About the job

Job summary

Please refer to Job Description

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.

Judicial Appointments Commission – Finance & Corporate Services Manager

Are you interested in helping an organisation and its senior leadership to continue improving its finance, audit, and risk management activities? Are you excited by the chance to bring your knowledge and skills to a role that allows you to work across a range of corporate services? Do you have great attention to detail, strong stakeholder engagement skills and a passion for delivering excellent customer service? If the answer is yes, you may be exactly who we are looking for.

About the role

We are looking for an individual to help bolster our corporate services team and support the JAC with finance, audit and risk, and wider corporate services activities.

As an independent public body, the Judicial Appointments Commission is responsible for designing, planning, and running recruitment campaigns to select judges in the courts and tribunals, up to and including the High Court, as well as non-legal tribunal members. You can read more about our work on our website: http://judicialappointments.gov.uk

With a new recruitment campaign launched every couple of weeks, and statutory responsibilities to make sure we select candidates on merit and through fair and open competition, it’s essential that our processes are robust, inclusive, and attractive to candidates from the widest possible backgrounds.

Our corporate services team plays a vital role in supporting the JAC to fulfil its statutory responsibilities by providing outstanding corporate support. From ensuring effective and accurate financial management, to ensuring risks are identified and mitigated, complaints are handled fairly, and our staff are supported with their HR, learning and development needs.

As Finance and Corporate Support Manager, you will work closely with our Senior Finance Manager, providing outstanding financial administrative support and liaising with budget holders across the organisation to ensure accurate financial reporting. You will also work closely with the Senior Finance Manager on the planning and delivery of audit and risk activities, ensuring compliance with internal and external audit activities and effective management of our quarterly Audit and Risk Committees.

While predominantly finance and audit focused, the post holder will also have opportunities to support wider corporate services projects and priorities in line with business needs. This role sits within a busy team responsible for a diverse portfolio of activities and we are looking for someone with an interest in developing their knowledge and expertise across a range of corporate services activities.

Main Responsibilities

Reporting to the JAC Senior Finance Manager, the post holder’s responsibilities will include:

Finance

• purchase ordering and credit card payments
• carrying out reconciliation and month-end routines to produce monthly management accounts.
• liaising as necessary with operational managers and budget holders to provide full commentary and variance analysis.
• additional financial administrative support as required

Audit & Risk

• producing the agenda and Committee pack for the JAC’s quarterly Audit and Risk Committee (ARC) meetings.
• minute taking of ARC meetings.
• maintaining and developing effective relationships with both internal (MoJ) and external (NAO) auditors, including liaising with JAC colleagues to ensure implementation of audit recommendations within agreed timetables.

Corporate Services

• supporting corporate services colleagues with priority projects and activities, providing resilience and support in line with business need.

Please note the above list is not exhaustive.

Essential Criteria

The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate:

• Proven track record of working within a corporate/business services management type role/support function including financial processes experience/knowledge.
• Excellent communication and drafting skills, and the ability to distil and present data for reports.
• Strong prioritisation skills and the ability to make effective decisions on how to make best use of your resources to achieve both short and long-term results.
• The ability to build relationships quickly with colleagues and wider organisations, and with external stakeholders.
• Confidence with the Office 365 package and have experience of using Excel to analyse data and present reports. 

What we can offer you

We offer a range of benefits including an attractive annual leave allowance, flexible and hybrid working opportunities, and choice of pension schemes. We actively encourage all staff to undertake learning and development as part of their personal objectives.

While the JAC is an independent executive non-departmental public body, we are considered an arms-length body of the Ministry of Justice and share many of the same policies, processes and terms and conditions as Civil Servants employed directly by the MoJ. This includes being part of the MoJ pay remit, enabling transferees from other government departments to retain their continuity of service and Civil Service Pension arrangements.

Though located at Clive House, Petty France, London, SW1H 9AJ JAC staff are currently working in a hybrid way with some days in the office and some days working remotely. It will be necessary for the successful postholder to work at the JAC location regularly to support business need.

Recruitment process details

Behaviours

We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the recruitment process:

• Managing a Quality Service
• Changing and Improving 
• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace

Application process

You need to provide:

• Your CV
• A statement of suitability detailing the relevant skills and experience you have (250 words max). Please refer to the main responsibilities and essential criteria sections of the job description when writing your statement of suitability.
• Written evidence of the 2 core behaviours for this role: Managing a Quality Service and Changing and Improving.

Sift

Applications will be sifted based on the CV, Statement of Suitability and the 2 behaviours Managing a Quality Service and Changing and Improving.

Interview

At interview we will assess you against 4 behaviours: Managing a Quality Service, Changing and Improving, Communicating and Influencing, and Delivering at Pace. We will also ask you about your experience. You can find out more about the Civil Service’s recruitment framework here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/success-profiles

Applicants invited for interview may be required to undertake a brief work exercise either before or on the day of their interview as part of the selection process. More details will be provided if you are invited to interview.

Interviews are expected to take place the week of 5th February 2024. Interviews may be conducted remotely via Microsoft Teams or face-to-face. More details on the arrangements will be provided to candidates invited to interview.

Reserve List

As well as appointing to the vacancy listed above, we may place other candidates on a 12-month reserve list for future vacancies.

Further Information

If after reading this job description you require any further information, please contact:

Kimberley Barling – JAC Head of Corporate Services (Kimberley.Barling@judicialappointments.gov.uk)

Josh Koh – Senior Finance & Corporate Services Manager
(Joshua.Koh@judicialappointments.gov.uk)

If you have any questions about the recruitment campaign, or any terms and conditions relating to the role, please contact the JAC HR Division:

Recruitment@judicialappointments.gov.uk

Person specification

Please refer to Job Description

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £37,174, Ministry of Justice contributes £10,074 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 and Experience.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. 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.