Deputy Manager (Finance) PJHQ

Job summary

The Permanent Joint Headquarters (PJHQ) is a 3* led HQ, based at Northwood leading and running overseas operations, and consists of approx. 500 staff; a mix of military and Civil Servants.

The Command Support Group (CSG) within PJHQ is responsible, on behalf of the Chief of Joint Operations (CJO) and the Defence Commitments Management Organisation, for supporting the Command Group, their outer offices and the wider HQ to conduct their critical business.

The Deputy Manager (Finance) PJHQ role will sit within the PJHQ Command Support Group (CSG), part of the Business Management Group (BMG) to deliver business management activities focused on Budget Management and PJHQ Core Finance activities for PJHQ Group.

As the Deputy Manager (Finance), you are responsible for providing advice to PJHQ Group Divisional Budget Holders and Managers on budget management activities. You will provide budget management advice, guiding decision making and upholding principles of propriety and regularity. You will need to be confident in engaging with a diverse workforce of military, civil service, and contractor staff and at senior levels. This will require you to work closely with Cyber & Specialist Operations Command (CSOC) finance teams and CSG business management personnel .

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

Job description

• To get the best out of all resources, including people, for which you have responsibility by encouraging innovation and continuous improvement.
• Responsible for day-to-day management of the resource by effective planning at Accounting Period (AP) 0, and making recommendations to senior leaders.
• Authorising spends against operating budgets in accordance with delegated responsibility.
• Delivering overall budget management oversight, including collation and presentation of information against the forecast of events at meetings and command boards throughout the year.
• Advising and supporting business areas to ensure they understand and comply with financial policies and financial controls.
• Advising divisional Budget Managers (BMs) on financial risks, ensuring they are identified, monitored and managed appropriately.
• Assisting Deputy Assistant Chief of Staff (DACOS) CSG and Head of Business Management Group (Hd BMG) with ad-hoc tasks.
• Assisting Divisional BMs on long-term financial plans (the Annual Budget Cycle) for business areas, in accordance with CSOC technical instructions and timetables.
• Manage effective relationships across business areas through effective communication with multiple stakeholders.
• Support PJHQ BM and personnel with finance related queries (including Contracting, Purchasing and Finance (CP&F), knowing what needs to be redirected and to where.
• Line Management responsibility of 1 x Executive Officer.

Person specification

Have excellent verbal and written communication skills.

• Must be able to work well on their own as well as part of a team.
• Experience with CP&F, Excel and other Microsoft applications
• Experience working in finance
• Be able to work under pressure and to short deadlines
• Be flexible with work priorities when they arise and managing their time.
• Experience working in a fast-paced environment.

This post offers development opportunity in an area where operations, policy and finance meet. It is an interesting and demanding business management post in a busy Operational Headquarters

The ideal candidate will be very well organised and a strong communicator, who is able to quickly build good working relationships with a variety of stakeholders within the organisation and externally, use their initiative to solve problems and can deal with a wide range of people.

Job holders should have an understanding of MOD finance including forecasting, financial planning, governance and transactional processes (invoice payments, accruals, prepayments etc.).

The role requires a high standard of IT skills including the use of Excel and Word.

Behaviours

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

• Managing a Quality Service
• Delivering at Pace
• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £37,720, Ministry of Defence contributes £10,927 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Northwood HQ is a well-served site, offering a variety of facilities such as gym, nursery, salon and local shop. Transport links are good with a regular shuttle service to Moor Park tube station and limited access to free on-site parking (subject to capacity and on first come first served basis). There are several catering options and opportunities to join the Northwood Officers' Mess. As a civil servant, flexible working is encouraged and opportunities for professional and personal development are available and tailored to your role. The Permanent Joint Headquarters promotes and values a culture of inclusion and diversity within its 500 staff of military and civil service personnel. Additional benefits include a Civil Service Pension, and an annual leave allowance starting at 25 days, increasing annually thereafter.

Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working. This is a non-contractual arrangement where all office-based employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in office, subject to capacity and any required workplace adjustments. Requirements to attend other locations for official business, or work in another MOD office, will also count towards this level of attendance. Applicants can request further information regarding how this 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.

To apply, please complete the CV (to include: job history; qualification details and previous skills and experience), personal statement and behaviour templates provided on the CS jobs dashboard, using no more than 500 words for your statement.

The statement should clearly demonstrate your suitability for the role based on the job description and person specification above. It should explain why you want the role and why you think your skills and experiences make you suitable for it.

At sift, you will be assessed against your CV, Statement of suitability and the following:

• Managing a quality service
• Making effective decisions
• Communicating and influencing
• Delivering at pace

If a large volume of applications are received, the sift may be conducted on the basis of the statement and the behaviours for Communicating and Influencing and Delivering at Pace.

At interview, you will be assessed against the following:

• Managing a quality service
• Making effective decisions
• Communicating and influencing
• Delivering at pace

Further details of the interview process will be provided to those candidates in advance of the interview.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview.

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. There is a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. If you need to advise us that you need additional help or reasonable adjustments for the recruitment process, please contact: DBSCivPers-Resourcingteam3@mod.gov.uk .

As a result of the changes to the UK immigration rules which came in to 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.

Cyber & Specialist Operations Command (CSOC) generates and operates specialist capabilities, ready to fight across all domains to make the UK secure at home and strong abroad.

Always on, we are across every UK operation, delivering the capabilities you don’t usually see - or those you can’t.

From cyber warriors and medics to intelligence analysts, special forces, educators, and Defence attachés, our collective expertise delivers the warfighting edge Defence needs to deter threats and secure the nation today and prepare for tomorrow.

CSOC unites Defence’s cyber and specialist capabilities under a single, military command alongside the Royal Navy, British Army, and the Royal Air Force - acting as the UK’s fourth Military Command. For more information, please see here.’

Cyber and Specialist Operations Command (CSOC) is going through a significant transformation programme which aims to design the way in which the new Military Command conducts its business and delivers for Defence and the nation. As a consequence of this, posts within CSOC are/or may become subject to review and potential changes as we continuously improve across the period of the transformation programme. These changes may be minor or could be more substantive and will generate new opportunities. Throughout, the Command’s transformation programme is committed to following the MOD’s framework on managing and supporting people through the change process and places an emphasis on early and open consultation and engagement with the Command’s personnel and Trade Unions.

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a 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

Open to UK nationals only.

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 : Jasveen Bilkhu
• Email : UKStratCom-PJHQ-CSG-HR@mod.gov.uk
• Telephone : 01923955036

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

CSOC Candidate Pack 2025 Opens in new window (pdf, 1777kB)Revised Terms and Conditions of Service Opens in new window (docx, 48kB)MOD Candidate Pack Opens in new window (pdf, 1562kB)Candidate Information 2025 Opens in new window (docx, 31kB)