About the job

Job summary

Navy Command Headquarters (NCHQ) is the nerve centre of the Naval Service. It supports operations around the globe and provides the ships, people, aircraft and equipment to deliver the UK’s defence policy.

In Navy Command, our civil servants work alongside their military colleagues in jobs that matter; jobs which often have a direct impact on the quality of the operational capabilities we deliver.  Roles can offer great job satisfaction and there are many opportunities to develop and progress both within the Ministry of Defence and across the wider Civil Service.

The Submarine Directorate in Navy Command is responsible for all submarine in service capability and availability, including oversight of the Submarine Flotilla and Clyde Naval Base.

The Clyde Infrastructure Programme is responsible for delivering "An integrated submarine operating base at Clyde, supporting a Submarine Force that is safe, secure, sustainable and resilient, and ready to excel in operations out to 2067”. 

The Clyde Infrastructure Programme is a £2Bn programme of work comprising of new build facilities and refurbishment to support current and future operations on His Majesty's Naval Base Clyde over the next 15 years+. The programme of work is part of Government Major Programmes & Projects and is considered a top 100 government programme. This is an exciting time to join the team, the delivery environment is both challenging and rewarding. 

This post is the Finance Business Partner (FBP) responsible for The Clyde Infrastructure Programme. It is a critical role ensuring that the Business is provided with Finance Expert support.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

Job description

The Finance Business Partner (FBP) is responsible for:

• Being a member of the Senior Leadership Team in the business area they support, influencing the strategic direction and enabling the organisation to deliver against its plan, objectives and outcomes
• Building and sustaining the partnership between Finance and the Business.
• Ensuring that the associated financial and economic implications are considered to protect and drive value enabling Navy Command to deliver against its strategic plan and objectives.
• Relationship management and stakeholder communication is a key part of the FBP role to ensure stakeholder confidence and raise awareness of interdependencies ensuring timely delivery against objectives.
• Working with the other finance teams and the wider finance community to ensure that accurate management information, analysis and insight is available to enable the Business to take these informed decisions and to ensure that sound financial management is in place.

The role requires a wide range of skills and requires the incumbent to utilise a combined skill set encompassing interpersonal skills, professional skills and technical knowledge. By applying these skills together with their contextual understanding of the business’ strategic goals, plans, performance and risk management, the FBP will be equipped to provide strategic financial advice and enhance the quality of decision-making.

The postholder is also responsible for supporting the G6 FBP lead in:

• Encouraging the team to be open to new ideas and ensuring opportunities to learn from best practice are harnessed across organisational boundaries and striving to continuously improve.
• Undertaking Leadership and line management duties. Setting the direction, empowering, motivating and coaching team members to enable effective delivery of objectives and supporting individuals’ personal development and careers.

Embedding a culture based on desired behaviours including role modelling how these should be practiced. Building a supportive team environment and encouraging sharing of knowledge and experience throughout.

To be successful in this role you will need to have demonstrable experience in a similar role. You will have worked across a range of roles including financial accounting, financial management and reporting. You will have a proven track record of consistently delivering high quality outputs to tight deadlines. Your high level of personal resilience will enable you to remain calm under pressure with the ability to think and act strategically, developing practical and innovative solutions, and driving these forwards. By having the ability to work flexibly you will manage tasks effectively according to priority. You will be able to quickly develop, nurture, and maintain strong working relationships with internal and external stakeholders. Your strong written and verbal communication skills will allow you to present financial information to non-financial decision makers. You will be a natural leader with the ability to motivate and inspire your team through coaching and leading by example. 

Building effective stakeholder relationship 

• Providing definitive advice, negotiating, and influencing senior leadership to make informed decisions that balance short term priorities (e.g. in year efficiencies) with longer-term sustainability.  
• Building successful partnerships and maintaining relationships with both business leadership and wider stakeholders.
• Acting as the first finance contact for issues and queries raised by the business where there is no clear solution or if a rapid resolution can be provided. 

Supporting the business to deliver their outcomes and driving financial performance

• Supporting the development and implementation of credible financial plans.  
• Driving financial performance against agreed targets, business plans and objectives working collaboratively with stakeholders within the business and from other functions.  
• Providing specialist financial advice, engaging experts on behalf of the business as required.
• Undertaking horizon scanning to identify potential issues, developing an understanding of the drivers behind key variations, and working with the business to identify potential solutions, risks, and opportunities. 

Providing constructive challenge, scrutiny, insight, and analysis 

• Challenging and supporting the business to enhance decision-making and increase performance.  
• Providing valuable financial advice, constructive challenge and support, strategic insight to the Business area(s) on their financial plans and programmes. Ensuring ambitions are sustainable, aligned to strategy, maximise value for money and are linked to benefits.  
• Being involved at the start, engaging early in development of business cases, investment appraisals and proposals identifying and highlighting any potential issues. 
• Undertaking scrutiny of business cases valued up to [insert values] ensuring that cases provide value for money, consider the wider corporate impact (e.g. legal, commercial), through-life implications and that a robust risk assessment is undertaken. 

Continuous Improvement 

• Continuously improve efficiency, output, levels, and quality of service and proactively identifying opportunities through engaging with the Business, prioritising changes that will add the most value.  
• Providing coaching and feedback proactively to identify gaps in the financial knowledge of the business. 
• Managing the input and support to change programmes, where there is an impact to how your team will provide their services. 

Management of area of responsibility

• Management of team members, empowering, motivating and coaching to enable effective delivery. 
• Supporting individual’s personal development, careers and developing leadership skills within their team. Ensuring you and the team make time to develop themselves and their peers. 
• Being open to challenge and new ideas, sharing of knowledge and experience, encouraging others through building a supportive team environment.
• Making all major decisions affecting direction and execution of work within the area of responsibility, only referring upwards where decisions relate to significant issues of policy, resource allocation or management of work area.  

Person specification

Essential Experience:

• Required: Qualified Level 4 – AAT or Certificate level CCAB/CIMAor working towards (within 4 years). 
• Preparation of financial accounts.
• Delivering financial services in a complex organisational environment in the Local 
• Government, Commercial or Central Government arenas.
• Delivery of a Management Accounting service.
• Leading a small team.
• Evidence of continuing professional development.

Desirable Experience:

•  Qualified with CCAB, CIMA or equivalent or working towards qualification 

Leadership and people development:

• Motivate, inspire, and manage staff, demonstrate strong leadership.
• Develop an effective finance team and encourage coaching and development of staff.
• Create an environment of accountability and empowerment in the team and more widely.
• Establish and maintain relationships with staff, stakeholders, auditors and regulators.

Financial accounting and control:

• Maintain and ensure compliance with financial regulations and finance policies across the organisation.
• Maintain and develop robust and effective accounting systems and financial controls.
• Produce management accounts, statutory accounts and other public sector financial reporting as required, and in a timely manner.
• Provide oversight and support for procurement, contract management and contract negotiations undertaken by responsible individuals.

Forecasting and resource planning:

• Lead and develop a culture of financial awareness and responsibility across the organisation
• Provide advice, guidance and coaching to leaders and managers across the organisation on effective management of resources.
• Support budget managers in the preparation of financial budgets and forecasts and assist them in developing financial strategy.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £57,670, Ministry of Defence contributes £15,570 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.

Candidates can apply online via the Civil Service Jobs website by completing the application form before the deadline shown. Apply using the Civil Service Jobs apply button, filling in all required details in all sections. Using the Success Profiles link for information on format and style, ensure you provide evidence for all Behaviours and Experience sections requested in the appropriate competency style.  

Sift Stage 

Candidates will be required to complete an online CV template to include job history, full details of education and qualifications and previous experiences and skills. Please also include any relevant responsibilities and achievements.

Candidates will be required to complete a Statement of Suitability/Personal Statement of no more 500 words, providing details relevant to the essential and desirable experience in the job advert. 

You will also be assessed on the behaviours of: 

• Seeing the big picture
• Working together

The requirements for the role have been benchmarked and these will be used to sift all candidates, with those meeting the minimum requirements invited to interview.  

Feedback will only be provided if you selected for an interview. 

Interview Stage

At interview, you will be assessed against the following Success Profiles Behaviours:

• Leadership
• Making Effective Decisions
• Managing a Quality Service
• Communicating & Influencing

You will also be assessed on experience at interview 

Further Information

Candidates who are found to meet an acceptable standard at interview but are not successful in one of the advertised posts may be considered for similar roles within the Business Unit.

You will also be expected to achieve Security Check clearance for this role

It is anticipated the sift for this role will take place w/c 22nd July and interviews w/c 5th August

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. There is a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. If you need to advise us that you need additional help or reasonable adjustments for the recruitment process, please contact: DBSCivPers-Resourcingteam3@mod.gov.uk .

As a result of the changes to the UK immigration rules which came into effect on 1 January 2021, the Ministry of Defence will only offer sponsorship for a skilled worker visa under the points based system, where a role has been deemed to be business critical.

The role currently being advertised has not been assessed as business critical and is therefore NOT open to applications from those who will require sponsorship under the points based system. Should you apply for this role and be found to require sponsorship, your application will be rejected and any provisional offer of employment withdrawn.

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

Open to UK nationals only.

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.