26.129 Finance Officer

Job summary

To assist in the day-to-day activities of the Financial Accounts team, including but not limited to any centralised requisitioning, journals and reconciliations, stewardship, and compliance reviews

Job description

• Actively contribute towards a culture of high performance, strong engagement and a commitment to continuous improvement
• Assist in the preparation of accurate and timely information to support all required reporting, including management information, external and internal audit, as well as regulatory and stakeholder returns
• Prepare month-end journals and balance sheet reconciliations, ensuring meaningful supporting documentation for all reconciling items is maintained
• Reconciling items should have root cause analysis undertaken to ensure prompt resolution with underlying causes being actively addressed to prevent such reconciling items in the future
• Assist with appropriate purchase-to-pay activities supporting the prompt payment of suppliers and Police forces, including requisitioning and invoice query support, and the review and preparation of Police payments.
• Provide wider business support with any financial processes/matters where appropriate
• Provide support to the wider Finance team with the production of accurate forecast and budget information.
• Proactively identify and recommend process and system improvements from both an efficiency and financial control perspective
• Support the successful implementation of the departments systems and procedures, both IT and non-IT based
• Deputise for the Financial Accountant when required.
• Undertake additional duties appropriate to the role and/or grade

Person specification

Essential Criteria:

• Successful relationship building with colleagues across the organisation
• Excellent attention to detail, analytical and problem-solving skills
• Ability to work flexibly and respond positively to changing business needs
• Knowledge of finance systems, processes and control environments
• Basic proficiency in MS Excel

Desirable criteria:

• Experience in requisitioning (purchase ledger)
• Experience of delivering training

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Delivering at Pace
• Working Together

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:

• Working Together

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £30,993, Disclosure & Barring Service contributes £8,978 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

The DBS offers a number of excellent benefits for its employees. These can include:

• Generous annual leave entitlement
• Excellent maternity, paternity and adoption schemes (after a qualifying period)
• Commitment to the health and wellbeing of our employees
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Flexible working opportunities
• Eyecare voucher scheme
• Occupational Health Service including referrals for counselling and physiotherapy
• 24/7 Counselling and Wellbeing Service
• A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

The DBS vision and purpose is to make people safer by being a visible, trusted and influential organisation, providing an outstanding quality of service to all our customers and partners, where our people understand the important safeguarding contributions they make and feel proud to work here. To do this, the DBS is committed to being an employer that is able to attract, develop, retain and engage diverse talent that is representative of the communities we serve, and to be an organisation providing outstanding service to all our existing and new customers, who are diverse and have a range of different needs. We want all our staff to be able to bring their ‘whole self’ to work.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

As part of the recruitment process the Disclosure & Barring Service will conduct a behaviours, strength and experience based sift exercise and interview process.

To apply for this role, first complete the online numerical test. Once completed and passed you will gain access to the rest of the application. Here you will need to provide a CV along with a personal statement of no more than 500 words, outlining how your skills and experience meet the requirements of the role, including all essential and desirable criteria. The behaviour, Working Together, will also be part of the application process.

Should a large number of applications be received, the behaviour, Working Together, would not be marked unless candidates achieve the pass mark for the CV and Personal Statement.

In the event of a high volume of applications, the hiring manager reserves the right to raise the benchmark throughout the sift stage.

For all candidates who are successful at the sifting stage, you will be invited to interview.

The interview will consist of a panel-based interview.

The aim of the panel interview will be to assess your ability to demonstrate the following behaviours:

• Making effective decisions
• Communicating & influencing
• Delivering at pace

The interview will also consist of strength and experience based questions.

Closing date: 28 September 2026

The following timetable outlines indicative dates. Please note, these dates may be subject to change without prior notice.

The initial candidate sift is due to take place week commencing 28 September 2026. Interviews are due to take place week commencing 12 October 2026

Whilst we will endeavour to provide some flexibility with regards to dates wherever possible, it is unlikely that we will be able to offer an alternative date once an appointment has been scheduled.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) 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.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : DBS People Support Team
• Email : DBSPeopleSupportTeam@dbs.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : DBSPeopleSupportTeam@dbs.gov.uk

Attachments

JD - EO Finance Officer (Financial Accounts) (002) Opens in new window (docx, 520kB)