Finance Business Partners - Hostile State Threat and Counter Violent Extremist Organisations

Job summary

The Finance Military Operations (FinMilOps) team delivers a finance service that is responsible for providing financial advice, business intelligence, support, and assurance for all aspects of the Cyber & Specialist Operations Command (CSOC) military operational spend against budgets. This includes provision of advice on financial matters across PJHQ and MAB Operations, reaching into Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Business Management functions, and working as part of the CSOC Unified Finance Function.

The Hostile State Threat and Counter Violent Extremist Organisations business-facing Ops SEO roles are responsible for building strong relationships and understanding CSOC military operations spend for a subset of Chief Joint Operations (CJO) or DMAB-owned operations. Working as part of the wider operations team, the post-holders will have an increasingly strong understanding of the business, its stakeholders and deliverables. The post holders will provide advice to operational desks and/or report upwards to ensure financial activity is undertaken in a manner cognisant of available resource, in line with value for money principles and sound financial judgement, and with consideration for speed of relevance and operational security (Op Sec).

The roles involve gathering and communicating financial data and other information clearly and provide valuable financial advice, challenge and support, strategic insight, and business solutions to the operations team. Exercising sound judgement to provide advice, influencing Business areas to make informed decisions, and translating and adding insight to financial data to provide clear information and evidence to support business activities and requirements, whilst preserving operational security.

This includes ensuring appropriate financial and accounting systems and procedures are maintained, and delivering financial scrutiny of expenditure, liaising with other Finance Business Partners (FBPs) to ensure financial information and risks are communicated upwards in a timely way. The roles will also deliver In-Year Management (IYM) and forecasting. Post holders will problem solve and enable operations at the speed of relevance, preserving operational security.

The roles are accountable to the G7 Ops lead and will each manage one HEO grade. The roles will require collaborative working with operational commanders and theatre staff, core FBP teams, FinMilOps core service teams (ops support, permissions and assurance) and business management units.

The post holders will have responsibility for continuous improvement: improving quality of service by proactively identifying opportunities, prioritising changes that will add the most value, and providing relevant financial coaching and training to the business.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.

Job description

Manage operational funding in respect of PJHQ/MAB operations and any other contingent operations arising which are assigned:

• Provide routine reports on the state of financial health for all operations. Scrutinise to ensure the accounts and forecast provides a true & fair reflection of activity conducted within the period.
• Assist in ensuring outturn is within the specified limits approved by HMT through Strat Fin.
• Ensuring that appropriate financial and accounting systems and procedures are maintained and are functioning properly.
• Contribute to the monthly IYM forecast; ensuring input into TM1 the updated Planning Budgeting and Forecasting (PB&F) system meets with the monthly timetable; is robust and that variances over 5% are explained.
• Review and advise on risks identified as part of the forecast process ensuring that they are relevant and are adjusted to reflect changes as appropriate. Keep under review resource-related risk at each location to ensure that sustainment/remediation requirements are identified early and can be addressed as soon as possible to ensure value for money.
• Liaise with the deployed Finance Team to obtain necessary information to enable production of an accurate forecast outturn each month
• Ensuring compliance with MoD and FinMilOps Fin Services specific assurance and governance controls.
• Maintain arrangements for assuring and reporting spend delegated to Commanders in specific regions in relation to low value procurement and T&S.
• Conduct assurance visits and checks when necessary.

Deliver financial scrutiny of expenditure proposals by:

• Ensuring financial scrutiny of expenditure proposals is carried out against the basic criteria of minimum military requirement, propriety, regularity, affordability, and value for money and is compliant with MOD policy and guidelines.
• Assess spend proposals against expenditure plans to ensure that unplanned spend can be accommodated within allocated limits of liability.
• Gather initial evidence for fraud investigations and investigate anomalies.
• Ensure that proper records are kept and that a clear audit trail, including financial appraisals, is maintained for all decisions.

Delivering your area of responsibility

• Management of team members, empowering, motivating and coaching to enable effective delivery.
• Supporting individual’s personal development and careers, ensuring you and the team make time to develop themselves and their peers.
• Being open to challenge and new ideas, sharing of knowledge and experience, encouraging others through building a supportive team environment.
• Ensuring the team are getting the basics right at the first attempt.
• Developing and embedding the use of standardised processes to deliver a consistent output to customers.
• Exercising sound judgement and interpretative ability, and application of innovative thought to derive novel solutions.
• Seeking advice, referring upwards as required, where problems are particularly complex or have wider implications.

Stakeholder engagement

• Act as a Finance Business Partner and gather business information from all Operations, ensuring reporting mechanisms are established and working correctly to inform financial planning and in-year management.
• Form part of the Operations Team (OT) responsible for the day-to-day management of Operations in the region or unit. Provide advice to Ops staff and subordinate organisations to ensure activity is conducted in a manner that is cognisant of available resource, in line with the principles of value for money and sound financial governance.
• Engage with Operational Commanders and Theatre Staff to ensure activities are executed within the extant financial plan and consistent with departmental policy.
• Periodically review MoUs/Technical Agreements with other Nations to ensure that agreed services are being provided and charging mechanisms are in place.

Continuous improvement

• Dedicating time to sharing best practice and ideas for refining standardised processes and procedures.
• Seeking feedback on the services provided, and continuously striving to improve the service provision. Promptly address any key issues that arise ensuring that processes or ways of working are adapted accordingly, and customers are informed where there is an impact.
• Managing issues highlighted during internal or external audit, engaging relevant stakeholders to enable corrective action. Promptly addressing any misinterpretation of guidance, sharing with team members to promote embedding the lesson(s) learnt.

Person specification

Essential

• Finance qualification. Minimum of AAT L4/CIMA certificate (or CCAB equivalent) – either working towards L7 or qualified.
• Recent finance experience over an extended period of time
• Demonstration of excellent interpersonal skills and experience of dealing with people at all ranks and grades
• Strong IT skills
• Developed Vetting (DV) Holder or subject to successful DV process
• Successful applicants will be expected to be in West Brompton on a regular basis. Given the nature of operational requirements, access to classified IT systems and attendance at in person meetings will necessitate time in the office of at least 60% of the week and potentially more as required by business needs.

Desirable

• Working knowledge of PB&F and CP&F finance systems.
• Experience of dealing with military personnel of all ranks and their pay and claims systems.

Behaviours

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

• Leadership
• Changing and Improving
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together

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.

Benefits for MOD civil servants include, but are not limited to:

• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 28.97%
• 25 days paid annual leave rising to 30 days on completion of 5 years’ service
• In addition to 8 public holidays per year you will also receive leave for HM The King’s birthday
• Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption leave
• Special Paid Leave to volunteer up to 5 days a year
• Eligibility for employee discount services
• Free gym access
• Café and shop on site

Learning & Development

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• Professional and Personal Development of skills
• Access to a range of training courses through Civil Service Learning, some free or paid by MOD

Further information:

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.

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 complete an online application, which will include a CV (including job history, details of qualifications and previous experiences and skills)

At sift, you will be assessed against your CV and the following behaviours:

• Leadership
• Changing and Improving
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together

Please note:

• Behaviours. Please carefully study the Applicant Guide in Supporting Documents for details on how to present Behaviours against the specified indicators using the STAR format (Situation, Task, Action, Result). Applications are sifted and marked on this basis.
• Experience. Candidates will be required to provide CV details to include job history; qualification details and previous skills and experience. The Applicant Guide provides details on how best to present this.

In the event of a high number of applicants, the sift will be performed solely on the CV element.

At interview, you will be assessed against your experience and the following behaviours:

• Leadership
• Changing and Improving
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together

Further information:

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

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 developed vetting (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 : RECRUITING-GROUP-MAILBOX-LDN@mod.gov.uk
• Email : RECRUITING-GROUP-MAILBOX-LDN@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

Candidate Information updated_ Opens in new window (docx, 32kB)CSOC Candidate Pack 2025 Opens in new window (pdf, 1777kB)Defence Internal Brief notice Opens in new window (docx, 43kB)EXTERNAL PACK Opens in new window (pdf, 1562kB)