26.138 SEO Financial Analyst

Job summary

About the Department:

DBS was established under the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 on 1 December 2012, working from two sites, which are Liverpool and Darlington. We operate on behalf of government delivering Disclosure functions in England, Wales, Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man, and Barring functions for England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. We function within a framework of legal and regulatory requirements and that includes work with a range of external organisations including other government departments, regulators, and trade bodies.

We provide a service that enables organisations in the public, private and voluntary sectors to make better informed, safer recruitment and other decisions. We do this by providing information to enable them to determine whether individuals are unsuitable or unable to undertake certain work, particularly with occupations involving regular contact with vulnerable groups, including children.

Our Strategy:

Our current Strategy sets out our purpose, vision, and the impacts we want to achieve. Our strategy was co-created with our staff and has been supported by insight from our various partners, and throughout, you will find our ambitions to be achieved. Everything that we do within DBS, from developing our strategic intent, to the day-to-day operational delivery of our services, is underpinned by constant considerations of safeguarding, quality, sustainability, value for money, and diversity and inclusion. Our strategic objectives aim to enhance our effectiveness, influence, and customer satisfaction while fostering a supportive environment for everyone.

Equality, Diversion, and Inclusion at DBS

DBS is committed to fostering an environment that values individual differences and ensures fair treatment to unlock the full potential of staff and better support customers. Equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are core to driving organisational success and we have developed specific equality objectives for DBS.

Every decision and activity will be considered through an EDI lens, aiming to build an inclusive culture, improve policies and practices, gain external assurances, and become a leading voice of good practice in EDI.

Read More:

For further information, please see below for a collection of DBS strategies and business plans:

• DBS strategies - GOV.UK
• DBS business plans - GOV.UK

Job description

Job Purpose:

The Financial Partnering, Planning and Analysis team (FPP&A) is critical in supporting the medium-term financial planning and financial strategy of the organisation.

As a Financial Analyst your role will be to provide high-quality financial planning, reporting and analytical support to the Financial Planning & Analysis Lead, assisting in the delivery of budgeting, forecasting, financial reporting, product costing and business planning activities, whilst ensuring financial information is accurate, timely and supports effective decision-making across the organisation.

Corporate Duties:

• Support the Finance Planning & Analysis Lead in coordinating the annual budget setting process, ensuring budget templates are issued, completed, and returned in line with agreed timescales.

• Assist in the preparation and consolidation of budget, forecast and medium-term financial planning information, ensuring accuracy, completeness and consistency across directorates.

• Produce routine financial reports, analysis and management information to support reporting requirements for Executive Team, Board, Committees and other stakeholders.

• Support the compilation of monthly management accounts and forecast submissions by working closely with Finance Business Partners and reviewing submissions for completeness and accuracy.

• Maintain reporting schedules and timetables, monitoring progress and following up with stakeholders to ensure deadlines are achieved.

• Assist with the collection, validation and analysis of financial and operational data to support strategic decision-making and business planning activities.

• Contribute to the annual product costing and fee review process by collating financial data, maintaining costing models and supporting the preparation of associated documentation and business cases.

• Support the identification and implementation of process improvements within financial planning and reporting activities, documenting procedures and assisting with testing of new systems or processes.

• Assist in the preparation of information required for internal and external audits, ensuring supporting documentation is complete, accurate and readily available.

• Support year-end activities, including the preparation of working papers and schedules required for statutory accounts and Annual Report and Accounts production.

• Monitor key financial performance indicators and investigate variances, preparing commentary and analysis for review by senior finance colleagues.

• Maintain financial records, process documentation and reporting guidance to ensure compliance with corporate policies and financial regulations.

• Deputise for the Financial Planning & Analysis Lead when required.

• Undertake additional duties appropriate to the role and/or grade.

Person specification

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA

Ability:

• Ability to communicate complex financial matters, including to a non-financial audience
• Proven ability to build effective relationships with colleagues across the organisation and other stakeholders
• Excellent attention to detail, analytical and problem-solving skills
• Effective communicator in person, in writing and in electronic media
• Ability to work flexibly and respond positively to changing business needs

Experience:

• Good people leadership and management skills
• Experience and knowledge of Finance systems, processes, and control environments

Technical:

• Must be a part or fully qualified member of a CCAB accounting body or CIMA or making progress towards the achievement of this

DESIRABLE CRITERIA

Experience:

• Experienced operating in a regulatory agency or non-departmental public body (NDPB)
• Good knowledge of latest accounting standards (IFRS experience and FreM knowledge preferred)

Qualifications

Must be a part or fully qualified member of a CCAB accounting body or CIMA or making progress towards the achievement of this.

Memberships

Must hold an active membership with a recognised CCAB accountancy body or CIMA.

Behaviours

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

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

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £44,221, Disclosure & Barring Service contributes £12,810 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.

Further Information:

To view the DBS Recruitment and On-boarding Privacy Notice, please click the link below:

DBS Recruitment and On-boarding Privacy Notice - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

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 and Experience.

To apply for this role, please 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.

In the event that we receive a large number of applications, the sift pass mark may be raised to progress to interview.

The interview will consist of a panel-based interview via MS Teams.

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

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

In addition, experience-based questions will be asked against the essential criteria.

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

Closing date: 19/10/2026 at 10am

The initial candidate sift is due to take place week commencing 19/10/2026

Interviews are due to take place week commencing 09/11/2026

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

Financial Analyst - DBS Job Description Opens in new window (pdf, 346kB)