Head of Finance

Job summary

The Head of Finance is a senior leadership role at the centre of the UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO). As a trusted adviser to the Executive Leadership Team (ELT), Board and the Chief Executive Officer, you will lead the Finance function and operate in a position of significant influence, trust and accountability.

As a qualified and experienced finance professional, you will provide strategic leadership across the organisation for all aspects of finance including financial planning, modelling, budgeting, investment decisions, pricing, cost control, financial reporting, accounting, financial transactions (payroll, billing) and treasury management.

Working closely with senior leaders, you will ensure strong financial management, governance, support effective decision making and help maximise value for the taxpayer.

Hybrid working

This senior leadership role can be worked on a hybrid basis, which is an informal, non-contractual and voluntary arrangement, blending a balance between working at the Taunton office at least 3 days a week with working from home.

Training needs will be identified depending on the previous experience of the successful candidate.

Job description

• Lead the UKHO Finance Function. Provide technical and professional leadership to the UKHO finance team, holding accountability for the strategic consolidated financial position, all routine financial accounting activities (sales, purchases, assets, banking, including the management of Foreign Exchange Risk, and payroll), audit engagements, financial scrutiny and advice, management information and governance.

• Advice, planning and budgeting. Lead the provision of financial advice and modelling to inform future strategy and all management decisions especially those involving investment, budgeting, pricing and future product profitability.

• Financial reporting and in-year management. Lead the provision of management information to aid routine financial monitoring and decision-making.

• Statutory reporting Lead the production of the UKHO annual report and accounts

• Policies, processes and controls. Shape UKHO policies and processes to ensure sound financial management and effective internal controls throughout the organisation.

• Information Assurance. Act as the Information Asset Owner for all UKHO financial information

• Professional engagement. Collaborate with colleagues across the MOD and the Government Finance Profession

Person specification

• Full membership of a recognised UK professional accountancy body (ICAEW, ICAS, CIMA, ACCA, CIPFA)
• Significant experience of leading a finance function at a strategic level.
• Experience of planning, budgeting, financial modelling, in-year management, financial accounting and statutory reporting.
• A strong working knowledge of central government requirements and ideally application of these across different types of Arm’s Length Bodies (e.g. NDPBs, Trading Funds, Executive Agencies, Government Companies etc).
• Credibility, expertise and pragmatism in working with Boards, Non-executive Directors, CEOs, Executive Directors and / or senior managers.
• Ability to communicate technical concepts tailored to different audiences.
• Strong negotiation and influencing skills along with the ability to anticipate and resolve conflict.
• Enthusiastic, experienced and credible leader to help UKHO deliver its ambitious plans for the future.

Behaviours

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

• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions
• Seeing the Big Picture

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £78,600, UK Hydrographic Office contributes £22,770 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).

At the UK Hydrographic Office, it's very important to us that our people feel valued.

We offer a huge range of benefits such as training and development, well-being support, flexible/ homeworking, a fantastic state of the art building, high spec equipment, and so much more.

See our attached Candidate Information Pack for more details.

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.

How to Apply:

When you click "Apply Now" at the bottom of this page, you will be required to attach your anonymised CV for information, together with a 750 word supporting statement on the experience criteria below.

Timeline:

• Advert Closes for applications: 1st November 2026
• Shortlisting: w/c 9th November 2026
• Interviews: w/c 23rd November 2026

We will try to meet the dates set out in the advert. There may be occasions when these dates change. You will be provided with sufficient notice of the confirmed dates.

Lead Criteria:

We have identified a lead criterion for this role, which we may use to differentiate between applications in the following scenarios:

• To conduct an initial-sift in a high volume of applicants (over 20 applications). This would be conducted after the above pre-sift on the mandatory criteria.
• To establish a merit-order in the event of a tie

The lead criteria for this role are identified below.

Pre- Sift Criteria:

• Please confirm that you have full membership of a recognised UK professional accountancy body (this includes ICAEW, ICAS, CIMA, ACCA, CIPFA).

This will be assessed from your CV. If you do not meet this pre-sift criteria, your application will not be taken through to be scored on the Sift/Shortlist Criteria below.

Sift/Shortlist Criteria:

All applications are processed anonymously. You will be short-listed against the following criteria:

• Significant experience of leading a finance function at a strategic level (lead criteria)
• Experience of planning, budgeting, financial modelling, in-year management, financial accounting and statutory reporting.
• A strong working knowledge of central government requirements and ideally application of these across different types of Arm’s Length Bodies (e.g. NDPBs, Trading Funds, Executive Agencies, Government Companies etc).
• Credibility, expertise and pragmatism in working with Boards, Non-executive Directors, CEOs, Executive Directors and / or senior managers.

Please ensure that you cover all the above criteria in your 750 word supporting statement.

Interview Criteria:

Experience:

• Significant experience of leading a finance function at a strategic level (lead criteria)
• Ability to communicate technical concepts tailored to different audiences.
• Strong negotiation and influencing skills along with the ability to anticipate and resolve conflict.
• Enthusiastic, experienced and credible leader to help UKHO deliver its ambitious plans for the future.

All of the above criteria will be assessed by the presentation.

Civil Service Behaviours (Grade 6 level):

• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions
• Seeing the Big Picture

See here for further information: Success Profiles - Civil Service Behaviours (publishing.service.gov.uk)

Process:

• Single stage face-to-face interview at out Headquarters in Taunton.
• You will be contacted to book a suitable slot if you are shortlisted.
• Interview will be with a panel of 3 people and will last approximately 60 minutes. You will be required to give a 10 minute presentation as noted above. More details will be given in the Invitation to Interview email.

Onboarding Checks:

In the event you are offered a role with us, you will be required to go through Basic Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) checks which will include Employment and Right to Work Checks. You will also need to apply for SC (Security Clearance), but you may be able to start your role before gaining this. Please see our attached Candidate Pack for further details and Terms.

SC – non reserved
This is a Ministry of Defence non-reserved post and although open to UK, British Commonwealth and European Economic Area nationals, successful applicants will require a security clearance (SC) and therefore need to have resided in the UK for a minimum of 12 consecutive months within the last 5 years

Eligibility

Due to the secure nature of our work, there may be eligibility restrictions if you hold dual nationality or are not a British Citizen. We will consider each application on a case-by-case basis. We will ask you in our application form to confirm your place of birth and details of any dual or previous nationalities.

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 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.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 : recruitment.queries@ukho.gov.uk
• Email : recruitment.queries@ukho.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitment.queries@ukho.gov.uk

Further information

Further Information

The Department’s recruitment processes are underpinned by the requirement of selection for appointment based on merit, open and fair competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles, details of which can be found at http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should in the first instance contact recruitment.queries@ukho.gov.uk If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, you can further contact the Civil Service Commission at: civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk or view more details at http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk

Attachments

UKHO Candidate Information Pack Opens in new window (pdf, 5713kB)20210309 additional pay info Opens in new window (pdf, 163kB)