Assistant Finance Manager

Job summary

The Government Commercial Function (GCF) is a cross-government network procuring or supporting the procurement of goods and services for the government. Within that sits the Commercial Capability Programme (CCP), which develops commercial and contract management capability across all government departments and is expanding into other public bodies too, making for a unique and exciting opportunity to join the organisation.

Assistant Finance Manager (Faculty)

Role Overview:

The award-winning Commercial and Contracts Capability Team is a division within the Government Commercial Function. It was formed in 2014/15 and was established to ensure all government departments bolstered their commercial and contract management capability to deliver the best value for the taxpayer. The role is based in the finance arm of the Commercial and Contracts Capability Team. This role predominately supports the Faculty Services pillar who are responsible for delivering commercial and contract management training packages to enable specialists to build capability and maximise the value they are getting for contracts in the public sector. The role however is flexible and there will be a need to cross cover equivalent duties within other areas of the finance team when business need permits. This may include for example supporting the People Services pillar who are responsible for providing a commercial specialist recruitment service and administering the pay and benefits of employees in the Government Commercial Organisation.

Job description

Your responsibilities will include:

• Undertake cost recovery – for the pillars that they are responsible for. They will ensure government and wider public sector bodies are billed promptly and accurately. Cost recovery is a critical and major part of the role.
• Query Management - The postholder will follow up on any Cost recovery queries from government departments and strive to recover cash as quickly as possible with Cabinet Office guidelines. They will strive to reduce the value of non-recoverable and drive value for money for the organisation.
• Relationship Building – The postholder will need to establish points of contacts, creating end-to-end processes with key controls and ensuring that information can be validated to recharge departments accurately and within agreed timeframes.
• Month end process – working to tight deadlines to review, analyse, accrue and make accounting adjustments as required to ensure each cost centre in the People Services Directorate reports accurate income and expenditure.
• Internal Reporting – prepare reports and provide commentary on the board pack for areas of responsibility.
• Financial transactions and working with budget holders – undertake accounts payable and accounts receivable transactions, answer finance queries from internal colleagues and explore methods of process improvement to make financial processes slicker and more efficient.
• Budget management and forecasting – lead on budgeting, business planning and forecasting for the organisational pillars that they support. Build positive working relationships with budget holders to advise them of their financial performance so that they can implement corrective action when necessary.
• Compliance – ensure compliance with internal policies & procedures, financial reporting standards, including principles around managing public money and FReM. Answer audit queries as required.
• Governance and financial accountability – conduct data analysis or prepare narrative as required for Customer Board, Oversight Committee or any other governance group as required.
• Deputise for the Finance Manager and/or Deputy Head of Finance – where necessary.
• Undertake any other work and projects, in support of the Capability programme and the Government Commercial Function which is commensurate with the role.

Person specification

Key Skills & Experience:

• Demonstrable experience of working as a senior financial administrator with excellent numeracy skills.
• Demonstrable experience of working in a busy transactional environment with significant elements of finance in the role.
• Demonstrable analytical and data processing skills including a strong grasp of intermediate Microsoft Excel (e.g. lookups, pivot tables, sumif formulas etc.)
• Excellent record keeping abilities and ability to pay close attention to detail even when completing transactional tasks.
• Confident to challenge data quality when information feeds look incorrect.
• Strong organisational skills, ability to manage conflict/ urgent tasks and manage expectations. The ability to remain professional whilst working and delivering at pace and a willingness to meet challenging deadlines.
• High levels of interpersonal skills, ability to build and maintain strong working relationships with stakeholders, demonstrating an ability to engage effectively and influence others.
• Adaptable and resilient, willing to review role and priorities to meet the current and future needs of the organisation.
• A team player, willingness to work collaboratively, reliable and consistent to produce quality outcomes.
• Experience of using own initiative to complete tasks to a high
• Positive attitude and welcomes the opportunity to problem solve.
• A part qualified accountant (awarded by a UK-recognised accountancy body: CIMA, ICAEW, ACCA, CIPFA, ICAS or Chartered Accountants Ireland) or AAT qualified
• AP and AR/ Cost recovery experience (including administering the recharge data and customer queries)
• Experience of using a financial ledger system.
• Experience of succinctly communicating complex financial information to a wide variety of audiences.

Qualifications

A part qualified accountant (awarded by a UK-recognised accountancy body: CIMA, ICAEW, ACCA, CIPFA, ICAS or Chartered Accountants Ireland) or AAT qualified

Behaviours

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

• Changing and Improving
• Communicating and Influencing
• Managing a Quality Service
• Delivering at Pace

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

• Changing and Improving

Technical skills

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

• Technical question covering finance/accounting knowledge
• Technical test covering Excel skills and finance/accounting knowledge

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £37,922, Cabinet Office contributes £10,986 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role.
• An environment with flexible working options.
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity.
• A Civil Service Pension which provides an attractive pension, benefits for dependants and employer contributions of 28.97%.
• A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by one day per year up to a maximum of 30.

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, Experience and Technical skills.

Application process

At application you will be required to provide:

• A CV. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
• A personal statement detailing how you meet the key skills criteria (500 words max).
• Written evidence of the lead criteria of Changing and Improving for this role (250 words maximum). Please make your examples as relevant as possible to the role

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be undertaken using the lead Behaviour, Changing and Improving. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.

Selection process

During the interview you will be assessed against the listed behaviours, strength based questions and technical skills;

• Technical test covering Excel skills and finance/accounting knowledge
• Technical question covering finance/accounting knowledge

Expected timeline (subject to change)
Expected sift date – w/c 26/01/2026
Expected interview date/s – w/c 09/02/2026
Interview location - Your interview will either be conducted face to face or by video. You will be notified of the location if you are selected for interview.

Reasonable adjustments

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 cabinetofficerecruitment.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 an interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

Further Information

Please note terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.

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

Any move to Cabinet Office 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

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 or Disclosure Scotland 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

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.

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.

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

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).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 : Vanicha Mudoo
• Email : Vanicha.mudoo@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : cabinetofficerecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Further information

If you feel that your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and wish to make a complaint, then in the first instance you should contact Government Recruitment Service at: cabinetofficerecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Attachments

Cabinet Office Employee Offer Opens in new window (pdf, 344kB)Cabinet Office Terms and Conditions - External Opens in new window (pdf, 82kB)