G6 - Head of Strategic Finance

Job summary

The Insolvency Service is a leading Government agency which plays a crucial role in providing essential services to the public and to business. The work we do is important to the proper functioning of markets, the economy in general and support for thousands of people each year who are in financial difficulty.

Inclusive and diverse teams are important to us. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including groups underrepresented in our workforce. The Insolvency Service strives to ensure that the agency is a safe, inclusive, and welcoming place for everybody to bring their true self to work and to help the agency to achieve its diversity objectives. We have 9 active employee network groups available to join or become an ally, these include, Carers Network, Disability network group, Employee Assistance, Representatives, FACES Network Group, LGBT+, Mind Matters, Part Time Workers, The Shed - Men’s Network Group and Women’s Network Group.

The Insolvency Service is recruiting a G6 Head of Strategic Finance to provide senior leadership within the Finance, Commercial, Sustainability and Property (FCSP) Directorate. Working to the FCSP Director, the postholder will co‑lead the Agency’s Finance Function alongside the Head of Core Finance, championing strong financial management and influencing strategic decision making across the organisation.

They will oversee five key areas—Finance Business Partnering for operations and corporate centre directorates and for Strategic Projects and National Interest Cases, Financial Planning, Management Accounting, Fee Reviews and Benefits Management—ensuring robust financial governance, long‑term sustainability, and value‑for‑money outcomes.

The role is central to shaping the Agency’s financial strategy and requires close collaboration with operational, analytical, and cross‑government stakeholders to provide financial information for decision making, support fiscal events and maintain effective financial performance.

We offer full-time, part-time, job share and flexible ways of working. We value capability, technical skills and experience and we place great emphasis on lifetime development to support our people. We encourage our employees to become more involved in areas they feel strongly about, whether it be for the benefit of the agency, though our Engagement network or in their own local communities via volunteering opportunities.

The Insolvency Service is a great place to work, learn and grow your career!

Job description

This is a pivotal senior role within the Finance Directorate, offering significant exposure to the Executive Leadership Team and the Insolvency Service Board. The postholder will lead the Agency’s internal financial management and strategic planning processes, oversee financial reporting, shape the financial frameworks that support major change and transformation initiatives and act as Senior Responsible Officer (SRO) for high priority transformation projects. As part of the senior leadership team, the role also contributes to the wider management of the Finance Function and plays an active role within the Government Finance Profession.

The Head of Strategic Finance is responsible for:

• leading the Agency’s approach to spending reviews and fiscal events, overseeing business planning cycles, and ensuring long term financial sustainability

• providing leadership across five specialist finance areas: Finance Business Partnering for core operations and corporate centre directorates and Strategic Projects & National Interest Case, Financial Planning & Analysis, Management Accounting, Fee Reviews, and Benefits Management

• acting as a senior financial adviser, offering insight, challenge, and expert recommendations to directors and senior leadership teams

• overseeing internal financial management, strategic planning, and reporting to internal stakeholders and external funding partners, ensuring clarity, accuracy and alignment with organisational priorities

• driving strong financial governance and assurance, ensuring compliance with government financial standards and supporting effective decision making

• building and maintaining strategic relationships with HM Treasury, DBT, and other key stakeholders to support effective financial stewardship and influence cross government outcomes

• leading the review and implementation of updated Agency fees to ensure financial sustainability, including coordinating required legislation and IT system changes.

Responsibilities

1.Strategic Leadership

• Lead four specialist finance teams, driving high performance, capability development and strong financial governance.
• Provide strategic financial advice to the Executive Team, offering insight and challenge to inform decision making.
• Shape and promote a long term, forward-looking financial strategy aligned to organisational priorities and sustainable delivery.

2. Business As Usual (BAU) Finance Business Partnering

• Lead internal budget management, forecasting and financial risk oversight across the organisation.
• Ensure high quality financial advice supports operational and strategic decisions.
• Drive value for money through robust challenge and evidence-based forecasting.
• Lead financial appraisal of new initiatives, ensuring affordability and clarity of financial implications.
• Provide financial modelling and support for procurement, contract renewals and commercial activity.

3. Project Finance & National Interest Case Business Partnering

• Oversee a team responsible for supporting the financial management and reporting for major transformation programmes and National Interest Cases (NICs).
• Drive forecast accuracy, high quality reporting and strong guidance on government finance processes.
• Oversee development of business cases in line with the Green Book, providing specialist accounting advice.
• Provide senior assurance over programme financial governance, ensuring risks, assumptions and benefits are clearly articulated.

4. Benefits Management

• Lead the organisation’s approach to identifying, modelling, tracking and reporting benefits and efficiencies.
• Ensure confirmed benefits are embedded into budgets, forecasts and long term financial plans.
• Champion continuous improvement and efficiency across programmes.
• Align benefits realisation processes with strategic planning and business change activity.

5. Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A)

• Lead development of the organisation’s financial strategy and analytical outputs.
• Oversee management reporting, including monthly and quarterly reporting to the Executive Committee and Board, management accounts aligned to Government Accounting Principles, and dashboards and statutory reporting for DBT and Companies House.
• Lead annual budget setting, scenario modelling and long-term financial planning.
• Oversee planning and delivery of fiscal events, including spending reviews.
• Ensure financial insights clearly articulate performance, risks and opportunities.

6. Fee Review Implementation

• Identify where the Agency’s fees and charges need to change to maintain the final health of the organisation.
• Lead the work to implement new fee levels, including coordinating development and laying of underpinning legislation and changes to IT systems.

7. Project Senior Responsible Officer (SRO)

• As an SRO you will be accountable for ensuring a project meets its objectives, delivers expected benefits, and remains aligned with organisational priorities, providing strategic leadership, decision‑making, and overall governance throughout the project’s lifecycle.

8. External Funding & Stakeholder Management

• Oversee monthly financial submissions to DBT and other funding partners.
• Maintain strong financial relationships with DBT, Companies House, HMRC (National Insurance Fund), and HM Treasury.
• Ensure financial plans reflect external funding requirements, income forecasts and funding constraints.

Please note that the organisation is currently undergoing a period of change and development. As a result, aspects of the role - including responsibilities, team structures, and management arrangements - may evolve over time. The successful candidate should therefore be adaptable and open to change, with a willingness to help shape the role as the team and organisation continue to develop.

Person specification

This role requires an individual who is an outstanding leader who can quickly grip and deliver their leadership responsibilities, build highly effective teams and influential relationships with the ability to collaborate effectively and work with a very broad collection of internal and external stakeholders.

The successful candidate will:

• have strong technical accounting and financial management skills that can be applied to the Agency’s complex financial frameworks and mix of funding streams, including Grant in Aid and income from fees and charges
• have experience of supporting the delivery of the strategic direction of a complex organisation with the ability to confidently, clearly and credibly influence stakeholders and decision makers
• have an understanding of developing technologies and shared service provision
• have strong leadership skills, and the ability to motivate and develop themselves and staff whilst leading through periods of change
• be able to bring strategic analytical rigour coupled with pragmatic problem solving
• be able to bring business insight to address ambiguity in complex financial situations and a capacity to drive innovative approaches through to implementation
• be able to successfully build and maintain broad diverse networks and relationships, using communication and collaboration skills to challenge assumptions, negotiate and influence decisions

Essential Criteria

• have an outstanding track record in leading teams of multiple discipline finance professionals in a fast-paced environment and managing competing priorities
• have experience leading a project or change initiative, with responsibility for developing the strategic rationale and overall project delivery, including, overseeing project governance, project deliverables, project milestones, resourcing, plans and budget management.

Essential Additional Requirements

• Full Professional CCAB/CIMA qualification with significant post qualification experience

• CCAB or CIMA membership

Please note: This vacancy is advertised across 11 locations; however, Stratford and Croydon are only available to current Insolvency Service Staff. The advertised salary includes London weighting, which is only applicable to internal candidates.

Further Information

We welcome applications for job share arrangements and all requests will be considered in line with our operational needs. The post is full time and requires Monday–Friday coverage, job-share arrangements are viable if two successful candidates can jointly meet the full time requirements.

In order to assist you in making your decision in whether to apply, we will be holding 3 drop-in sessions where you will be able to hear more about what our finance teams do, who we are as a government agency and what it is like to work in the Insolvency Service. You can access the sessions from the link below:

The sessions will take place on:

1. Tuesday 14th April at 08:30 am

Microsoft Teams meeting

Join: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/34262874810729?p=Zo8fpb8KNvjwKT2aUA

Meeting ID: 342 628 748 107 29

Passcode: QF7WX9BD

________________________________________________________________________________

2. Monday 20th April at noon

Microsoft Teams meeting

Join: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/35208152807034?p=CDUP2cmKcIvksDnJNz

Meeting ID: 352 081 528 070 34

Passcode: 57CN68mY

________________________________________________________________________________

3. Monday 20th April at 5 pm

Microsoft Teams meeting

Join: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/38043728537986?p=SvItohl60IzmN7o9Jm

Meeting ID: 380 437 285 379 86

Passcode: oV7Cz7EG

________________________________________________________________________________

4. Tuesday 21st April at noon

Microsoft Teams meeting

Join: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/37553841872359?p=zgDEDrnpjxWirzG4sI

Meeting ID: 375 538 418 723 59

Passcode: HC6Y9Ng2

Qualifications

Fully qualified CCAB or CIMA qualified Accountant

Memberships

CCAB or CIMA membership

Behaviours

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

• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £72,113, Insolvency Service contributes £20,891 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

We want you to have a good work-life balance and want to support you in all that you do, so we offer a great benefits package including:

• flexible working arrangements and flexi-time
• full time new entrants to the Civil Service and those Civil Servants on modernised terms and conditions will be entitled to 25 days leave increasing on a sliding scale to 30 days after 5 years’ service
• in addition to this you are entitled to 8 public/bank holidays plus an additional day of privilege leave
• competitive maternity, paternity and parental leave
• 5 days paid leave for learning and development
• 5 days paid for volunteering
• a Cycle to work scheme
• staff have access to an employee assistance programme, Workplace Wellness, for confidential, independent support and advice during difficult times in either their professional or personal life

Your pension is a valuable part of your total reward package where the employer makes a significant contribution to the cost of your pension. Your contributions come out of your salary before any tax is taken. This means, if you pay tax, your take-home pay will not be reduced by the full amount of your contribution; and your pension will continue to provide valuable benefits for you and your family if you are too ill to continue to work or die before you retire. For more information, visit www.civilservicepensionscheme.org.uk

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.

As part of the sift process, you will be asked to complete:

• CV

• Personal Statement

• Behaviours

• Behaviour 1 – Leadership

• Behaviour 2 - Communicating and Influencing

• Behaviour 3 - Making Effective Decisions

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the CV and Personal Statement, assessing candidates against the essential criteria. Only those who meet the essential criteria at this stage will proceed to a full assessment of their application. If a candidate does not meet the minimum requirements during the initial sift, the remainder of their application will not be reviewed. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to interview.

CV Guidance

Your CV should provide a clear overview of your employment history, key responsibilities, relevant qualifications, and the skills and experience you’ve gained throughout your career including any notable achievements.

Note: Your CV will be scored as part of the assessment process and will be assessed against the criteria outlined in the job advert.

Personal Statement Guidance

Your personal statement should be no more than 1250 words and must demonstrate how your personal skills, qualities, and experience align with the requirements of the role. Please ensure your statement references the essential criteria outlined in the person specification.

If successful at the sift stage, at interview, you will be assessed on the following:

Experience

Behaviours

• Behaviour 1 – Leadership

• Behaviour 2 - Communicating and Influencing

• Behaviour 3 - Making Effective Decisions

Expected timeline

Sift – w/c 27/04/2026

Interview – w/c 18/05/2026

Location - MS Teams

Your interview will be conducted by video. You will be notified of this if you are selected for interview. Candidates are asked to note the above timetable, exercising flexibility through the recruitment and selection process.

Visa Applicants

To sponsor a candidate under the Skilled Worker visa, a sponsorship licence is required. The Insolvency Service does not currently hold this licence and therefore, cannot legally sponsor Skilled Worker visa applicants.

Hybrid Working

Insolvency Service operates a hybrid working policy subject to business need, giving people the flexibility to choose when and where they work and collaborate with others.

Individuals are expected to work from one of the office locations stated in the advert to connect with their colleagues, as required by their role and business team needs. There is flexibility to split the working week, spending a minimum of 60% in the workplace, which includes the office, site visits, court etc.

Further Information

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

Any move to Insolvency 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.

This role is full time only. Applicants who wish to work an alternative pattern are welcome to apply however your preferred working pattern may not be available and you should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying.

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 insolvencyrecruitment.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.

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

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

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

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.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 : Chantel Kelly
• Email : chantel.kelly@insolvency.gov.uk

Recruitment team

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

Further information

If you feel there have been procedural irregularities at any stage of the recruitment process or that your application has not been treated in accordance with the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles, and wish to make a complaint, then in the first instance you should contact hr.recruitment@insolvency.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response that you receive you can then contact the Civil Service Commission.

Attachments

Applying for a Job - A Candidate Guide Opens in new window (pdf, 3061kB)Insolvency Service Candidate Information Pack (Sept 2025) Opens in new window (pdf, 6459kB)