About the job

Job summary

The Cabinet Office supports the Prime Minister and the Cabinet in delivering the government’s manifesto commitments and objectives. The Cabinet office is both a “corporate centre” for government and a policy department in its own right that challenges, supports, leads and provides services to other Ministerial Departments. The Cabinet Office currently employs staff who are in a variety of roles across the UK.

Cabinet Office Finance is responsible for all aspects of the Cabinet Office’s finances and is a multidisciplinary team that brings together finance, commercial and other corporate functions under the leadership of the Cabinet Office Chief Financial Officer.

The Finance Operations Team is part of a larger Financial Control & Operations Team, which sits within the Strategy, Finance and Performance Directorate. The team is responsible for delivering and enforcing the purchase to pay processes of the Department.

Job description

The Purchasing Business Partner role aims to be a visible and versatile resource to support a range of stakeholders across the Cabinet Office (CO). You will use expert knowledge of CO systems and embrace active stakeholder management to improve our prompt payment performance and compliance with key departmental policies, looking for ways to continuously improve our processes.

You will ensure compliance with the Department’s purchase to pay processes, facilitating the efficient and prompt payment of the Department’s suppliers.

You will report to the Head Of Finance Operations Manager. 

You will act as the first point of contact for business areas and other parts of finance to provide support and advice to ensure processes for the payment of goods/services are followed. You will play an active part in raising financial awareness and capability across the Department.

The team is responsible for ensuring compliance, developing strategies, policies and processes governing; the Purchase to Pay (P2P) process and other payment methods, ensuring they remain fit for purpose and meet Cabinet Office needs. This central expertise supports various business areas within the Department; delivering services to an ever-changing business and making the best use of technologies to drive continuous improvement and customer service excellence. 

You will play a key role in maintaining a deserved reputation for excellent customer service.

Working constructively with wider Cabinet Office teams will make you a valued contributor to ensuring the P2P process is audit compliant, and assists in driving through continuous improvements.

You will need to establish and develop effective working relationships with a number of stakeholders, including the Finance Business Partners, staff in other business areas, Shared Service Centre (SSCL), and Internal Audit. 

The role will provide lots of opportunity for both personal/professional development and an accompanying career path in an innovative organisation at the heart of Government.

Key Responsibilities

• Partner with business areas and other stakeholders to provide advice and guidance to ensure adherence to departmental policies on purchasing and payment processes, and monitor compliance. 
• Oversee business unit prompt payment performance, including managing the unpaid invoices to assist the Department in meeting targets. Fully investigating the 'Invoices On holds' report on a regular basis then taking relevant remedial action.
• Proactively identify problem areas and problem suppliers that are impacting prompt payment scores and solve issues.
• Review manual payment requests, challenging when appropriate and facilitating payment when required. Ensuring appropriate action is taken when invoices are received that do not contain required information. Taking remedial action where CO P2P policy has not been followed.
• Build effective working relationships across a range of stakeholders both internally and externally to provide advice and guidance to reach effective resolutions.
• Use system expertise to review Purchase Order Accruals (Good Received Not Invoiced), improving accuracy of the Department’s accounts
• Review requests to open additional spend categories on Government Procurement Cards in a timely manner and challenge where necessary to drive compliance with CO’s card policy.
• Respond promptly to interim and full year audit queries.
• Overseeing the delivery of timely payments and remittance advice to suppliers, in line with contractual terms and targets
• Ensuring effective audit trails to support all transactions, reconciliations and approvals.
• Build relationships and work collaboratively with stakeholders on all purchasing and payment related issues.
• Support colleagues and management to ensure high standards of service delivery are achieved and maintained. Becoming a visible expert and point of escalation for designated business areas
• Escalate any issues or concerns to appropriate FBPs/Business leads, highlighting actions taken, risks/issues, and recommending corrective actions where appropriate.

The successful candidate may be required to undertake occasional travel to London.

The post holder may be required to undertake additional responsibilities as expected in relation to the role and grade.

Person specification

Experience

Demonstrate relevant working experience to fulfil the requirements of the role.

• Relevant Operational Finance experience.
• Experience in a role involving purchase orders
• Comfortable with Microsoft and Google based applications
• Working under pressure
• Experience of finance systems/software will be an advantage
• Government Finance experience will be an advantage.

Knowledge and skills

• A solid understanding of purchase orders and the purchase-to-pay process
• Knowledge of invoicing/payment processes
• Numerate
• Strong attention to detail and excellent record keeping skills
• Good communication skills and ability to work with your own team and stakeholders effectively to ensure delivery of service.
• Good organisational skills and ability to manage competing priorities
• A team player who excels in a collaborative and hybrid working environment
• The ability to work self-sufficiently.
• Problem solving ability; to identify problems, provide solutions and implement them.
• An eye for detail and continuous improvement, be motivated and able to assist in the redesign of processes and approaches to drive improvement.
• Play a key role to up-skill wider CO colleagues on policy, processes and systems.
• Ability to effectively work as part of a team, and to take responsibility for your own area of work.
• A basic understanding of procurement will be an advantage (but please note that this is not a procurement role)

Additional information

A minimum 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace. Although requirements to attend other locations for official business will also count towards this level of attendance.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £27,750, Cabinet Office contributes £7,492 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, Strengths and Experience.

Application and sift

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV, 750 word personal statement as well as three 250 word behaviour statements. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form. 

You are asked to provide a CV, setting out your career history, experience and achievements and qualifications (this will be used in sifting process and will be scored)

You are also asked to provide a Personal Statement (no more than 750 words). This should outline how you consider your skills, experience and achievements and provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the person specification.

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the CV and Personal Statement. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview. 

Interview

During the blended interview you will be assessed against your experience, behaviours that are contained in this advert and strength based questions, the strength questions are ones in which we wish to gain your initial response. 

Interview will be via google meets.

Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.

Further information

Please note terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.

A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.

Any move to Cabinet Office from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure Scotland on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading. 

For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email Info@disclosurescotland.co.uk

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.

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

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 Government Recruitment Service via cabinetofficerecruitment.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 interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

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

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.