About the job

Job summary

Reporting to the Head of Finance, the Head of Financial Accounting will be part of our senior finance management team responsible for numerous business critical and statutory functions including:

• Preparation of the annual financial statements and statutory accounts, requiring liaison, internally, with the management accounting function and externally with the external auditors of The National Archives, (currently the National Audit Office) and with officials of the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and HM Treasury
• Submissions to HM Treasury, Cabinet Office and other government departments including leading preparation of TNA’s Main and Supplementary Estimates
• Ensuring The National Archives achieves best practice in terms of complying with all current accounting and legal reporting obligations.
• Be responsible for the financial transactional processes which support the rest of the organisation, such as accounts payable, accounts receivable, cash and the payroll interface.

The post holder will lead a team of 5 staff, including one fully qualified accountant.

Job description

Full job description attached (see below).

Person specification

This is a full time post. However, requests for part-time working, flexible working and job share will be considered, taking into account at all times the operational needs of the Department. A combination of onsite and home working is available and applicants should be able to regularly travel to our Kew site for a minimum of 60% of their work time.

How to apply:

If you are an internal applicant: please do not use the link on this page. Please apply via your employee Workday account.

If you are an external applicant: to submit your application please click the 'Apply at advertiser's site' button on this page.

You will be asked to provide details of your work experience and write a personal statement. In your personal statement please explain, using examples, how you meet the essential criteria given below. You may draw on knowledge, skills, abilities, experience gained from paid work, domestic responsibilities, education, leisure interests and voluntary activities. Please note selection for interview will largely be based on the information you provide in this section.

Essential criteria:

• A strong financial accounting background. CCAB qualification with demonstrable experience

• Capable of demonstrating up to date technical financial reporting knowledge

• Experience of owning and producing statutory financial statements

• Strong finance system skills including advanced Excel skills.

• Ability to react to change and manage emerging priorities to tight deadlines, respond to varying situations in a professional manner.

• Excellent leadership, management and communication skills are an essential prerequisite given the wide scope of the role and the diverse range of both internal and external contacts. The ability to develop and motivate a professionally qualified team engaged in significant processing and technical activities is essential.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £61,000, The National Archives contributes £16,470 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

Reasonable adjustments:

If a person with disabilities is put 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 The National Archives via careers@nationalarchives.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

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. 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.