About the job

Job summary

The Financial Accounting, Reporting and Control team lead on the production of the Department for Business and Trade's (DBT's) financial accounts, DBT’s relationship with the National Audit Office (NAO) and providing advice on compliance with HM Treasury and Cabinet Office controls.

The team are critical in embedding high quality financial accounting controls practices and processes in DBT, within and beyond the Finance team.

Job description

The Financial Accounting and Reporting team is at the heart of the creation of the new Department, and you will be part of the creation of the first set of consolidated accounts for the Department for Business and Trade, working with colleagues in DSIT and DESNZ, as well as the NAO and HMT, to split the BEIS accounts, before preparing the DBT accounts. 

These are high profile roles within the Finance directorate, and you will share your financial accounting expertise with stakeholders across the department, such as through assessing business cases and investment decisions, and working with finance professionals in DBT’s partner organisations, to ensure the financial accounting and budgeting implications are clearly understood.

The Role

Head of Financial Accounting Reporting is an accounting expert with strong interpersonal relationships. They understand the Departmental group landscape and are able translate and present complex financial information clearly. They provide valuable financial advice, challenge and support, strategic insight and financial accounting solutions to financial experts and senior stakeholders across the Departmental Group.

The Head of Financial Accounting and Reporting roles will oversee the Group consolidation, leading a small team of finance professionals and contributing to the work of the wider finance directorate. You will need to be self-starting, flexible and proactive to respond to complex and diverse financial management challenges and to provide an efficient and effective service to both DBT’s finance team, its Partner Organisations, as well as teams across DBT. You will be a results-driven, collaborative player, with excellent attention to detail and the ability and communication skills to build good working relationships at all levels across the DBT family.

We will provide you with the opportunity for a diverse, exciting, and worthwhile career. We will support you with training and development.

Responsibilities are varied, but will include: 

• Building strong relationships with finance leads across the Departmental Group and supporting them in developing advice to senior officials covering financial matters including accounting and reporting issues, working across Finance as appropriate.
• Championing the importance of value for money and strong financial management, insight and stewardship of public funds, underpinned by effective planning, forecasting, risk management and internal controls.
• Leading on the production of financial statements including notes to the accounts, commissioning and collating information required for the accounts.
• Playing a key role developing and maintaining the relationship with the National Audit Office, ensuring a good working relationship, excellent communications and delivery of on-time and accurate financial and other information.
• Playing an important role in the leadership of the Finance Function across DBT, helping build and develop financial capability and professionalism both inside the function and across DBT.
• Supporting the Financial Controller as a trusted advisor for Finance matters in DBT.
• Building a trusted relationship with the Finance member of the DBT Audit and Risk Assurance Committee, who leads on Financial Statements.
• Working alongside Finance colleagues in the department to ensure that best practice is implemented across the unit and ensuring that all known technical accounting issues are dealt with in a timely and planned manner.
• Building an in-depth knowledge of the areas of the Department for which you are responsible, understanding the financial and performance drivers, risks, opportunities and issues.
• Supporting senior stakeholders and DGs through the transition to the new Department, working through ambiguity and championing change.
• Champion a culture of collaboration and improving financial capability and understanding across business areas.
• Lead and develop a small team of finance professionals.

Person specification

Skills and Experience

Essential Criteria

• Be a credible and authentic leader, with the ability to articulate a vision, inspire, engage and motivate teams to deliver high performance and build capability.
• Show ability to provide insightful analysis on complex financial accounting issues, develop solutions and communicate effectively to a variety of audiences.
• Demonstrate the confidence, composure, credibility and resilience needed to challenge and influence senior stakeholders in a considered and professional manner to ensure best use of public money.
• Work through uncertainty as the Department transitions to DBT.
• Show the ability and willingness to make difficult decisions and stand by them, communicating effectively to inspire colleagues and stakeholders to achieve desired outcomes.
• Introduce and maintain resilient and robust financial management and financial governance procedures, including reviewing and updating financial risks and mitigations.
• Show the ability to build a network of relationships across organisational boundaries that support collaborative working in order to deliver.
• Show evidence of delivering at pace under challenging circumstances and keeping all parties on track to deliver against tight deadlines and priorities.
• Demonstrate evidence of success in understanding and using accounting standards and government accounting regulations (for example IFRS, FReM and Managing Public Money).
• Demonstrate impeccable professional and ethical standards.
• Be a CCAB, CIMA or equivalent qualified chartered accountant.

Personal attributes 

The successful applicant will be a strong leader who can work collaboratively and build trusting relationships with stakeholders and influence them with impact and professional credibility.

They will have a broad skill base with strong financial accounting experience, and a proven ability to think deeply and strategically about a wide range of problems coming up with innovative solutions. Applicants will also demonstrate the ability to work across organisational boundaries with a variety of stakeholders to achieve outcomes utilising strong communication skills, including the ability to convey complex financial performance and management information to senior decision makers, advise on associated risks and pressures to specialist and non-specialist audiences, thereby influencing the decision making of senior management.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £64,432, Department for Business and Trade contributes £17,396 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.

Interviews for this vacancy will be conducted virtually. We will, however, consider in-person interviews by exception.

Please ensure that you check your emails regularly as all updates from us will be sent to you this way.

To apply for this post, you will be asked to complete the following as part of the online application:

1. A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Provide employment history that relates to the essential criteria, and that any gaps in employment history within the last 2 years are explained. The CV should not exceed more than 2 x A4 pages. 
2. A Personal Statement of up to 750 words, explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role in reference to the essential criteria.

It is likely that the sift will take place 1-2 weeks after the closing date and interviews 3-5 weeks after the closing date though this is subject to change.

In the event of a large number of applicants, an initial short sift will be conducted on the Personal Statement. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to assessment/interview.

As part of your interview, you will be asked to deliver a 10 minute presentation, details will be provided prior to your interview. 

Location and working arrangements 

This role is available in seven UK locations and can only be worked from within the UK, not overseas. 

Travel to your primary office location will not be paid for by DBT, but costs for travel to an office which is not your main location will be covered. 

Existing Civil Servants and applicants from accredited NDPBs are eligible to apply, but will only be considered on loan basis (Civil Servants) or secondment (accredited NDPBs). Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return.

Reasonable Adjustments

We are committed to supporting candidates so they can perform at their best throughout the recruitment process. This includes making reasonable adjustments to our process. In order to request an adjustment: 

Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section on the ‘Additional requirements’ page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. 

Alternatively contact the Government Recruitment Service at DBTrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.  

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

Candidate Support

You may want to join a virtual Candidate Support Session. These sessions include helpful tips and advice on the recruitment process, from application to interview.  

Please see attached Candidate Pack for further information on: Diversity and Inclusion; Benefits; Learning and Development; Working Patterns and what we deliver as a department. 

Further Information:

• A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made. Reserve Lists will be for each location and appointments made in merit order based on location preferences.   
• Any move to the Department for Business and Trade from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments.
• The Department will not consider sponsoring a visa or issuing a Certificate of Sponsorship. We are unable to offer advice on any Visa and Immigration cases.  
• 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. Any applicant who has details held on the IFD will be refused employment.   
• A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.  
• Terms and Conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.
• Please note – the successful candidate will be expected to remain in post for a minimum of 18 months before being released for another role.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service, Disclosure Scotland and Access NI on your behalf. 

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading. 

For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email Info@disclosurescotland.co.uk 

For further information on the Access NI confidential checking service telephone: the Access NI Helpline on 0300 200 7888 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email accessni@ani.x.gsi.gov.uk

Vetting 

The requirement for SC clearance is to have been present in the UK for at least 3 of the last 5 years. Failure to meet the residency requirements will result in your security clearance application being rejected. 

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. 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.