Financial Control Officer (SEO)

Job summary

We are looking for individuals who are enthusiastic, self-starters who will thrive in a fast-paced and dynamic work environment. The role will provide lots of opportunity for both personal and professional development in an innovative organisation at the heart of Government.

The Finance Control Team is responsible for developing strategies, policies and processes governing financial transactions; ensuring they remain fit for purpose and meet OneGov’s (part of the Cabinet Office family) needs. This central expertise supports various business areas within the Department; delivering services to an ever-changing business and making the best use of technologies to drive continuous improvement and customer service excellence.

The aim is to facilitate correct and fully evidenced Cabinet Office transactions, reporting, to facilitate correct accounting VAT treatment for Cabinet Office transactions for both; Accounts payable (AP) and Accounts Receivable (AR).

This role requires the post holder to ensure VAT is correctly accounted for in the General Ledger and to assist with the monthly VAT Returns are complete and accurate. It requires the post holder to regularly assess financial performance against key performance indicators, review journals to ensure they are fully evidenced, ensure account code reconciliations are fully maintained, and support the Head of Financial Control. The post holder will play a key role in developing a deserved reputation for excellent customer service.

Your technical knowledge and ability to work constructively with wider Cabinet Office teams will make you a valued contributor to ensuring the financial records are correct and evidenced, driving continuous improvements to the Financial Accounts accuracy and audit process.

This post holder will need to establish and develop effective working relationships with a number of stakeholders, including the Finance Business Partners, Customers, Shared Service Centre (SSCL), Internal and External Audit.

Job description

Key Responsibilities

Support the Head of Financial Control

• Supporting the Head of Financial Control as required, including assisting with Year End financial tasks in a timely and organised manner. This may include coordinating with teams involved in year-end preparation, liaising with business areas and coordinating responses.
• Carry out monthly balance sheet reconciliations. Investigate any anomalies identified and ensure that they are addressed.
• Support with NAO or GiAA audits and support the production and collation of any working papers for external and internal resolution of audit issues.
• Support staff with training to equip staff to implement efficient and effective processes, controls and governance.

VAT Support

• Review the General Ledger to ensure VAT has been accounted for correctly, before agreeing the final position and prepare correction VAT journals.
• Review the monthly VAT reconciliation prepared by the Shared Service Centre (SSCL) to ensure completeness and accuracy, taking appropriate action to resolve any queries.
• Assist with the completion of the Monthly VAT Return for submission to HMRC and any subsequent monthly payment due to HMRC.
• Assist in preparing responses to HMRC for any requests for information or audit queries.
• Respond to VAT questions from business areas and seek further advice from line management or MOJ Tax Centre of Excellence where required.
• Ensure all VAT claimed is maintained on a separate ‘Year to Date’ file and reconciled to the VAT returns submitted to HMRC. Ensure correct and consistent VAT treatment and adequate VAT records maintained.
• Maintain the Procurement Category and Cost Centre listing

Journal Assurance

• Review Cabinet Office journals to ensure they are fully supported by correct and suitable evidence.
• Provide challenge, advice and direction to journal preparers where necessary, to ensure the supporting workings are clear and evidenced for ease of audit. Be the champion for continuous improvement.
• Supporting the production of the year-end accounts for Cabinet Office, by ensuring all journal queries have been actioned in accordance with the year-end timetable.
• Assist team finance reconciliations as required, e.g. checking accruals evidence to support journals, preparing / reviewing account code reconciliations (i.e. G/L entries are supported by valid transactions).

Key Performance Indicators

• Responsible for production and review of monthly key performance indicators. This includes monthly KPIs requested for wider Government review, CO Corporate scorecard KPI submission, internally generated dashboard preparation to monitor, report to Senior Management and initiate process improvements or transaction investigations to drive improvements.

The post holder may be required to undertake additional responsibilities as expected in relation to the role and grade but full training will be given.

Person specification

Qualifications

You must hold a professional finance qualification (CCAB, CIMA or equivalent.) and must be evidenced in the qualifications section of your application.

Knowledge and skills criteria

• Strong technical competence over a range of financial disciplines including VAT and Balance Sheet reconciliations,
• Professional credibility through the ability to apply high-quality financial insight in the business context
• Good relationship management and influencing skills
• Well-developed communication and presentational skills
• Ability to work flexibly and adapt to changing priorities, whilst adhering to strict deadlines.
• You will have strong excel and data analysis skills combined with a clear understanding of how this should be applied for the benefit of the organisation are needed to succeed in the role.
• Problem solving ability; to identify problems, provide solutions and implement them.
• You will have an eye for detail and continuous improvement, be motivated and able to redesign processes and approaches to drive improvement.
• Play a key role to upskill colleagues on policy, processes and systems.
• You will have the ability to gain high levels of credibility with senior colleagues and stakeholders, which will influence decision-making. They will be able to analyse and communicate complex financial information in a clear and understandable way to colleagues who are both financially and non-financially literate.
• Ability to effectively work as part of a team, and to take responsibility for your own area of work.

Additional information:

Cabinet Office policy is that a minimum 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace. For some roles, due to their nature and the business need, this may be up to 100%. Requirements to attend other locations for official business will also count towards this level of attendance.

Qualifications

You must hold a professional finance qualification (CCAB, CIMA or equivalent.) and must be evidenced in the qualifications section of your application.
Or working towards qualification with CCAB, CIMA or equivalent and with significant financial experience.

Behaviours

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

• Managing a Quality Service
• Changing and Improving
• Delivering at Pace

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £45,292, Cabinet Office contributes £13,121 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 which provides an attractive pension, benefits for dependants and employer contributions of 28.97%.
• A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by one day per year up to a maximum of 30.

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.

Application process

Behaviours

The Civil Service Behaviour’s will be used in sifting and interview process and will be scored. The Civil Service Behaviour’s which are crucial for this role include:

• Managing a Quality Service
• Changing and Improving
• Delivery at Pace

As part of the application process, you are asked to provide a CV, setting out your career history, experience and achievements and qualifications (this will be used in sifting process and will be scored).

You are also asked to provide a Statement of Suitability (no more than 750 words). This should outline how you consider your skills, experience and achievements and provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the job description, knowledge and skills criteria outlined.

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to the interview. If there are a large number of applicants an initial sift will take place on the CV and Statement of Suitability.

Interview

All candidates who are successful at the sift stage will progress to the interview and will be assessed against a mixture of behaviour, experience and strength based questions.

Expected timeline

Expected sift date – [TBC]

Expected interview date/s – [TBC]

Interview location - Your interview will either be conducted face to face or by video. You will be notified of the location if you are selected for interview.

Reasonable Adjustment

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

Contact Government Recruitment Service via cabinetofficerecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section in the ‘Additional requirements’ page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

Please note terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.

Further Information

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

Any move to Cabinet Office 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; for further information visit the Childcare Choices website.

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service/Disclosure Scotland on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email Info@disclosurescotland.co.uk

Please note that this role requires CTC clearance, which would normally need 3 years’ UK residency in the past 3years. This is not an absolute requirement, but supplementary checks may be needed where individuals have not lived in the UK for that period. This may mean your security clearance (and therefore your appointment) will take longer or, in some cases, not be possible.

Please be aware the levels of national security clearance are changing which may impact on the level needed for this role by the time of appointment. All efforts will be made to keep candidates informed of any changes and what that will mean in terms of vetting criteria. For more information please See our vetting charter.

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the Demystifying Vetting website.

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5-year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

Feedback

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 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.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.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 : Simon McCall
• Email : simon.mccall@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
• Telephone : 07391409709

Recruitment team

• Email : cabinetofficerecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Further information

Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. If you feel that your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and wish to make a complaint, then in the first instance you should contact Government Recruitment Service by email at : cabinetofficerecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, then you can contact the Civil Service Commission at info@csc.gov.uk. For further information on the Recruitment Principles and bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission, please visit their website at: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/.

Attachments

Cabinet Office Employee Offer Opens in new window (pdf, 302kB)Cabinet Office Terms and Conditions - External 2025-02-20 Opens in new window (docx, 94kB)