Finance Support Analyst

Job summary

The post holder will work as part of the Public Health Microbiology (PHM) Division to support the Business Manager in delivering finance and administrative support across the division. The role will involve supporting financial management processes, including budget monitoring, invoicing, and procurement activities, as well as contributing to the management of grant-funded projects and commercial contracts.

The post holder will work closely with the Business Manager, Senior Managers, and Finance Business Partner (FBP) to ensure effective financial governance, accurate reporting, and compliance with UKHSA financial policies and procedures.

Working for your organisation

We pride ourselves as being an employer of choice, where Everyone Matters promoting equality of opportunity to actively encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce.

UKHSA ethos is to be an inclusive organisation for all our staff and stakeholders. To create, nurture and sustain an inclusive culture, where differences drive innovative solutions to meet the needs of our workforce and wider communities. We do this through celebrating and protecting differences by removing barriers and promoting equity and equality of opportunity for all.

Job description

• Support the Business Manager and FBP with financial operations, including expenses, invoicing, requisitions, purchase orders, credit notes, overtime claims,and project invoices.
• Process receipting of goods and services on MAPS and ensure accuracy against invoiced payments.
• Assist with budget setting activities and provide administrative support to finance processes.
• Support project financial management, including monitoring expenditure and assisting with forecasting and variance tracking.
• Assist in preparing project costings and submissions to OAGs.
• Produce and validate financial and project data, including ad hoc reporting.
• Support preparation of project documentation and contracts for audit purposes.
• Ensure timely completion of timesheets and financial records.
• Support year-end processes, including accruals and stock-taking.
• Ensure compliance with data protection and information governance policies.
• Support the Business Manager and Finance Business Partner (FBP) as a point of liaison for PHM budget, finance-related queries (including MAPS), and procurement matters.
• Support financial operations, including expenses, invoicing, requisitions, purchase orders, credit notes, overtime claims, and raising project invoices, ensuring all expenditure is in line with UKHSA guidelines.
• Process receipting of goods and services on MAPS in a timely manner and carry out regular checks to ensure accuracy against invoiced payments.
• Provide administrative support to assist the Business Manager in annual budget setting activities with Senior Managers and the finance team.
• Support the preparation of project documentation, including project statements and contracts for audit purposes, through running reports, querying databases, and collating and summarising data from multiple sources.
• Assist with validating quarterly and annual financial and project data and produce ad hoc reports as required.
• Support Project Leads and the FBP in identifying costs and preparing project costings for revenue proposals and submissions to OAGs.
• Provide support to Project Managers by monitoring expenditure, reviewing forecasts and variances, and ensuring spending remains within allocated budgets for externally funded research projects.
• Ensure timesheets are entered accurately and in a timely manner against each project.
• Support year-end financial processes, including accruals, stock-taking activities, and reconciliations.
• Undertake line management responsibilities where applicable, including supporting staff development, training, and recruitment processes.
• Ensure compliance with data protection, confidentiality, and information governance policies.
• Support the effective delivery of financial and administrative processes within the MAPS Admin Team.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

• Proven experience of supporting financial operations (e.g. invoicing, purchase orders, expenses, or reconciliations)
• Experience of data management, analysis and reporting, including use of Excel or similar tools.
• Strong administrative and organisational skills
• Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint)
• Ability to work accurately and maintain confidentiality
• Strong communication and teamwork skills

Desirable role criteria:

• Experience supporting budget management or financial reporting
• Knowledge of MAPS or similar finance systems
• Experience in a similar administrative/finance role

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £32,624, UK Health Security Agency contributes £9,451 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 with an employer contribution of 28.97%

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 and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

Stage 1: Application & Sift

You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on the listed essential criteria and this will be in the form of a :

• Application form (‘Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application)

• 1,200 word Supporting Statement

This should outline how you consider your skills, experience and knowledge provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential criteria.

Healthjobs UK has a word limit of 1, 500 but your supporting statement must be no more than 1,200 words. We will not consider any words over 1,200 words.

You will receive a joint score for your application form and statement. The application form is the kind of information you would put into your CV. Please be advised you will not be able to upload your CV. Please complete the application form in as much detail as possible. Please do not email us your CV.

Longlisting

In the event of a large number of applications we will longlist into 3 piles of:

• Meets all essential criteria
• Meets some essential criteria
• Meets no essential criteria

If used, the pile(s) ‘Meets all essential criteria’ and will proceed to shortlisting.

Shortlisting

In the event of a large number of applications we may conduct an initial sift, on the lead criteria of :

• Proven experience of supporting financial operations (e.g. invoicing, purchase orders, expenses, or reconciliations)
• Experience of data management, analysis and reporting, including use of Excel or similar tools

Desirable criteria may be used in the event of a large number of applications/successful candidates.

If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview.

Feedback will not be provided at this stage.

Stage 2: Interview

You will be invited to a single face to face interview.

If face to face interviews are planned, in exceptional circumstances, we may be able to offer a remote interview.

Behaviours, Strengths and Experience will be tested at interview.

The Behaviours tested during the interview stage will be :

• Managing a Quality Service ( Lead Behaviour )

• Making Effective Decisions

• Working Together

• Delivering at Pace

Candidates will be assessed on their experience of supporting financial operations, including invoicing, purchase orders, reconciliations, data analysis and reporting, and working within a finance or administrative function in a large or complex organisation.

Interviews dates to be confirmed.

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Eligibility Criteria - External

Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including internal applicants).

Location - Colindale

This role is being offered as hybrid working based at one of our Scientific Campuses (Colindale).

We offer great flexible working opportunities at UKHSA and operate using a hybrid working model where business needs allow. This provides us with greater flexibility about how and where we work, to get the best from our workforce. As a hybrid worker, you will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of your contractual working hours (approximately 3 days a week pro rata, (averaged over a month) working at one of UKHSA's scientific campus sites (Colindale).

Based at one of our scientific campuses, you will be required to have a minimum of a Counter Terrorism Check security vetting check as a minimum. For meaningful National Security Vetting checks to be carried out individuals need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time. You should normally have been resident in the United Kingdom for the last 3 years as the role requires Counter Terrorism Check (CTC) clearance. UK residency less than the outlined periods may not necessarily bar you from gaining national security vetting and applicants should contact the Vacancy Holder/Recruiting Manager listed in the advert for further advice.

Future location

UKHSA is investing in a new state-of-the-art National Biosecurity Centre in Harlow, Essex, which will eventually bring together teams currently based at Canary Wharf, Colindale and Porton Down. For more details, please see: Huge biosecurity centre investment to boost pandemic protection - GOV.UK.

The new facilities will start becoming operational in the mid-2030s, with full completion by 2038. Staff will move in phases as facilities become available. If you're appointed to a role currently based at Canary Wharf, Colindale or Porton Down, please note that we'll continue investing in these sites for the next decade. As we get closer to the transition, we'll provide full information about relocation support available to staff.

Security Clearance Level Requirement

Successful candidates must pass a basic disclosure and barring security check before they can be appointed.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is:

• Baseline Personnel Security Standard
• Counter - Terrorist Check

Reasonable Adjustments

The Civil Service is committed to making sure that our selection methods are fair to everyone. To help you during the recruitment process, we will consider any reasonable adjustments that could help you. An adjustment is a change to the recruitment process or an adjustment at work. This is separate to the Disability Confident Scheme. If you need an adjustment to be made at any point during the recruitment process you should contact the recruitment team in confidence as soon as possible to discuss your needs.

You can find out more information about reasonable adjustments across the Civil Service here: https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/reasonable-adjustments/

International Police check

If you have spent more than 6 months abroad over the last 3 years you may need an International Police Check. This would not necessarily have to be in a single block, and it could be time accrued over that period.

Internal Fraud check

If successful for this role as one aspect of pre-employment screening, applicant’s personal details – name, national insurance number and date of birth - will be checked against the Cabinet Office Internal Fraud Hub and anyone included on the database will be refused employment unless they can show exceptional circumstances. Currently this is only for External candidates to the Civil Service.

Careers website

Please visit our careers site for more information https://gov.uk/ukhsa/careers

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 counter-terrorist 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.

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

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 : Recruitment Team
• Email : conny.agyei@ukhsa.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitment@ukhsa.gov.uk

Further information

The law requires that selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles.

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact UKHSA Public Accountability Unit via email: Complaints@ukhsa.gov.uk

If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Visit the Civil Service Commission website: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk

http://www.healthjobsuk.com/vacancy/7988472