About the job

Job summary

National location £38,724- £44,393

Outer London location £40,721- £46,231

Inner London location £42,716- £48,068

You will be working with a highly motivated and passionate group of people and will be working alongside them in an exciting and fast pace environment with the opportunity to make your mark and influence government policy and delivery.

You will provide finance business partnering and management accounting support to a specific portfolio within UKHSA. This may involve supporting both Business As Usual (BAU), Covid—19 and Change portfolios. This role is central to the relationship between UKHSA business area and the finance function. You will use your technical and collaborative skills and sound understanding of the relevant UKHSA business area to provide financial support and information to your business area to help provide accurate monthly forecasting and support programme decision making and develop financial modelling. You will also deputise, where required, for the Senior Finance Business Partner (FBP).

Location

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) offers hybrid working – this means that whilst the role will be based in one of our offices, there will be opportunities for an element of working from home. UKHSA have office locations across the UK. 

• The preference is for the role to be based in Leeds or London. However, this role is available at all core locations (Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, London) with Hybrid working.

You will be asked to express a location preference during the application process.  

As of the New Year, the UKHSA policy is 60% office attendance (3 days out of 5) in line with the most recent UK Govt. directive on office attendance for Civil Servants.

*Please be aware that this role can only be worked from within the UK and not overseas. Relocation expenses are not available.* 

Job description

Your main responsibilities will include (not exhaustive):

• You will support the FBP in preparing financial information for monthly meetings with your business area budget holders
• You will be responsible for uploading monthly forecasts
• You will support the FBP in providing ad-hoc analysis and presentations to support business decisions
•    You will support with the FBP with the completion of financial models for the Business Case Process and provide support to the programme costs
• You will be responsible for maintaining your area’s budget approvals hierarchies on MAPS
• You will carry out first stage review of variance analysis for month end reporting for input into ExCo reports
• You will support the FBP in the review of financial information in business cases before sign off
• You will process budget changes at quarterly reviews and during re-structures in business division re-alignments
• You will be responsible for maintaining an up-to-date budget holder list for your business areas
• You will work with Management accountants and business managers to manage compliance with financial process and identify transactional adjustments for your business area
• You will support the business planning process in managing the collection of data from your business areas and ensuring templates are completed accurately and to pre-agreed timelines
• You will maintain robust audit trails and records of key financial decisions
• You will actively support the team in the implementation of new ways of working, adopting smarter processes. You will engage in continuous improvement through regular review and sharing of ideas to support improved ways of working and develop ‘thematic’ analytics expertise across the team.

The job holder will be required to carry out the following responsibilities, activities and duties:

• Working with a variety of stakeholders including business managers, the Accounting and Control Team, Financial Reporting (accounts) team and others as required to manage compliance with financial process; identify transactional adjustments for your business area and provide robust financial management information to business units on a monthly basis.
• Supporting the year end accounts production process for your area, working with your business area to make sure all disclosure returns are completed accurately to pre-agreed timelines and with a strong understanding of the drivers, risks and opportunities behind UKHSA’s income and expenditure
• Working with the Accounting and Control Team and Financial Reporting team to provide/prepare evidence for year-end audit queries
• Supporting in providing financial information or data gathering for FOIs/PQs for your business areas
• Maintaining robust audit trails and records of key financial decisions
• Ensuring that accruals and transactions are posted correctly, in a timely manner and with sound supporting evidence.

The duties/responsibilities listed above describe the post as it is at present and is not intended to be exhaustive. The Job holder is expected to accept reasonable alterations and additional tasks of a similar level that may be necessary.

Person specification

It is important through your application and Statement of Suitability of no more than 750 words that you give evidence and examples of proven experience of each of the essential criteria (for full details of all essential criteria please refer to the attached job description):

Essential

• Minimum Part Qualified with CCAB, CIMA or equivalent or working towards qualification
• Professional Skills (please refer to: Government Finance Function Career Frameworks (https://www.gff.civilservice.gov.uk/).  In particular, you may wish to refer to: excellence-in-fbp-handbook-v20.pdf (civilservice.gov.uk)
• Budgeting, forecasting and costing
• The Budgeting Framework
• Investment appraisal and evaluation
• Strategic analysis and insight

Desirable

• Commercial acumen
• Experience of working in a diverse team to deliver an effective and efficient service, in a fast-paced environment
• High level of technical ability, including advanced Excel skills and experience in using Oracle based finance systems

Benefits

We pride ourselves as being an employer of choice, where Everyone Matters promoting equality of opportunity to actively encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce.

UKHSA ethos is to be an inclusive organisation for all our staff and stakeholders. To create, nurture and sustain an inclusive culture, where differences drive innovative solutions to meet the needs of our workforce and wider communities. We do this through celebrating and protecting differences by removing barriers and promoting equity and equality of opportunity for all.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is responsible for planning, preventing and responding to external health threats, and providing intellectual, scientific and operational leadership at national and local level, as well as on the global stage. UKHSA ensures that the nation can respond quickly and at greater scale to deal with a range of health threats, including those of a future pandemic.

For more information on the UKHSA please visit: UK Health Security Agency - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

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%
• Range of health and wellbeing support

Any move to UKHSA 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 Childcare Choices , 30 Hours Free Childcare, Tax-Free Childcare and More , Help with Costs , GOV.UK

Things you need to know

Selection process details

STAGE 1 - APPLICATION & SIFT: 

You will be required to complete an application form. This will be assessed in line with the full list of essential criteria as detailed in the attached job description – please do provide evidence of how you meet this.  Your Statement of Suitability should outline your skills, experience, and achievements, providing evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential criteria (outlined in the person specification section).

You will also be asked to provide information within the ‘Employer/ Activity history’ section of the application form. This is equivalent to the information you would provide on a CV, setting out your career history.

If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to an interview.

STAGE 2 – INTERVIEW 

This competition will involve an interview by video. 

As part of the process, candidates will be invited to interview which will involve an in-depth discussion of your previous experience and professional competence in relation to the criteria set out in the Person Specification.  Candidates will also be asked to participate in a session where they will be required to prepare and deliver a 5-minute presentation to the panel.  This will be followed by a question-and-answer segment.  The presentation will be designed to assess each candidate’s experience in line with the requirements of the role.  Full details will be provided prior to the interview.

The Success Profiles framework will be used to assess and recruit the most suitable candidate.  The following behaviours will be used at the interview:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace
• Changing and Improving

For further information on the selection process, please refer to the attached Candidate Pack.

Expected Timeline:

Advert close: 23:55hrs on 7th January 2024 – unfortunately, late applications will not be considered. Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Interviews: TBC possibly WC 22nd January 2024

Please note these dates could be subject to change.  

Security clearance level requirement

Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check.  Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is Basic Personnel Security Standard.  People working with government assets must complete Basic Personnel Security Standard checks.

For posts on UKHSA Civil Service terms and conditions, new entrants to the Civil Service are expected to start on the minimum of the pay band. For existing Civil Servants and roles advertised across government, the rules of transfer apply, i.e., level transfers move on current salary or the pay range minimum, transfers on promotion move to new pay range minimum or receive a 10% increase. Either case is determined by whichever is the highest. 

Please Note

This role is to be appointed under Civil Service Terms & Conditions. Full details on the T&C’s are found https://www.ukhsa.reed.com/

Are you already a civil servant, or employed by a Civil Service Commission accredited public body? Please state home department on your application form.

Do you meet the nationality requirements for this post? https://www.ukhsa.reed.com/

Complaint process:

The law requires that selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact UKHSA Public Accountability Unit via email: Complaints1@ukhsa.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Visit the Civil Service Commission website.

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.