About the job

Job summary

• Are you good at applying analytical skills to inform decision making?
• Would you like to work for a national regulator and make a difference to society?
• Do you enjoy working as part of a multi-disciplinary team?

You will use your analytical, investigative and accountancy skills to identify and assess concerns about charities.  You will provide expert advice to progress the commission’s highest risk cases which will include complaints that are brought to us, and also regulatory issues that we have identified as a result of our own proactive work.

Working in and influencing multi-disciplinary teams you will improve and drive case outcomes and enhance our credibility through your expert accountancy interventions in the highest risk casework.  You will be responsible for delivering and explaining analysis that informs the commission’s understanding of how charities are operating.  You will pro-actively identify risks and solutions, making decisions to ensure that our resources are managed effectively.  You will contribute to: improving our quality review process; providing policy advice; creating guidance and fulfilling financial training needs of colleagues across the Commission.

The Accountancy team is a close-knit team of 20 that leads on proactive projects relating to charity finances arising out of the Commission's tasking and co-ordination, as well as leading on policy proposals with a significant Accountancy element and advising on projects within the business.

You will develop the profile of the directorate working closely with the Assistant Director and will assist with the strategic Directorate Business Plan deliverables and projects, and the wider Directorate with regard to the overall provision of professional services of high quality.

This is a senior technical leadership role, with responsibility for building capability of the accountancy team in line with continuous professional development requirements and the specialist skills and knowledge needed for the role.

You will support external engagement with the accountancy profession and regulatory accountancy bodies.

Job description

Key Responsibilities:

As senior accountant you will:

• Lead on advising on the Commission’s highest-risk and complex cases that it investigates. You will analyse financial information, assess risk and where appropriate employ creative solutions to achieve case outcomes and interventions.  This will include: assessing charity financial statements; analysing charity bank accounts and financial records, assessing financial performance and working with professional advisors. 
• Lead on building capability of the Accountancy Division, working closely with learning and development.
• Review, update and monitor accountancy specific guidance to include internal and external guidance, assessing and engaging with developments affecting charities. This will include influencing, negotiating and commenting on relevant government consultations and policy proposals and assessing the consequences of any policy changes.
• Provide strong leadership and support to the division to ensure that the expert advice that the team delivers achieves constructive outcomes to support our regulatory objectives.
• Build capability by supporting the upskilling of casework officers through the transfer of knowledge and training delivery and through the Quality Review process.
• Enhance our reputation as a national regulator through expertise with key external stakeholders such as other regulators, trustees, professional advisers and the accountancy profession. This will involve delivering external presentations and ensuring that relevant issues are fed into strategy considerations.
• Provide accountancy subject matter expert advice to the senior management team and the Board as required.
• Provide accountancy subject matter expert advice to cross Directorate or cross Commission projects and initiatives maintaining important relationships and mutually acceptable solutions with senior stakeholders.
• Proactively taking responsibility for ensuring that the Commission’s regulatory approach and operational projects are informed by and developed in accordance with the UK charity accountancy framework.

Person specification

Ability:

• Excellent analytical skills both generally and related to financial analysis to inform and support effective decision making.
• Ability to explain complex information, in a variety of media, including excellent written communications skills.
• In complex and sensitive cases, where the Commission may exercise its statutory power, the ability to bring sound judgement and expert handling to the situation.
• Ability to work as part of team, using accountancy knowledge and skills, supporting the work of policy, case officers and senior decision makers, taking a lead role in our more complex cases.
• Ability to apply accountancy knowledge and experience in a compliance and regulatory context.
• Ability to contribute to policy development with a financial focus.
• Ability to plan and prioritise competing demands to ensure operational performance targets and deadlines are met.
• Change management skills to deliver cultural change and embed new models and practices.
• Ambassadorial skills to represent the accountancy function internally and externally.

Experience:

• Experience of managing staff and/ or successfully managing a project involving two or more people.
• Experience in developing others and building capability.
• Effectively manage a workload/task throughout its lifecycle.
• Maintaining a professional approach when presented with a challenging discussion /interview by using techniques to understand need(s); manage expectations and provide a constructive and proportionate outcome.
• Forensic or investigatory accounting experience within the accountancy profession or with a civil or criminal regulator.

Technical:

• A CCAB qualified accountant (ICAEW, ICAS, ICAI, ACCA, CIPFA) or CIMA membership or any equivalent with sound technical knowledge gained through post qualification experience.
• Application of risk management principles during the management of work and when making decisions.
• Handling data and information sensitively in accordance with the business procedures and/or law.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office Applications including a working knowledge of Microsoft excel and its application.
• Able to provide both focused leadership and high-level technical support to policy and operational work, identifying abuse and risk, and delivering a proportionate regulatory response.
• Sound understanding of auditing principles and methods of investigation.
• Knowledge and understanding of the principles of the Bribery Act 2010 and money laundering regulations.
• Sound understanding of charity reporting and accounting framework and practice including the charities SORP and UK-Irish GAAP.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £56,764, Charity Commission contributes £15,326 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.

To apply for this post, you must complete an online application with the following: 

• A blind CV setting out your Job History/Full Qualifications/Previous skill and experiences.
• A Personal Statement (maximum 1000 words) demonstrating how you meet the essential criteria for the role outlined on the Job Description.

At interview you will be asked to do a presentation on a prepared topic and assessed on your technical knowledge and experience and the following behaviours:

• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Developing Self and Others

Interview Arrangements

Interviews will be taking place Face to Face in our Liverpool and Newport Office.

The sift is due to take place on 03/07/2024.

Interviews will be held 12/07/2024 - Newport and 16/07/2024 - Liverpool.

We will try to meet the dates set out in the advert. There may be occasions when these dates change. You will be provided with sufficient notice of the confirmed dates. 

At the interview, the panel can then probe further and ask applicants to provide further specific examples that show how they best demonstrate their skills.

We reserve the right to raise the score required at any stage of the process to manage numbers.

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment.

Behaviours:

The distinguishing Behaviours (the required skills, knowledge, and behaviours) for this role are set out in the Civil Service Behaviours Framework 2018 (Success Profiles - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)) and should be referred to when making this application.

You are required, under the Behaviours approach, to describe how you have dealt with a specific situation.

You must give evidence of your knowledge, skills, and behaviours and how you have applied this, such as what you did or said and how you interacted with other people.

When you are giving your examples, do not spend too many words on description and background information. Avoid using general or unspecific statements. Instead say what the situation was, what you did, what your thought process was and what was the result.

Reasonable Adjustment:

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled persons, 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 Government Recruitment Service via Charitycommissionrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.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 an interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

Reserve List 

If we have more successful candidates than available vacancies, we will hold a 12-month reserve list as standard.

During that time, we may use the list to fill the same, or similar roles with closely matching essential criteria, without further testing of merit. Any appointments from the Reserve list will be made in strict merit order.

Applying

We recognise everyone as an individual, accepting people for who they are and treating everyone fairly

All applications for these vacancies must be made online. There are limited exceptions to this. Paper applications will only be considered if you have a disability that will prevent you from applying online. If this is the case, please email Charitycommissionrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Once you have submitted your application it cannot be amended; only submit your application when you have completely finished and answered all the relevant questions.

Please note that late applications will not be accepted.

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

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

Concerns/Complaints

The Charity Commission’s recruitment processes are underpinned by the Civil Service Commissioner’s Recruitment Principles, which outlines that selection for appointment is made on merit based on fair and open competition.

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the values in the Civil Service Code and/or if you feel the recruitment has been conducted in such a way that conflicts with the Civil Service Commissioner’s Recruitment Principles, and wish to make a complaint, then you should contact in the first instance hrselfservice@charitycommission.gov.uk.

 If you are not satisfied with the response that you receive, then you can contact the Civil Service Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web page here.

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.