About the job

Job summary

The Home Office works to build a safe, fair, and prosperous UK. We achieve this through our work on counter-terrorism, policing, fire, crime, drugs policy, immigration and passports.   Every day, our teams across the UK and beyond deliver outcomes to improve citizens’ lives.  Our work is challenging, high profile and rewarding.

The Finance Directorate is one of the most dynamic and forward-looking places to work.  We provide professional finance advice and challenge which ensures that the Home Office delivers value for money to the taxpayer and protects the Accounting Officers in their responsibilities for regularity, propriety, value for money and feasibility on all spending decisions.  We ensure that finance is at the heart of decision making and operate a business partner model to support strategic planning, operational control and by working within challenging budgets through effective financial reporting, management and planning. 

Home Office Finance has several exciting opportunities for dynamic and innovative people. We value every person who works in the Finance Directorate and have high expectations of everyone.  We offer opportunities for our staff to develop whether through formal training, on the job development to develop new skills. 

The Home Office Finance group is dedicated to promoting equality and valuing diversity. We are committed to ensuring that every talented and hard-working person can rise to the top, whatever their background and whoever they are.

Your personal qualities will be as important as your experience, and we welcome applications from all backgrounds. If you believe you have the skills and qualities we are looking for, then we would like to hear from you.

Working for the Home Office

We know that excellent results can only be achieved by investing in and retaining the people who work for us. 

Apart from crunching the numbers that shape big decisions, we look after the interests of our staff. We invest in training and development to enhance skills and offer a good work-life balance to improve well-being and staff retention. As well as a competitive salary, you’ll enjoy:

• Generous holiday allowance – starting from 25 days annual leave in addition to 8 public holidays and one privilege day
• Civil Service Pension schemes – Contribute to the Civil Service Pension Scheme and in addition to your personal contribution, we’ll pay in a substantial contribution each month up to 27.9%
• A good work-life balance – family-friendly working options including flexible working arrangements.
• Hybrid working – We offer opportunities for hybrid working where business needs allow to enables employees to work partly in their workplace(s) and partly at home.
• Career development and progression – a recognised silver-accredited investor in People, we develop our people at every stage of their career, providing a personal progression plan, on and off-site training courses and opportunities to gain qualifications and professional accreditation's.
• A strong ethos of diversity and inclusion

Job description

We are looking for an individual to join the Finance Transactions Team to assist with the day-to-day management of the Finance Transactions Teams operations. 

The Finance Transactions Team assist all areas of the Home Office with the P2P Processes from Quality Assurance of Requisitions, Third Party and Non-Third-Party supplier set ups, Urgent Payment Requests & General Enquires around these processes.  Operating a Contact Centre within the team to respond to general queries by phone and email.    

As a team we are ensuring the Home Office are compliant with Purchasing Policies for the supply of Goods & Services.   

The aim is to facilitate self-service functionality through Home Office systems, whilst providing policy and guidance to support key financial transaction areas within P2P.

The purpose of the role is to ensure that you are working to support the long-term strategy of the purchase requisitioning work-stream.

This role also requires the post holder to undertake or facilitate the processing of simple finance transactions; ensuring adherence to the relevant policies and processes; developing a deserved reputation for excellent customer service.

Person specification

The post holder will be responsible for the following key tasks –

i)    Transaction processing
•    Processing (compliant) or rejecting (non-compliant) transaction requests received within agreed KPIs. 
•    Providing advice and guidance to staff on completing a compliant transaction. 
•    Guidance and coaching of customers to enable them to operate self-service functionality effectively. 
•    First Point of contact for all customer enquiries via call centre and email enquiries.
•    Dealing with work as allocated by the team leader, assisting colleagues where necessary and resolving queries from internal and external customers.

ii)    Monitoring and reporting performance.
•    Ensure all transactions are correctly recorded.
•    Review personal performance against target.
•    Identify areas for team and personal performance improvement.
•    Assisting in the production of MI reports for management feedback.
•    Ensuring adherence to all policies and processes. 

iii)    Additional tasks
•    The post holder will be expected to work across the team to support wider team objectives. To work closely with team colleagues and managers to fulfil any ad hoc activities.

The post holder may be required to undertake additional responsibilities as expected in relation to the role and grade.

Essential Skills

•    Excellent Customer Service.
•    Good written/verbal communication.
•    Works well within a team.
•    Keen to learn and develop.
•    Attention to detail.

Desirable Skills

•    Ability to communicate and liaise effectively with clients.
•    Experience of Oracle purchase requisitioning and/or Accounts Payable.

AAT Apprenticeship

As part of our commitment to your development, following successful recruitment and on-boarding, you will enrol onto our Level 3 AAT apprenticeship programme.

This apprenticeship offers you a fantastic opportunity to learn and develop Finance & Accountancy skills while operating in a Finance Transactions role. Following successful completion of the programme you will gain a nationally recognised qualification.

AAT Advanced Diploma in Accounting - Level 3

The AAT Advanced Diploma in Accounting - Level 3 covers accounting techniques and disciplines.  Students will develop skills required for a range of financial processes, including maintaining cost accounting records, advanced bookkeeping and the preparation of financial reports and returns.

About the Apprenticeship

You will typically need five GCSEs grade 4-9 (old system A*-C). You may be required to take functional skills Maths and English at level 2, if you do not already hold the equivalent qualification GCSE grade 4-9 (old system A*-C). This will be done prior to the assessment of the apprenticeship.

The duration of the Level 3 Diploma in Accounting apprenticeship will typically be 15 months in total. The minimum duration on programme before an apprentice can take the end-point assessment is 12 months.

You will spend approximately 20% of your time undertaking off-the-job learning activities, including face to-face workshops, digital courses, mentoring and job shadowing.

You will undertake an End-Point Assessment (EPA) at the end of the scheme, which you will need to pass in order to complete your apprenticeship.

If you are already qualified above AAT level 3 you would not be able to complete this apprenticeship role and therefore unable to apply for this position.

As this is a permanent role, you will remain in post once the apprenticeship is complete.

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 Strengths, Ability and Experience.

This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, drives up performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.

As part of the application process, you will first be asked to confirm your eligibility by providing some basic personal information. 
 
After submission of this first stage, you will be invited to complete Civil Service Numerical and Verbal Tests. If you successfully pass these tests, you will then be invited to complete the full application form. Please complete the online tests as soon as possible (within 24-48 hours is recommended), the closing date for the tests and full application form is 23:55 on 10th January 2024. If you fail to complete the online tests or full application before the deadline, your application will be withdrawn.  
 
Guidance for the tests will be available when you are invited to take the tests. The tests are administered online and accessed via the Civil Service Jobs website.  

If you successfully pass these tests you will then be asked to complete a statement of suitability (personal statement) (maximum 500 words) 

The statement of suitability should address the following two questions taking in to account the essential criteria:

1. What is it about you that makes you believe that you would make a good Financial Transactions Officer? (250 word limit)
2. Please describe an achievement that you are particularly proud of, explaining why you are so proud of it. Be aware that this achievement can be, but, does not necessarily have to be, work or study-related. (250 word max).

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

The sift will be scored on the personal statement only.

If you are successful at sift stage, you will be invited to an interview which will consist of strength-based questions. 

Sift and Interview dates

Sift is expected to take place from 15th January 2024.

Interviews are expected to take place from 5th February 2024.

We will try to meet the dates set out in the advert, however on occasions these dates may change. 

Interviews will be carried out via video. Candidates will be required to have access to 

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

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 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.

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 to go through a further selection process providing the role has the same behaviours and essential skills.

A reserve list of successful candidates will be kept for 12 months. Should another role become available within that period you may be offered this position.  

Who can start an apprenticeship

To start an apprenticeship, you’ll need to be:

• 16 or over
• living in England
• not in full-time education

You can apply for an apprenticeship while you’re still at school but you’ll need to be 16 or over by the end of the summer holidays to start the apprenticeship. Please note if successful you must be 16 or over to undergo the relevant security checks.

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

Additional Security Checks: As well as successfully obtaining UKSV clearance and passing the right to work and pre-employment screening, anyone who applies to work for Border Force will also be subject to additional Border Force specific security checks, as part of the pre-employment process, to determine their suitability to work for the organisation.

Please see the Home Office Recruitment Privacy Information Notice (PIN) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/recruitment-privacy-information-notice for more information on how your details may be shared for the purpose of additional security checks.

Please see the Border Force Privacy Information Notice (PIN) on Border Force privacy information notice - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) for more information on how your details may be shared.

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.