Head of Finance Business Partnering

Job summary

The Home Office works to build a safe, fair and prosperous UK. We achieve this through our work on counter-terrorism, policing, crime, drugs policy, immigration and passports.

The Chief Operating Officer Group works closely with the Home Office’s policy and operational commands to enable us together to deliver the department’s priorities. The group is comprised of different teams and professional functions, including Commercial, Finance, People, Portfolio and Project Delivery, Security, Estates and Information and Digital, Data and Technology.

The Home Office finance function comprises two Director roles with a Strategic and Operational focus. The Strategic FD focuses on future financial planning and business partnering. The Operational FD is focused on accounts production, system and management accounting.

The Finance Directorate is one of the most dynamic and forward-looking places to work. We provide professional finance advice and challenge which ensures that the Home Office delivers value for money to the taxpayer and protects the Accounting Officers in their responsibilities for regularity, propriety, value for money and feasibility on all spending decisions. We ensure that finance is at the heart of decision making and operate a business partner model to support strategic planning, operational control and by working within challenging budgets through effective financial reporting, management and planning.

Finance Business Partner (FBP) teams work alongside, and have a close understanding of, the businesses they support providing crucial finance guidance and oversight. The main purpose of the teams is to provide support and challenge to Home Office business areas and to ensure that decisions are made with reference to financial information and consequences, putting finance at the heart of decision making.

There are a range of FBP roles available, and the post holder will provide business leaders with financial insight for their area enabling them to achieve the best outcomes for the public and supporting the strategic direction of the Group. The post holder will manage their team and will work closely with other G6 FBPs and Management Accounting Unit (MAU) colleagues to drive forward financial insight and best practise across the wider team.

Job description

The work will include influencing and guiding the Director General, Directors and their teams across their area to ensure budgets, forecasts and actuals are clear; maintaining good financial governance; contribute to the Medium-Term Financial Plan (MTFP) and provide support to build and maintain productivity and efficiency measures.

The G6 Finance Business Partner will have a significant span of control and be responsible for complex areas of the business, ensuring that the Senior Finance Business Partner has space to prioritise strategic issues.

Key Responsibilities

• Senior financial lead for their area and Head of the FBP team.
• Engage with Director General/Directors/teams on their activity, reflecting plans through the monthly financial cycle, including forecasting and reporting.
• Build in depth knowledge and understanding of the business, linking in the necessary financial advice.
• Support and influence key strategic business decisions of the business area to discuss and agree productivity and efficiency measures.
• Provide challenge to the business unit to test assumptions and risks. Balance delivery of Home Office-wide objectives with those of the business being supported; resolve opposing priorities. Advise on key business planning assumptions, trade-offs and opportunities.
• Lead relationship with the management accounts team to ensure appropriate split of responsibilities.
• Identify financial risks, monitor risk and propose mitigating actions.
• Deliver to monthly, quarterly and annual planning and reporting cycles, medium term financial planning.

Working Pattern

This role is available on a full-time basis with the option of job-share and compressed hours working. These roles are not suitable for part-time working hours

Travel

Travel around the UK, with occasional overnight stays, may be necessary.

Person specification

Essential criteria

• Strong financial management, planning, analytical and drafting skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively within a multi-stakeholder environment, developing successful relationships between own team and other areas.
• A confident communicator, comfortable with challenging senior business leaders with the ability to influence at all levels of the business hierarchy.
• Ability to highlight areas of potential conflict between stakeholders and manage them accordingly.
• Able to remain focused on the overall business strategic vision during negotiation, knowing when to compromise and when to challenge for the benefit of the business.
• Experience of managing a team.
• Leadership, and the ability to motivate and develop a diverse finance team and promote excellence.

Qualifications

Must hold a Finance qualification or be studying for a qualification (CCAB,CIMA ).

Behaviours

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

• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Changing and Improving

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:

• Leadership

Benefits

In addition to your salary, a career with the Home Office offers a range of benefits, including:

• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%.
• In-year reward scheme for one-off or sustained exceptional personal or team achievements.
• 25 days annual leave on appointment, rising with service to 30 days.
• Eight days of public holidays, plus one additional privilege day.
• Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working. This is a non-contractual arrangement where all employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office.
• See more of our benefits on our careers website.

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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, Ability and Experience.

This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, drives up performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.

We will endeavour to conduct the selection process in line with the dates indicated below, but cannot guarantee that these will not, where necessary, be revised.

As part of the application process, you will first be asked to confirm your eligibility by providing some basic personal information. After submission of this first stage, you will be invited to complete the following Civil Service Numerical and verbal tests.

1. Online Tests – by 26th January 2026.
   
   If you successfully pass the tests, you will be invited to complete the full application form. Please complete the online tests as soon as possible (within 24–48 hours is recommended). If you fail to complete the tests or the full application before the deadline, your application will be withdrawn.

Guidance for the Civil Service tests will be available when you are invited to take them. The online tests are accessed via the Civil Service Jobs website.

You cannot complete the tests on a mobile phone or tablet.

Following successful completion of your test, you will then be asked to complete the full application form.

2. Application – by 26th January 2026.

If you pass the online tests, you will then be asked to complete:

• CV
• Behaviours (as listed in the job advert)

Your CV should consist of your career history, qualifications and skills/experience, including any key achievements in each role. Your CV will be scored against the experience required for the role as noted within the essential criteria.

For guidance and information on how to construct your application (CV, Personal Statement and Behaviours), you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers website.

3. Sift – commencing 28th January 2026.

The sift will be held on the CV, and Behaviour - Leadership.

Should a high volume of applications be received, an initial sift will be conducted on the Lead behaviour - Leadership. Candidates who pass will then be progressed to a full sift that will consist of the Behaviour and CV.

Candidates who meet the minimum pass score will progress to the next stage.

Candidates successful at sift will then be invited to a presentation assessment.

4. Presentation Assessment - 10 minutes approximately, week commencing 9th February 2026.

The presentation topic/scenario will be disclosed in advance to allow sufficient preparation time.

The presentation assessment take place via MS Teams.

This presentation will be assessed against the Success Profiles framework.

5. Interview – week commencing 16th February 2026.

If you are successful at both sift and presentation assessment stages, you will be invited to an interview that will be Behaviours (as listed in the job advert) based questions.

The interview take place via MS Teams.

For guidance and information on what to expect and how to prepare for an interview, you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers.

Problems during the application process

If you experience problems accessing this advert, or you think you’ve made a mistake on an initial application, please contact hocandidates.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk, including the vacancy reference, at least two working days before the vacancy closes. Further information can be found on our website.

Do not create or attempt to submit another application, online test or use a different Civil Service Jobs account to proceed as this would be in violation of the candidate declaration.

Location preferences

You can select up to threelocations in order of preference. Please ensure that these are locations you are prepared to travel to. If you are offered a role at one of your preferred location(s) and you decline, your application will be withdrawn.

Reserve List

A reserve list may be held for a period of up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made. There is no guarantee that being held on a reserve list will lead to a job offer. Further information can be found on our website.

Standards

All Civil Servants are expected to comply with the Civil Service Code, and its core values of integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality.

Additional Security Checks

As well as successfully obtaining UK Security Vetting clearance, candidates will be subject to a range of additional checks. The range of checks carried out will depend on whether you are a current Home Office employee, existing civil servant or an external new entrant as well as the role requirements. The level of Criminal Record Check required for this role is [BASIC]. Further details are included in the Notes to Candidates.

Further Information

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

Reasonable Adjustments

If a person with disabilities is 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 HOrecruitment.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.

Feedback

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.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 : Home Office resourcing centre
• Email : HORCCampaignTeamCorporateEnablers@homeoffice.gov.uk

Recruitment team

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

Further information

If you feel that your application has not been treated in accordance with the Civil Service recruitment principles and you wish to make a complaint, then contact the Government Recruitment Service via HOrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response that you receive, then you can contact the Civil Service Commission.

Attachments

Home Office Candidate_Information_v15_DECEMBER_2025 Opens in new window (pdf, 429kB)2025-11-17 Pre-employment Checking - Document Requirements (V17) Opens in new window (pdf, 231kB)