About the job

Job summary

This is an exciting opportunity to play a key role within PFPD’s finance function.  You will work within Central Finance, leading a small team supporting HSE’s budgeting, forecasting and other financial processes, providing advice to both senior colleagues and Finance Business Partners. This role provides an excellent opportunity for development, that could lead to progression within PFPD/HSE or the wider Government Finance Community. 

Planning, Finance and Procurement Division (PFPD) core activities are critical to the effective and efficient way that HSE delivers its objectives. We are the custodian of the system of internal control and ensure effective governance processes are in place. At the same time, we drive the planning process to ensure we can deliver our regulatory activity with an agreed financial budget and ensure appropriate mechanisms to monitor and analyse performance against these targets.

Job description

You will support the Head of Financial Management and senior colleagues, providing advice on a range of budgeting, accounting and reporting issues, ensuring HSE complies with HMT's Consolidated Budgeting guidance and adheres to Managing Public Money.

Across a typical month, you will initially focus on production of monthly management accounts, ensuring financial outturn is complete and free from material error. You then will lead and coordinate the collation of the HSE financial forecast, liaising closely with Finance Business Partners to drive the process to deadline, prioritising areas of materiality and volatility such as Payroll, Programmes and Income.

You will use your analytical skills to produce insight and understanding of the underlying financial position to assist report production to Executive Committee, HSE Board and our sponsor department DWP. You will play a central role in assisting with detailed financial performance reviews to provide Finance and Senior Leaders with high quality information on which to base decisions, at key points in the financial year.

You will be supported by a small team of part-qualified finance professionals and trainees, which you will lead, provide direction, ensuring they adopt a culture of continuous improvement. 

You will also take the lead with maintaining HSE Orgs and Structures within ERP system (SOP/SSCL), and ensure effective controls are in place to maintain accuracy of data in financial reporting systems such as Hyperion and Qlikvew.

At HSE, we are proud to be able to offer our people the opportunity to work in a hybrid way which combines working from home and the office. This is a voluntary, non-contractual arrangement and your allocated office will be your contractual place of work. There will be a requirement to travel to the office for various activities e.g., collaborative working, supporting and training colleagues. If hybrid working is suitable for you and your role, the arrangements will be determined primarily by business need, but personal circumstances and other relevant circumstances will also be taken into account. Therefore, we would encourage candidates to consider if the commute from home to the office is a feasible distance to travel before making an application. Please note that if you are successful, hybrid working will be discussed prior to taking up the post.

Person specification

Essential Skills and Criteria

• Excellent communication, analytical and decision-making skills which allow you to operate effectively with stakeholders. 
• Experience of operating in a dynamic finance environment working to tight deadlines. 
• Advanced skills in the use of primarily Excel or other Financial Modelling/Analysis products.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £43,765, Health and Safety Executive contributes £11,816 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, Experience and Technical skills.

Application Information:

We will assess you on the skills and experience at the application stage through your CV and Statement of suitability. Your CV should include your skills, employment history and qualification details, with particular reference to the job description.

Application Guidance:

Please access the following link for guidance on how to apply and how to complete a personal statement https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/how-to-apply/

Sift Information:

At sift you will be assessed against your CV and personal statement. The sift will take on the 26th of July 2024.

Interview Information:

At interview you will be assessed against the 3 behaviours combined with the technical skill stated in the job advert.

Interviews will take place week commencing 5th of August 2024.

AI Tools & Platforms

During the application process candidates are allowed to utilise AI (artificial intelligence) platforms and Tools to support them in writing their Behaviours, CV’s and Personal Statements. However, all information submitted must be factually accurate. This includes presenting the ideas and experience of others, or those generated by artificial intelligence, as your own. All presented information will be assessed at the Interview Stage.

Further Information

Please note that a Reserve List will be held for the period of up to 12 months.

Sponsorship

This role is not open to application from those who will require sponsorship under the points based system. Should you apply for this role and require sponsorship your application will be rejected, and any provisional offers of employment will be withdrawn.

It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the terms and conditions they will adopt should they be successful in their application. For a summary of HSE terms and conditions as part of Civil Service Reform, please see the attached HSE Terms and Conditions document.

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service D&I Strategy.

HSE is proud to be a part of the Disability Confidence Scheme (DCS). As a Disability Confident employer, we positively welcome applications from disabled people. We are committed to making workplace adjustments to ensure anyone can participate in the recruitment and selection process.

We offer a guaranteed interview scheme for all disabled applicants who provide evidence of meeting the minimum requirements necessary for the post.

If, during the application or interview process, you require any assistance due to a disability or a medical condition, please contact us at the email address below to discuss how we can support you. For example if you have a disability, and you need an application form in an alternative format or you would like to know more about our recruitment process, please contact: hr.resourcing-team@hse.gov.uk

If successful in securing your role, HSE can provide suitable workplace adjustments to support you throughout your career with HSE.

Any move to HSE 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 here

Please note, if you are a current civil servant and you are currently undergoing any of the following formal actions your application will not be progressed any further; Formal discipline action, any formal action regarding attendance, poor performance or any restriction of duties as a result of disciplinary action. 

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.