About the job

Job summary

Finance is at the heart of decision making in the Department for Business & Trade (DBT). 

The Financial Accounting, Reporting and Control team lead on the production of DBT’s financial accounts, DBT’s relationship with the National Audit Office (NAO) and providing advice on compliance with HM Treasury and Cabinet Office controls. The team are critical in embedding high quality financial accounting controls practices and processes in DBT, within and beyond the Finance team. 

The Financial Accounting team is at the heart of the creation of the new Department, and you will be part of the creation of the first set of consolidated accounts for the Department for Business and Trade, working with colleagues in DSIT and DESNZ, as well as the NAO and HMT, to split the BEIS accounts, before preparing the DBT accounts. 

These are high profile roles within the Finance directorate, and you will share your financial accounting expertise with stakeholders across the department, such as through assessing business cases and investment decisions, and working with finance professionals in DBT’s partner organisations, to ensure the financial accounting and budgeting implications are clearly understood. 

Job description

Responsibilities are varied but will include: 

• Lead and oversee the production of key statutory financial reports (including whole government accounts – WGA), consolidations, and notes to the accounts, commissioning and collating information required for the accounts.
• Lead and apply technical accounting expertise to transactions, provide advice to stakeholders and respond to technical queries across the Department to ensure that the reporting is IFRS compliant.
• Co-manage the accounts production team, supporting and developing team members to help them fulfil their potential.
• Line management of a small team.
• Collaboration with DBT’s partner organisations to build relationships and facilitate effective consolidation.
• Engagement with the National Audit Office and Government Internal Audit Agency, ensuring a good working relationship, excellent communications and delivery of on-time and accurate financial and other information.
• Supporting the Head of Financial Accounting and the Head of Financial Reporting as an advisor for technical accounting matters and making sure that all known technical accounting issues are dealt with in a timely and planned manner.
• Collaborate closely with HM Treasury colleagues on technical issues and cross Whitehall accountancy issues with the aim of ensuring that all technical aspects of the accounts production process are consistent with HM Treasury guidance and specifically the requirements of the Financial Reporting Manual (FReM).
• Drive improvements to the accounts production process to ensure that the Department’s accounts achieve best practice in complying with all current accounting and legal reporting obligations.
• Building strong relationships with relevant functional stakeholders across the Department and wider HMG, to encourage alignment and cooperation, and the most efficient use of public funds, mitigating accounting risks and ensuring good financial control.

Person specification

Applicants will demonstrate the ability to work across organisational boundaries in order to deliver with strong communication skills, including communicating complex information to non-specialist audiences and influencing the decision making in the business.

Essential criteria

• A fully qualified accountant (ACCA, ACA, CIPFA, or CIMA), with a passion for financial accounting and reporting.
• Significant experience of using, applying and interpreting International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).
• Experience of producing financial accounts and making technical accounting judgements, and then explaining those judgements to others.
• Excellent Excel and presentation skills.
• Able to work independently, proactively, passionately and confidently on high-profile areas across the Department and lead others to achieve quality and on time delivery of outputs.
• Comfortable and confident in working at pace to manage a full workload with conflicting short and long-term priorities.
• Building positive relationships with partners in other teams and departments (such as NAO or HMT), and to use those relationships to influence others through excellent interpersonal and communication skills, tailored to the recipient.
• Leading collaboratively with structure, by constructing clear timelines and processes, with interdependencies and owners, to lead others to successful delivery with clear products and outcomes for the process.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £53,560, Department for Business and Trade contributes £14,461 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.

Interviews for this vacancy will be conducted virtually. We will, however, consider in-person interviews by exception.

Please ensure that you check your emails regularly as all updates from us will be sent to you this way.

It is likely that the sift will take place 1-2 weeks after the closing date and interviews 3-5 weeks after the closing date though this is subject to change.

To apply for this post, you will be asked to complete the following as part of the online application:

1. A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Provide employment history that relates to the essential criteria, and that any gaps in employment history within the last 2 years are explained. The CV should not exceed more than 2 x A4 pages.
2. A Personal Statement of up to 750 words. You should explain how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role in reference to the job description.

In the event of a large number of applicants, an initial short sift will be conducted on the Personal Statement.

Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to assessment/interview.

Hybrid Working

This role is available in seven UK locations and can only be worked from within the UK, not overseas. Most DBT employees will be working a hybrid pattern, spending 2-3 days a week (pro rata) in the office on average. Changes to these working arrangements are available in certain circumstances but must be agreed with the vacancy manager and in line with the requirements of the role and can only be discussed with successful candidates. Travel to your primary office location will not be paid for by DBT, but costs for travel to an office which is not your main location will be covered. 

Existing Civil Servants and applicants from accredited NDPBs are eligible to apply, but will only be considered on loan basis (Civil Servants) or secondment (accredited NDPBs). 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.

Reasonable Adjustments

We are committed to supporting candidates so they can perform at their best throughout the recruitment process. This includes making reasonable adjustments to our process. In order to request an adjustment: 

Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section on the ‘Additional requirements’ page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. 

Alternatively contact the Government Recruitment Service at DBTrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.  

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

Candidate Support

You may want to join a virtual Candidate Support Session. These sessions include helpful tips and advice on the recruitment process, from application to interview.  

Please see attached Candidate Pack for further information on: Diversity and Inclusion; Benefits; Learning and Development; Working Patterns and what we deliver as a department. 

Further Information:

• A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made. Reserve Lists will be for each location and appointments made in merit order based on location preferences.   
• Any move to the Department for Business and Trade from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments.
• The Department will not consider sponsoring a visa or issuing a Certificate of Sponsorship. We are unable to offer advice on any Visa and Immigration cases.  
• 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. Any applicant who has 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.  
• Terms and Conditions are attached.  Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.
• Please note – the successful candidate will be expected to remain in post for a minimum of 18 months before being released for another role.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service /Disclosure Scotland/Access NI 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 

For further information on the Access NI confidential checking service telephone: the Access NI Helpline on 0300 200 7888 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email accessni@ani.x.gsi.gov.uk 

Vetting

The requirement for SC clearance is to have been present in the UK for at least 3 of the last 5 years. Failure to meet the residency requirements will result in your security clearance application being rejected

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting

Feedback

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

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.