About the job

Job summary

Are you an influential leader who can make decisions at all levels of an organisation? 

Do you have experience of applying and communicating financial controls? 

Are you confident challenging assumptions and evidence? 

If so, we’d love to hear from you!

Within this role, there is the fantastic opportunity to become a qualified accountant by working towards your Accountancy Qualification. In addition you could also work towards other qualifications such as APMG Better Business Cases Practitioner.

Job description

As Head of Finance Investment Assurance, you will take the lead and provide expert advice, support and even challenge on Investments and business cases. 

You will act as the centre of excellence for financial appraisals of the Agency’s investment and change portfolio, reporting to the Chief Financial Officer as chair of the Investment Committee (IC). IC has been delegated authority by the Executive Committee to appraise and approve investment and change decisions, providing assurance around the efficient and effective investment of public funds.. This includes quality assurance of business cases to ensure that they are complete, accurate and a suitable basis on which to take investment decisions.

The role includes reinforcing and communicating best practice regarding the financial aspects of business cases across the Agency. 

The main duties and responsibilities of the role include, but are not limited to: 

• Acting as subject matter expert on financial regulations, including the Treasury Green Book and other guidance on investment appraisal.
• Providing expert advice on the development of business cases in line with the Five Case Model, including the financial and economic aspects and appropriate investment appraisal methods (including DCF, NPV and BCR); and to advise on affordability and value for money.
• Assisting Project Managers with the identification and quantification of benefits in business cases.
• Supporting work on efficiency savings (including for Spending Reviews) by identifying and reality-checking forecast savings in business cases.
• Completing quality control reviews of business cases and exception reports before they are submitted to IC and to ensure that all material quality control issues are addressed in the IC submissions.
• Acting as Centre of Excellence / Subject Matter Expert for the review and challenge of change proposals & business cases (particularly with regard to the economic and financial cases and including whole business case/financial modelling quality reviews) and to consider the wider implications across the Agency, and to cascade information to others as appropriate. 
• Providing assurance to the Chief Financial Officer and Accounting Officer that decisions are being taken in accordance with all appropriate financial controls and delegated authority.
• Providing independent review and challenge of financial plans, submissions and proposals, both internally and for external publication. 

For more information about the role and responsibilities please refer to the Candidate Pack attached.

Additional information 

This role can be based in Bristol/Swansea/Nottingham/Newcastle, your presence at one of these locations will form part of the working arrangements agreed with you. We operate a hybrid working model giving you greater flexibility about where and when you work. Our expectation is that you will spend a minimum 60% of your time at your base location. Visits to other DVSA sites or work locations count towards this. 

Please take note that DVSA does not hold a UK Visa & Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker License sponsor and are unable to sponsor any individuals for Skilled Worker Sponsorship.

Person specification

We are looking for someone who has experience of the following: 

• Developing and reviewing investment appraisals and business cases.
• Influencing decision making at all levels of an organisation.
• Challenging assumptions and evidence.
• Applying and communicating internal and external financial controls.
• Detailed review of assumptions, costs, evidence and benefits included in investment appraisals and business cases.
• Applying best practice in a proportionate and value adding way.
• A strong understanding of the impact of decisions on funding streams and the application of accounting treatments of costs and income.

About Us  

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) helps keep Britain moving, safely and sustainably.  

  

We do this by helping people through a lifetime of safe and sustainable journeys, helping them keep their vehicles safe to drive, and protecting them from unsafe drivers and vehicles.  

We’re working hard to:  

• Make roads safer. 
• Improve services for our customers. 
• Make road transport greener and healthier. 
• Harness the potential of technology and data.
• Grow and level up the economy.

We’re committed to giving all our colleagues purpose, professionalism and pride in what we do. We work in supportive, diverse and inclusive teams where everyone is valued. You can grow, develop and progress, and make a real difference to society.  

We pride ourselves as being an employer of choice and welcome and encourage applications from everyone, such as ethnic minorities, women, disabled people and those who identify as LGBT+. 
 
To find out more about how we champion diversity and inclusion in the workplace and making DVSA a great place to work visit our Careers website. 

Benefits

• An environment with flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance. 
• Exceptional pension with an employer contribution of an average of 27%.
• Generous Annual Leave - 25 days holiday, increasing by 1 each year of service, up to 30. 
• 8 Bank Holidays plus an additional Privilege Day to mark the King’s birthday. 
• Latest IT and Tech devices.
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity with a range of staff communities to support all our colleagues.
• Excellent learning and development tailored to your role including paid apprenticeships up to Masters level.
• Wide range of discounts schemes on high street names.
• Employee assistance program for health and wellbeing.
• Cycle to work scheme and Gym membership offers.
• For more information see visit our careers page

 

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

How to Apply  

As part of the application process you will be asked to provide a CV and Personal Statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.   

For your Personal Statement, please provide detailed evidence of the following: 

• Experience of developing and reviewing investment appraisals and business cases.
• Experience of applying and communicating internal and external financial controls.
• A strong understanding of the impact of decisions on funding streams and the application of accounting treatments of costs and income.  

Your personal statement will be limited to a maximum of 750 words.  

The selection process will be designed specifically for the role. As a result, your assessment will include: 

• An interview and presentation.

The sift is due to take place week commencing Monday 8th July 2024.

Interviews are likely to be held week commencing Monday 5th August 2024. 

This interview will be conducted via a video interview, details of which will be provided to you should you be selected for interview.   

We’ll try to meet the dates we’ve set out in the advert. But there may be occasions when these dates will change. We’ll give you plenty of notice of any important dates. 

If you would like to find out more about what it’s like to work for DVSA and how to apply, we will be holding virtual sessions to find out more. Please click here to secure your place at one of our upcoming events.  

You’re encouraged to become familiar with the candidate pack attached, as you may be assessed against any of the criteria recorded within.  

The Department for Transport recruits using Success Profiles. For each role, we consider what you need to demonstrate to be successful.  

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

You can read more about Success Profiles here.  

Reasonable Adjustments

As a Disability Confident Leader employer, we are committed to ensuring that the recruitment process is fair, accessible and allows all candidates to perform at their best. If a person with a visible or non-visible disability is substantially disadvantaged, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need during the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at an interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

If you need a reasonable adjustment so that you can complete your application, you should contact Government Recruitment Service via dftrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Document Accessibility

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

This job advert contains links to the DfT Careers website. Our website provides useful guidance and information that can support you during the application process. If you cannot access the information on our website for any reason, please email DRGComms@dft.gov.uk for assistance.

Further Information

For more information about how we hire, and for useful tips on submitting your application for this role, visit the How We Hire page of our DfT Careers website. You can find detailed information about the recruitment process and what to expect when applying for a role.

Pre-employment Checking

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. 

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.

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.