About the job

Job summary

In DHSC, we are proud of our purpose – to enable everyone to live more independent, healthier lives for longer. To achieve this, and create a great place to work, we have four values: we are inclusive, we constantly improve, we challenge, and we are agile. If this sounds like an environment you’d like to work in, we’d love to hear from you.

Those that hold a full CCAB, CIMA or equivalent qualification will be eligible for an annual market pay supplement of £5k.

The Department’s Annual Report and Accounts (ARA) is a composite document that brings together information from across the business to report on our financial position and activity across the financial year. It is one of the key mechanisms used by Parliament for holding the health and care system financially accountable.

The Section Head - Annual Report role sits within the Financial Accounting and Statutory Reporting branch in the Finance Resource Directorate of DHSC. The role leads a small team to collaborate with colleagues across the Department to produce the Annual Report portion of the ARA.

We are looking for an eager, motivated candidate who is confident working independently to solve problems and who is capable of leading from the beginning. This is a cross-department interfacing role, involving a high-degree of communicating, influencing, and effective decision making.

Successful candidates will be joining an inclusive and supportive environment of finance professionals. We are committed to providing an environment for all to thrive, with opportunities to learn and develop in the role. We welcome candidates from all backgrounds and are a split site team with offices in London and Leeds.

Job description

This role is based within DHSC’s Central Finance team reporting to the Head of Annual Report.

As Section Head you will lead and build relationships within your team and across the Department to produce an Annual Report on the Department’s performance across the financial year.

You will lead on commissioning and reviewing contributions from across the Department and supporting colleagues, from both a finance and non-finance background, to achieve deadlines towards this goal. You will confidently review and manage the Annual Report to ensure consistency with the story of the accounts and maintain continuity throughout the Report.

The role also oversees the Department’s work on the local audit market, working across Government and ALBs to ensure that the auditing of health bodies is completed in a timely manner in a complex environment.

Applicants are encouraged to familiarise themselves with the Department’s most recent Annual Report and Accounts to further develop their understanding of the role.

Person specification

Role Responsibilities:

• Being an expert on the Government Financial Reporting Manual (FReM) and Public Expenditure System (PES) requirements to advise and support colleagues from across the Department on their contributions into the Annual Report.
• Being accountable for assuring senior colleagues (including the Department’s Permanent Secretary and Ministers), the National Audit Office (NAO), and the Audit and Risk Committee (ARC), that the Annual Report reports the Department’s performance in a fair and balanced manner and complies with statutory requirements.
• Providing project management leadership to the overall processes for producing the Annual Report and Accounts (ARA) and the related audit by the NAO. You will effectively identify, manage and escalate timetable risks and issues to line management and the ARA project board.
• Working flexibly and collaboratively to changing demands and manage conflicting priorities to tight timescales, including being an inclusive and visionary leader and developing and motivating a high-performance team to deliver stretching goals to achieve this.
• Providing line management of a small team (one direct report).
• Overseeing the Department’s engagement with work in the local audit market. Working with your team, you will be the voice of the Department and health audit when working across government to attend meetings and support projects towards improvement in the local audit market.

Key skills required for this role:

Essential:

• Experience of working at a senior level in a financial or governance related reporting role.
• Experience of working with financial and corporate reporting requirements either within government or in the voluntary or private sector.
• Experience of commissioning and managing a wide range of stakeholders to achieve high quality outcomes and within challenging deadlines.
• Comfortable independently working to tight deadlines, under pressure, and delivering to a high standard.
• An ability to synthesise and summarise wide-ranging material, including both financial and non-financial information, to provide clear and concise briefing.
• Considerable and demonstratable organisational skills and a keen eye for efficiency improvements in processes.

Desirable:

• A formal accounting qualification. A market pay supplement of £5,000pa is available to candidates who hold full membership of an accountancy body (CCAB, CIMA or equivalent).
• Formal project management experience.
• Experience in the production of audited financial statements.
• An interest in the Local Audit sector and the Health Audit agenda.

Your normal place of work will be your contractual primary workplace, usually either London or Leeds.  Within DHSC we offer non-contractual hybrid working. The expectation at present is a minimum of 60% of your working time spent in the office, enabling in person interaction and collaboration and enhancing team working, learning, and support. 

You will be asked to express a location preference during the application process. Please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas and some travel may be required across the DHSC estate. 

Opportunities for some working from home may be available; other flexible working options may be discussed with the hiring manager in line with individual circumstances and business need. 

There are a limited number of DHSC colleagues who have existing agreed homeworking contracts resulting from Our Future Estate Programme 2023-2024. Colleagues covered by these arrangements are eligible to apply for this role whilst continuing their agreed existing home working arrangement. Occasional travel to DHSC offices or other locations may still be required according to business need. Travel and subsistence will be provided in line with the pre-agreed homeworker arrangements.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £53,116, Department of Health and Social Care contributes £14,341 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.

Sift date: expected W/C 20/5/24

Interview date: expected W/C 10/6/24

Interview location: Virtual, by video. Further details will be released to candidates who are successful at sift.

The available interview slots will be released with the sift scores.

Applications will be sifted on Statement of Suitability and CV. 

Please use your CV to set out your career history, highlighting specific responsibilities and achievements that are relevant for this role. These can be found in the ‘key skills and experience required for the role’ section of the advert. 

Please use your statement of suitability to (in no more than 750 words) outline how you meet the key skills and experience required for the role as set out in the job advert.

An initial sift based on Statement of Suitability may be held if a large number of applications are received. 

At interview candidates will be assessed on Behaviours and Experience.

For Experience, Candidates will be asked to explain how they meet the key experience required for the role:

- Experience of working at a senior level in a financial or governance-related reporting role

- Experience of working with financial and corporate reporting requirements either within government or in the voluntary or private sector

- Experience of commissioning and managing a wide range of stakeholders to achieve high quality outcomes and within challenging deadlines

Candidates will be asked to deliver a presentation which will assess a behaviour: 'Delivering at Pace'. Details of the presentation question will be issued to candidates with the release of the sift scores.

To find out more about working in the department please visit our page on the Civil Service Careers Website here and to find out more information on how to apply visit the Civil Service Careers Website here

Applicants who are appointable but were not successful in appointment to this vacancy, may be held on a reserve list for up to 12 months, and contacted if similar vacancies become available.

Please be aware that some travel may be required across the DHSC estate.

Please note that applicants will require BPSS clearance

Further Information

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

Any move to DHSC 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

Reasonable Adjustment

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 dhscrecruitment.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 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 and Barring Service 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. 

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

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.

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 role is being advertised on a permanent basis. If preferable, Loan or Secondment options will also be available for existing Civil Servants (Loan) and applicants from accredited NDPBs or any other employer (Secondment). Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return.

Terms and Conditions

Candidates should note that DHSC’s Terms and Conditions of employment changed from 1 October 2013. It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the terms and conditions they will adopt should they be successful. 

New Entrants to the Civil Service

New entrants appointed in grades AA to G6 will receive DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions:

• Annual Leave: 25 days on entry rising by one day for each completed year of service to a maximum of 30 days and pro-rata for part-time staff
• Privilege Leave: 1 day - for the King’s birthday
• Hours of Work: 37 hours (net) per week for full time staff in all geographical locations, including London and pro rata for part-time staff
• Occupational Sick Pay (OSP): one month full pay/one month half pay on entry, rising by one month for each completed year of service to a maximum of five months’ full pay and five months’ half pay
• Mobility: Mobility clause in contracts allow staff to be mobile across the Civil Service
• Probation: 6 month probation period

Existing Civil Service staff transferring from another Government department, on either level transfer or promotion

All staff moving to DHSC will transfer onto DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions (as outlined above). 

Existing DHSC staff, appointed on either level transfer or promotion

If DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions are already held, the employee will retain those terms and conditions. If DHSC’s pre-modernised terms and conditions are held, the employee will transfer onto DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions (as outlined above).

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.