CSM - Finance Manager

Job summary

This role sits within the CSM Approvals, Cost, Benefits and Finance team and reports to the Finance, Costs and Benefits Lead. The post holder will manage CSM core finance processes and financial reporting, covering both in-year financial management and Annual Budget Cycle (ABC) activity.

The role provides financial and accounting advice to support compliant, evidence-based financial decision-making and advice across CSM. The successful candidate will work with colleagues across CSM and wider Ministry of Defence finance teams to maintain accurate forecasts, manage financial risks and support advice to senior leaders on the programme’s overall financial position.

The post is suitable for a finance professional who can combine strong financial control, forecasting and reporting discipline with the confidence to advise and challenge stakeholders on financial performance, affordability, risks, underspends and overspends.

CSM is a high priority for the Ministry of Defence and offers substantial exposure to senior level decision-making and therefore offers opportunities for further career development.

The CSM portfolio is recruiting to two-year FTAs, with the possibility of extension subject to business requirements and approvals.

If you are a permanent MOD civil servant and are successful in securing an advertised Fixed-Term Appointment (FTA), it may be possible to agree a Temporary Transfer, subject to the agreement of your current MOD business area. Where a Temporary Transfer is agreed and the post is at a higher grade, any promotion will be temporary, and you will return to your substantive grade at the end of the Temporary Transfer.

Existing Civil Servants from outside MOD and applicants from accredited NDPBs are eligible to apply but will only be considered on a 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, including arrangements regarding grade on return.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week. Part-time and job sharing arrangements may be considered providing that full time hours are covered.

Job description

• Manage key finance processes including forecasting updates, accruals, general ledger activity and financial reporting.

• Provide finance and accounting advice to ensure CSM remains compliant with relevant Ministry of Defence accounting standards, policies and processes.

• Complete finance system actions to support accurate in-year and Annual Budget Cycle forecasts.

• Work jointly with internal workforce planning colleagues to ensure contingent labour and workforce forecasts are accurate and completed to timescales and standards.

• Maintain effective working relationships with local finance and Ministry of Defence Strategic Finance teams, responding to queries, taskings and in-year savings requirements.

• Work across the team to form recommendations for seniors on options for managing potential underspend, and financial risks.

• Support the team in providing financial advice to the Programme Director and Senior Responsible Owner on the programme’s overall financial performance.

• Produce clear, timely and robust financial information, analysis and briefing material for governance and, decision-making boards and senior stakeholder engagement.

Person specification

We are looking for someone who can manage core finance activity, provide clear advice and maintain high standards of financial control. You will be comfortable working with financial data, explaining financial issues to non-finance stakeholders, and supporting decisions where there are competing priorities, pressures or savings requirements.

Essential criteria

• Experience of financial planning, budgeting, forecasting and reporting in a finance or business management environment.

• Ability to manage in-year financial processes, including accruals, forecast updates and ledger-related activity.

• Experience of providing financial advice to stakeholders, including explaining financial information clearly and constructively challenging assumptions.

• Understanding of financial governance, financial controls and compliance with accounting standards, policies and processes.

• Ability to analyse financial performance, identify risks or opportunities, and make evidence-based recommendations.

• Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to work across finance, workforce and programme teams to meet deadlines and build effective relationships between teams.

Qualifications

• Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy

• (CIPFA) or Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) qualification; or

• Willingness to work towards these qualifications

• Experience in a similar finance role.

Desirable criteria

• Experience working with Ministry of Defence financial processes, Planning, Budgeting and Forecasting activity, or equivalent public sector finance processes.

• Experience supporting senior leaders with financial advice, briefings, or governance reporting.

• Experience working with workforce or contingent labour forecasting.

Technical skills and professional framework alignment

The role has been QA checked against the MOD Finance Competence Framework. For a C1 / SEO-level Finance Manager, the strongest fit is Practitioner level capability in the core finance management competencies, with working-to-practitioner capability in supporting areas where relevant to the role.

Framework area

Expected level

Why it matters for this role

Evidence candidates may show

Competence 1 - Understanding the Principles of Government Finance

Working / Practitioner

Supports understanding of the wider government finance cycle from planning through to reporting.

Explaining how financial forecasts, controls and reporting support public value and senior decision-making.

Competence 2 - Financial Governance

Practitioner

Central to compliance with MOD accounting standards, policies, delegations and controls.

Applying policy, advising budget holders and ensuring finance activity is compliant and auditable.

Competence 3 - Financial Planning

Practitioner

Directly linked to PB&F, Annual Budget Cycle activity and forecast accuracy.

Preparing, coordinating or assuring budgets and forecasts across a business area.

Competence 4 - In-Year Financial Management

Practitioner

Core to forecasting, accruals, ledger activity, variance analysis and financial reporting.

Managing forecast updates, explaining variances and recommending actions on financial pressures.

Competence 6 - Investment Appraisals

Working

Relevant where advice supports options, affordability and decision-making.

Supporting appraisal of options, affordability or value-for-money considerations.

Competence 11 - Finance Role in Benefits Reporting

Working

Relevant because the team covers approvals, cost, benefits and finance.

Understanding how financial information supports benefits, affordability and programme outcomes.

Behaviours

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

• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace
• Seeing the Big Picture

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £46,040, Ministry of Defence contributes £13,337 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).

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and working from home as part of a non-contractual hybrid working arrangement. All office-based employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in office, subject to site capacity and any required workplace adjustments. Requirements to attend other locations for official business, or work in another MOD workplace, will also count towards this level of office attendance. Applicants can request further information regarding how this and other flexible working arrangements may work in their team from the Vacancy Holder (see advert for contact details). Defence Business Services cannot respond to any questions about working arrangements.

The post does not offer relocation expenses.

External recruits who join the MOD who are new to the Civil Service will be subject to a six-month probation period.

Please Note: Expenses incurred for travel to interviews will not be reimbursed.

Please be advised that the Department is conducting a review of all pay related allowances which could impact on those allowances that the post currently being advertised attracts.

Any move to MOD 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/.

The Ministry of Defence is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for its staff which includes educating them on the benefits of not smoking, protecting them from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke and supporting those who want to give up smoking. Under the Smoke-Free Working Environment policy, Smoking and the use of all tobacco products (including combustible and chewing tobacco products) will not be permitted anywhere in the Defence working environment however some exemptions are in place, please refer to local guidance. The policy is Whole Force and includes all Defence personnel, contractors, visitors and other non-MOD personnel. All applicants seeking, considering, or accepting employment with the Ministry of Defence should be aware of this policy and that it is already in place at a number of Defence Establishments.

MOD Recruitment Satisfaction Survey – We may contact you regarding your experience to help us improve our customer satisfaction. The survey is voluntary and anonymous. You may however be given the opportunity to provide additional information to help us improve our service which includes the collection of some personal data as defined by the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). The MOD Privacy Policy Notice sets out how we will use your personal data and your rights.

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.

Candidates will be required to provide CV details to include job history; qualification details and previous skills and experience.

Candidates will be required to provide a Personal Statement of up to 750 words.

At sift, candidates will be assessed against their CV, Personal Statement and the following Behaviours:

• Delivering at Pace
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Working Together
• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing

In the event of a high number of applications, the sift will be based on the CV, Personal Statement, Delivering at Pace and Seeing the Big Picture only.

At interview, candidates will be assessed against the following Behaviours:

• Delivering at Pace
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Working Together
• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing

Further information:

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.

There may be occasions where it is not practicable or appropriate to interview all DCS candidates that meet the minimum criteria for the job. For example, in certain recruitment situations such as a high volume of applications, seasonal demand, or peak periods, the employer may wish to limit the overall number of interviews offered to both DCS and non-DCS applicants.

As a result of the changes to the UK immigration rules which came into effect on 1 January 2021, the Ministry of Defence will only offer sponsorship for a skilled worker visa under the points-based system, where a role has been deemed to be business critical. This role does not meet that category, and we will not sponsor a visa. It is therefore NOT open to applications from those who will require sponsorship under the points-based system.
Should you apply for this role and be found to require sponsorship, your application will be rejected and any provisional offer of employment withdrawn.

The Ministry of Defence requires all candidates who are successful at interview to declare any outside interests. These declarations will be discussed with successful candidates following the interview process and before a formal offer of employment is made, as some outside interests may not be compatible with MOD civilian roles. This will not, in the majority of cases, prevent employment in MOD, but it is a measure that must be taken to ensure that appropriate mitigations can be put in place to manage any potential, perceived or actual conflicts of interest from the first day of employment.

The Ministry of Defence adopts a zero-tolerance approach to unacceptable behaviours, which includes bullying, harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, and victimisation. You will not be eligible and will not be considered for this post if you have been dismissed from a role for such unacceptable behaviours within the last five years. This will also apply if you resign or otherwise leave a role but, because of an adverse decision, would have been dismissed for gross misconduct had you continued in that employment. Pre-employment checks will be carried out.

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) 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.

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.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 : Matthew Tucker
• Email : Matthew.Tucker114@mod.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : DBSCivPers-ResourcingTeam3@mod.gov.uk

Further information

Please ensure you read the attached candidate information document prior to completing your application. If you are dissatisfied with the service you have received from DBS, or believe that DBS has failed to follow the recruitment process in line with the Civil Service Commission principles of selection for appointment on merit on the basis of Fair and Open competition, you can raise a formal complaint by writing to DBS at the following address: Defence Business Services, Scanning Hub, Room 6124, Tomlinson House, Norcross Lane, Blackpool, FY5 3WP. If after raising your complaint with DBS you remain dissatisfied you can complain directly to the Civil Service Commission at the following address: Civil Service commission, Room G/8, 1 Horse Guards Road, London, SW1A 2HQ Or by email: info@csc.gov.uk.

Attachments

Defence Civil Service Offer Opens in new window (pdf, 1562kB)Candidate Information updated_ Opens in new window (docx, 32kB)Terms and Conditions of Service 1 Opens in new window (docx, 24kB)