications, we reserve the right to conduct the sift based on one lead behaviour. The chosen lead behaviour for this campaign is Communicating and Influencing.

In addition to Civil Service Behaviours identified above, please provide further details below:

•    A Statement of Suitability is required consisting of a maximum of 750 words.
•    CV.

Interpersonal Skills

•    Highlight’s areas of potential conflict between stakeholders and manages them accordingly.
•    A confident communicator, comfortable with challenging senior business leaders.
•    Ability to influence at all levels of the business hierarchy, using logical persuasion and consensus building within groups.
•    Able to remain focused on the overall business strategic vision during negotiation, knowing when to compromise and when to challenge for the benefit of the business.
•    Highly visible across their area as the primary point of contact for financial advice - the 'face' of Government Finance.
•    Understands the vision for the business and confidently leads others to realise the vision.
•    Leadership, and the ability to motivate and develop a diverse finance team and promote excellence.
•    Highly proficient in using and interpreting data and analytics to support analysis and decision making, identifying gaps in data and reporting, and working with Financial Systems colleagues to develop additional reporting as required.

Professional Skills The core skills following are mandatory, but you may add to them.

Key for Levels of Professional Skills

•    A = Awareness
•    W = Working
•    P = Practitioner
•    E = Expert

Core    Level

Budgeting, forecasting, and costing    P
The Budgeting Framework    P
Commercial acumen    P
Investment appraisal and evaluation    P
Strategic analysis and insight    W
Oral and written presentation skills    W
Performance and risks    W
Understanding the role of the NAO    W
Data and analytics interpretation    E

Useful    Level

Taxation    A
Government financial reporting    A
Supporting the PAC agenda    A
Risk management and fraud     A
Interpretation of Accounts    A

Qualifications

Recommended:

• Qualified with CCAB, CIMAor equivalent.
• Working towards qualification.
In addition to salary, a pensionable, non-contractual specialist allowance will be applied to this role. Specialist allowances apply to certain roles only, are non-transferable to other roles and are subject to annual review.

Travel

The MoJ offers Hybrid Working arrangements where business need allows. This is an informal, non-contractual form of flexible working that blends working from your base location, different MoJ sites and / or from home (please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas). Some roles will not be suitable for Hybrid Working.  Similarly, Hybrid Working will not suit everyone’s circumstances. Arrangements will be discussed and agreed with the successful candidate(s) and subject to regular review.

Applicants are advised to access the JCC/JSO office map, which is updated whenever a new JCC/JSO site opens, to determine potential travelling times and distances to MoJ locations before applying for a job.

Application Process

To apply please complete the online application form. Applications will be sifted by a panel who will look at the Civil Service Behaviour framework and what is evidenced in your application. Should many applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the lead behaviour, Communicating and Influencing.

Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to interview. Applicants will be expected to demonstrate the essential role requirements within the application behaviour responses.  

Candidates who are successful following the sift process will be invited to interview, where the behavioural elements and strengths will be tested further alongside other elements of the post. Further details will be provided to shortlisted candidates in advance of the interviews.

Training

The Ministry of Justice is committed to staff development and offers an extensive range of training and development opportunities.

Networks

The opportunity to join employee run networks that have been established to provide advice and support and to enable the views of employees from minority groups to be expressed direct to senior management. There are currently networks for employees of minority ethnic origin, employees with disabilities, employees with caring responsibilities, women employees, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees.

Person specification

Please refer to Job Description

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £54,358, Ministry of Justice contributes £15,165 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, Strengths, Experience and Technical skills.https://justicejobs.tal.net/vx/candidate/cms/About%20the%20MOJ

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.