Finance Business Partner (Ref: 17690)

Job summary

This position is based Nationally

Job description

Job Title/ Position Finance Business Partner
Grade SEO (Lateral or on Promotion)
Number of Vacancies 1
Business Group PFI Expiry - Operational Contracts and Change
Directorate Operational Contracts and Change Finance Business Partnering Directorate
Location National
Post Type Permanent
Role Type/ Team Finance

Overview

The Ministry of Justice is responsible for the provision of legal aid, administration of justice through courts and tribunals and detention and rehabilitation of offenders. Within the MoJ, you will provide Finance Business Partnering to senior business leaders responsible for delivery of services across Prison and Probation groups including, but is not limited to, the Youth Custody Service, Rehabilitation Services, Contracted out Services and Change Portfolios. Our business colleagues operating within His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (an Agency within the MoJ), are highly committed professionals who seek to protect the public and rehabilitate offenders.

More information can be found at: www.justice.gov.uk

There is one SEO, Finance Business Partnering role available within the Finance Business Partnering Group supporting the Operational Contracts and Change Portfolios.

As a Finance Business Partner, you will be a key member of the finance group, working with other members of the team, wider MoJ Finance colleagues and key stakeholder from the Business Area we support.

The post is part of a small geographically disbursed finance team.

Role Summary

Finance Business Partnering SEOs are responsible for building strong relationships with their directorate, understanding the business, and explaining financial information for budget holders in an understandable manner.

The SEO Finance Business Partner (FBP) – PFI Expiry will play a critical role in providing financial leadership, insight, and support to the PFI expiry process within the Contracted-Out Services and Change Portfolios. This role ensures robust financial evaluation, risk management, and decision support for key stakeholders involved in transitioning PFI contracts to Manage and Maintain operating models.

The post holder will work closely with competition, commercial, legal and BAU teams to drive financial sustainability and value for money while ensuring compliance with HM Treasury (HMT) guidance and MoJ financial policies.

Typical Role Responsibilities

SEO FBPs are developing expertise and responsible for building strong relationships and understanding the business within a directorate or possibly supporting a lower risk Director led unit. They aim to communicate financial data and other information clearly and provide valuable financial advice, challenge and support, strategic insight, and business solutions.

As a Finance Business Partner, you will need to understand the PFI Expiry business area that you support and the way they operate. You will build trust with the SRO and decision makers so that your advice is actively sought.

You will have a level of authority and respect to proactively influence decision making and help drive continuous improvement in the finance ITT (Invitation to Tender) and ISFT (Invitation to Submit Final Tender) documents. In conjunction with the Lead FBP, you will be in charge of the preparation and customisation of the Tender financial documents. You may be required to specifically take ownership of the Finance Review Template (FRT) and to review and adapt it to the particulars of each prison in scope for upcoming competitions. You may work extensively with the finance and commercial BAU teams to ensure the FRT is aligned with the contract Payment Mechanism and satisfies the BAU requirements.

As FBP in the PFI expiry group, you will be an integral part of the evaluation of the finance submissions from bidders, ensuring bidders’ cost modelling is robust and sustainable and that submissions are fully transparent and unambiguous. You may also become involved in Abnormally Low Tender investigations.

You will be the financial advisor to a range of commercial and competition colleagues. You may be required to help develop business cases or to help demonstrate value for money. At all times you will be upholding the integrity of financial management in the public sector and the need to ensure value for money for the taxpayer. You will be a trusted adviser to stakeholders, providing support and independent challenge.

You may become involved in developing and managing financial plans related to PFI expiry. This may include monitoring and reporting on financial performance against budgets and forecasts.
This role will build on your experience of finance fundamentals and provide the opportunity to help in managing finance and supporting delivery.

The post holder will be required to work in a flexible way and undertake any other duties reasonably requested by line management which are commensurate with the grade and level of responsibility of this post. This may also include working closely with other MoJ Finance staff to develop solutions/problem-solve, engaging in project work to drive finance improvements.

Travel

In addition to the standard expectations for hybrid working, there will be some ad-hoc travel required to other locations to attend some team and stakeholder meetings in person.

Role Responsibilities/Tasks

• Developing an understanding of the business, its stakeholders, and deliverables
• Building and maintaining relationships with customer budget holders
• Providing advice on compliance with policy, standards, accountabilities, and controls
• Translating, owning, and adding insight to financial data to provide clear information and evidence to support business activities and requirements
• Providing guidance at appropriate level budget holder meetings and boards
• Reviewing and providing input to business cases/ strategic documentation
• Identifying and applying relevant costs, benefits, and investment appraisal techniques
• Providing relevant coaching and training to the business
• Providing ad-hoc analysis and presentations to drive and support business decisions, such as efficiency and cost reduction options, using all available data and analytics tools
• Preparing and customising financial documentation for the ITT and ISFT competition stages
• Taking ownership of the Finance Review Template (FRT), incorporating all required changes for specific competitions and aligning with BAU requirements
• Participating in tender evaluations as a finance evaluator after receiving the required training
• Participating in building and presenting finance cases
• Identifying continuous improvement opportunities and ensuring they are acted upon
• Working with budget holders to develop robust budget plans and monitor those plans.

Interpersonal Skills

• Possesses emotional intelligence and can think empathetically, considering the strategic goals of others
• Fosters a culture of knowledge sharing and collaboration between the business, finance, and other corporate services
• Can tailor their communication style to a range of audiences, including internal and external stakeholders
• Uses facts and evidence to aid negotiation and influencing
• Helps others to understand the interdependencies between business and finance
• Proactive and passionate, inspiring others to continuously improve
• Ability to "speak the language" of finance to business, and vice versa, acting as the critical translator between the two

Professional Skills

Key for Levels of Professional Skills
• A = Awareness
• W = Working
• P = Practitioner
• E = Expert

Core Level
Budgeting, forecasting, and costing P
The Budgeting Framework W
Commercial acumen W
Investment appraisal and evaluation W
Strategic analysis and insight A
Oral and written presentation skills E
Performance and risks W
Data and analytics interpretation P
Useful Level
Taxation A
Interpretation of accounts A
Government financial reporting A
Supporting the PAC agenda A
Understanding the role of the NAO A
Risk management and fraud A

Qualifications

You will be a full member of a professional accountancy body (CCAB or CIMA) or be willing to work towards the qualification.

An allowance will apply for fully qualified members of a professional accountancy body (CCAB or CIMA). The allowance is non-contractual and subject to annual review.

Application process

You will be assessed against the Civil service success profiles framework

Behaviours

Please provide examples of how you have met each of the behaviours below:
• Communicating and Influencing (Lead)
• Working Together
• Managing a Quality Service
• Seeing the Big Picture

Experience

In addition to Civil Service Behaviours identified above, please provide:

• Statement of Suitability of no more than 500 words demonstrating how you are suitable for this role, with reference to the professional skills outlined above, in particular at practitioner and expert level.
• CV (anonymised)

If we receive a large volume of applications, we will conduct an initial sift on the lead behaviour, Communicating and Influencing and the Statement of Suitability.

Interview Stage

Candidates who are successful following the sift process will be invited to a virtual interview.

At interview you will be assessed on behaviours (listed above) and strengths. You will also be asked to deliver a 5-minute presentation on a pre agreed topic that will be shared in advance of the interview. Further details will be provided to shortlisted candidates in advance of the interviews.

Person specification

Please refer to Job Description

Qualifications

Please answer 'yes' to meeting the qualification requirements if you are either:

1) Qualified and full member of a professional accountancy body (CCAB or CIMA) or
2) willing to work towards the qualification/membership.

If you are answering yes to option 2, please upload a note indicating your willingness to work towards the qualification.

Behaviours

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

• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Managing a Quality Service
• Seeing the Big Picture

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £42,914, Ministry of Justice contributes £12,432 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Access to learning and development
• A working environment that supports a range of flexible working options to enhance your work life balance
• A working culture which encourages inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
• Annual Leave
• Public Holidays
• Season Ticket Advance

For more information about the recruitment process, benefits and allowances and answers to general queries, please click the below link which will direct you to our Candidate Information Page.

Link: https://justicejobs.tal.net/vx/candidate/cms/About%20the%20MOJ

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.

https://justicejobs.tal.net/vx/candidate/cms/About%20the%20MOJ

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.

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 : SSCL Recruitment Enquiries Team
• Email : moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@resourcing.soprasteria.co.uk
• Telephone : 0345 241 5359

Recruitment team

• Email : moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@resourcing.soprasteria.co.uk

Further information

Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. If you feel a department has breached the requirement of the Recruitment Principles and would like to raise this, please contact SSCL (Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com) in the first instance. If the role has been advertised externally (outside of the Civil Service) and you are not satisfied with the response, you may bring your complaint to the Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages: http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/civil-service-recruitm…

https://jobs.justice.gov.uk/careers/JobDetail/17690?entityId=17690