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.

Job Title/ Position: Finance Shared Services Lead

Band/Grade : G7

Number of Vacancies : 1

Business Group : COO

Directorate : FMC

Location : National

Hours : 37

Working Pattern : Permanent

Role Type/ Team : Finance Shared Services & Purchase to Pay

Overview

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is a major government department at the heart of the justice system.  We serve the public by upholding the rule of law, and by delivering an efficient, fair, timely and effective justice system in which the public has confidence. We:

• Enforce the decisions of the court: we punish offenders and work to reduce reoffending; we prevent victims by changing lives.
• In partnership with an independent judiciary, run the courts and tribunals service, helping individuals, businesses and families resolve their disputes.
• Protect vulnerable members of society and children and help to ensure victims of crime get justice.
• Provide legal aid and advice for those cases where it is justified.
• Develop policy on all aspects of law and justice, both domestically and internationally, helping to build a legal and rights framework that is clear and proportionate, and that commands confidence around the world.

The role sits within the Financial Reporting, Transactions and Governance team within the Ministry’s Financial Management and Control Directorate.  The Directorate brings together multiple teams from across the Ministry into consolidated teams and centres of excellence to deliver high quality financial management and reporting services for the Ministry.

Stakeholders and customers include the finance and commercial functions, senior leaders in MoJ, including the Chief Operating Officer, the Permanent Secretary and the Executive Committee, HM Treasury, and Parliament (the Justice Select Committee). 

Role Purpose

MoJ receives transactional shared services from an outsourced provider.  This role is responsible for maintaining the intelligent client function, working closely with the provider and holding them to account for delivery of effective finance services: including accounts payable, accounts receivable, general ledger and payroll.  This function also supports the finance end user community, keeping them informed of service issues and capturing their issues and needs. 

The Ministry is looking to replace its current Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software in the next few years.  This role will help to lead the Finance Function’s engagement in this programme, ensuring that the future technology and service provision meets the needs of users going forward, championing business change, and maximising the opportunities presented to improve the function.

Responsibilities

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

• Maintain and continuously improve an effective intelligent client function, working closely with the MoJ shared services client team and the shared services provider to ensure the service provided meets the needs of the Finance and Purchase to Pay (P2P) functions and holding the provider to account for delivery against relevant targets and benchmarks.
• Attend supplier and governance meetings as appropriate.
• Act as Finance and P2P lead and subject matter expert (SME) for the department’s ERP, monitoring changes, upgrades, issues and outages and taking appropriate action.
• Chair the Finance & P2P Change Gateway, working with the business and shared service provider to deliver process and system changes and improvements.
• Work collaboratively with others and contribute actively to ensure that Finance is fully engaged and represented in the future Shared Services programme.
• Identify opportunities and minimise risks arising from the procurement and implementation of new technology, and re-competing of the shared service  business process outsourcing (BPO) provider.
• Champion shared services and technology with senior leadership in the department, obtaining buy-in for change initiatives and support in delivering any necessary business change. 

Key skills and knowledge

List the knowledge and skills required to do the job well in six to eight bullet points.  It is important to us inclusive language when describing a role, for example:

Essential Criteria

• Reporting and analytical skills using a major ERP system and Intermediate/Advanced Excel (e.g. Oracle, SAP, Workday)
• Expert knowledge of Finance and/or Purchase to Pay processes and controls in a major ERP system (e.g. Oracle, SAP, Workday)
• Good understanding of sub ledger and general ledger accounting and how these function within an ERP
• Strong problem-solving skills, with a focus on innovation and continuous improvement.
• Excellent communication skills, orally and in writing, able to communicate with confidence and credibility on complex issues to a range of financial and non-financial audiences
• Good organisational skills and a proven ability to deliver and manage competing priorities.
• Ability to manage and resolve disputes (arbitrating between service recipients / providers)

Desirable Criteria

• Experience of working in a Shared Services environment

Success Profiles  

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.

Civil Service Behaviours

Select the required Civil Service Behaviours from the list below that are most relevant to this role, delete those that are not applicable. Please ensure you assess the same behaviours at interview as asked for at application, if choosing to assess at both stages. Click on the link to access the Behaviours booklet for more details.

The following insert grade applicable to the role Civil Service Behaviours are essential to this post and will be assessed upon application:

• Changing and Improving
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together

Lead Behaviour if applicable:

Changing & Improving

Specific Experience and Technical Skills Required

Experience

Experience of being an advanced Finance or Purchase to Pay user of a major ERP system (eg (Oracle, SAP or Workday), of extracting data from the ERP and analysing that data.

Technical

• Expert knowledge of Finance and/or Purchase to Pay processes and controls in a major ERP system (e.g. Oracle, SAP, Workday)
• Good understanding of sub ledger and general ledger accounting and how these function within an ERP
• A Statement of Suitability is required consisting of a maximum of 1250 words
• CV

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.

A base location near or within the region will be allocated to the successful candidate, as set out below. The post holder is expected to meet their own travel costs to and from their base location. If required to attend a location other than their base location, post-holders may be entitled to claim some or all any extra expense (beyond the usual base location travel costs) in line with the T&S policy.

The successful candidate will be appointed to either one of the locations specified in the advert or, if nearer to their home, an alternative MoJ office location in the region which may include their nearest Justice Collaboration Centre or Justice Satellite Office. This will be discussed and agreed upon completion of pre-employment checks.

You 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.

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. 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.