Financial Strategy Lead

Job summary

Financial Strategy sits at the heart of organisational decision making and straddles finance and policy communities. The team works closely with UKHSA Senior leaders to protect the Accounting Officer in accordance with Managing Public Money.

The post holder will be required to forge strong and influential relationships with both internal and external stakeholders, including strategy, policy, HR, commercial and operational colleagues.

The post holder will need to work across the organisation at all stages of policy development and delivery, ensuring cohesive organisational strategic decisions and investment approval, and compliance with delegated authority.

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.

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

Job description

As part of the main duties, you will be expected to:

• be a trusted expert on Organisational and Cross Government Spending controls. Add insight to evidence-based decision making, ensuring the financial position and implications of policy options are clear, and financial risks understood. Challenge, seek assurance and provide recommendations on value for money and return on investments.
• Provide strategic financial advice to inform Ministers, Senior Officials, and decision-making bodies on the financial position and the policy and operational choices.
• Keep the Accounting Officer safe by ensuring they can justify and defend the use of public funds to Parliament. Lead financial clearance of ministerial submissions, ensuring affordability and value for money, alignment with strategic priorities and effective consideration of Accounting Officer assessment criteria.
• Lead on securing budget settlements and supporting business planning activities. This may include forecasting and modelling.
• Develop strong, collaborative relationships with DHSC finance and policy teams and contribute to the monthly and quarterly sponsorship accountability governance processes, understanding and considering the Departmental position and risks.
• The role also includes working closely across the finance function on annual budgeting process to ensure the organisation’s financial and budget planning aligns with the departmental strategy and is reflected on UKHSA financial systems
• Represent UKHSA in cross-government engagement including HM Treasury, Cabinet Office and Other Government Departments to inform cross-cutting strategic policy decisions and financial affordability of emerging government priorities.
• Own the relationship with HM Treasury, enabling them to conduct reviews, assurance and approval's effectively and ensure all HM Treasury stipulated conditions are met.
• Lead on financial reviews of the organisation with senior stakeholders.
• Providing coaching and feedback proactively to identify gaps in the financial knowledge of the business.
• Horizon scanning to identify potential issues and helping Directorates develop solutions.

This is not an exhaustive list.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

• Strategy or policy experience in a complex organisation.
• Strong stakeholder management skills - this includes the ability to build positive and collaborative working relationships at all levels.
• Strong communication skills. In particular, around influencing policy and strategy teams to improve value for money.
• Confident challenging stakeholders to ensure a quality outcome.
• Comfortable advising senior people about difficult business decisions, often with very tight deadlines.
• Ability to work collaboratively across business areas to deliver organisational objectives.
• Have knowledge of financial frameworks and budget setting
• Able to demonstrate financial and budget planning experience using finance systems, development of and administration using budgeting tools
• Able to demonstrate experience of the maintenance of over-arching budget control schedules across a similar organisational environment
• Track record of delivering across multiple projects and under pressure. Ability to maintain resilience and a can-do attitude, in a very fast paced environment.
• Good numeracy skills – including being able to interpret and analyse, and clearly communicate financial data.
• High level of proficiency with Microsoft Excel and proficiency with other Microsoft tools (Word, PowerPoint).

Desirable role criteria:

• Drafting Briefings for senior stakeholders.
• Experience of financial forecasting, analysis and modelling

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £56,185, UK Health Security Agency contributes £16,276 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 and strengths.

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:

• an application form (‘Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application)
• a 750 word supporting statement

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

Please note you will not be able to upload your CV. You must complete the application form in as much detail as possible. Please do not email us your CV.

The Application form and supporting statement will be marked together.

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

Only those meeting all essential criteria will be taken through to shortlisting.

Shortlisting: In the event of a large number of applications we will shortlist on:

• Strategy or policy experience in a complex organisation
• Strong stakeholder management skills - this includes the ability to build positive and collaborative working relationships at all levels

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

Please do not exceed 750 words. We will not consider any words over and above this number.

Feedback will not be provided at this stage.

Stage 2: Interview

You will be invited to a face to face interview at our Canary Wharf offices. In exceptional circumstances, we may be able to offer a remote interview.

Behaviours and strengths will be tested at interview.

You will be required to prepare a 5 minute presentation as part of the interview. The presentation details will be sent to you prior to the interview.

The Behaviours tested during the interview stage will be:

• Seeing the big picture (Lead behaviour)
• Communicating and influencing
• Working at Pace
• Changing and Improving

Interview dates are 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.

Location

This role is being offered as hybrid working based at one of our Core HQ’s in either Leeds or London (Canary Wharf).

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).

Our core HQ offices are modern and newly refurbished with excellent city centre transport link and benefit from benefit from co-location with other government departments such as the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC).

Eligibility Criteria

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

Security Clearance Level Requirement

Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is Security Check clearance. 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 5 years as the role requires Security Check 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.

Salary Guide

• Leeds - Grade 7 (National) £56,185 - £66,581
• London - Grade 7 (Inner) £60,494 - £70,566

Please note: If you are successful at interview, and are moving from another government department, NHS, or Local Authority, the relevant starting salary principles for level transfers or promotions will apply. Otherwise, roles are offered at the pay scale minimum for the grade, but in exceptional circumstances there may be flexibility if you are able to demonstrate you are already in receipt of an existing, higher salary. Pay increases are through the relevant annual pay award for the role and terms.

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.

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 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

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

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 : Jon Payne
• Email : jonathan.payne@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

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