Head of Management Accounts

Job summary

About the Government Legal Department

At Government Legal Department we have a vital, single-minded purpose: to help the Government govern well within the rule of law. This is complemented by our exciting vision to be an outstanding legal organisation, committed to the highest standards of service and professionalism and a brilliant place to work where we can all thrive and fulfill our potential.

Our work touches almost every aspect of public life. We are the largest provider of legal services across government, working on high profile matters.

Our respected professionals are involved in everything from regulation and litigation to advice on drafting legislation. They provide expertise to the full range of government departments. We are at the heart of delivering the government’s priorities and our success depends on our people.

GLD is a non-ministerial government department headed by the Treasury Solicitor, our Permanent Secretary, and employs nearly 4000 people, including nearly 3000 legal professionals. We have offices nationwide, in Bristol, Leeds, inner and outer London and Manchester. Our lawyers can also be located within other departments and overseas.

GLD also depends on a range of cross-functional professionals to provide our corporate services. There are nearly 1000 colleagues playing an essential part in helping GLD to achieve its purpose and truly deliver much more than law.

This is an exciting time to join GLD, with cutting edge legal work on global issues and a transformation agenda which is ensuring the Department exemplifies the Modern Civil Service.

To find out more about what we do you can view our introductory film. On our website you can hear from team members, find out how to apply and learn about the benefits of working for GLD. You can also read more about the future vision for GLD in our GLD Strategy 2024 – 2027.

Job description

About the Finance Division

The Finance Division plays a vital role in helping GLD deliver its business objectives by providing effective business planning, financial management and performance reporting.

Our team of around 50 colleagues supports a wide range of activities, including accounts payable, customer billing, banking and expenses, financial planning and reporting, finance policy, procurement, and Bona Vacantia (BV) Finance. We also provide financial services to the Attorney General's Office and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate.

As a smaller department, GLD has the same external reporting responsibilities as much larger government organisations. This means our Finance team has a unique opportunity to make a real impact, ensuring strong financial control, delivering value for money for our clients, and supporting informed decision-making across the organisation.

The breadth of work on offer is one of the things that makes GLD Finance special. You'll gain exposure to a diverse range of finance activities and build experience across multiple disciplines in a collaborative and supportive environment. GLD Finance is primarily based in central London, with colleagues also located in our Croydon and Salford offices.

This role sits within the Accounts Team and is central to delivering high-quality financial management across the department. The team is responsible for month-end and year-end accounting, budgeting, forecasting, fee setting and tax reporting. Working closely with senior leaders, you'll provide insight and advice that supports strategic decision-making and helps the Accounting Officer meet GLD's statutory reporting responsibilities.

" This is an exciting time to join the Government Legal Department. GLD plays a vital cross-government role, supporting departments on issues of national importance while ensuring our own corporate services are modern, efficient and focused on delivering value for money.

As Director of Finance, Operations and Digital, I am proud of the role our finance teams play in putting high-quality financial insight at the centre of strategic decision-making. Our ambition is to build a finance function that reflects the best of the Government Finance Function Strategy: professional, data-led, commercially aware, focused on value for money, and able to support better outcomes for GLD and the wider public sector.

The Head of Management Accounts role is central to that ambition. It offers an excellent opportunity to coordinate GLD’s budgets and forecasts, lead high-quality management reporting, and work closely with senior finance colleagues, Executive Committee members and Divisional Heads to support delivery of our financial strategy and Spending Review commitments.

This is also a period of significant transformation. We are taking forward ambitious efficiency plans, strengthening our data strategy so that trusted, secure and well-governed information supports better insight and responsible use of AI, and aligning with the Government’s Shared Services agenda to simplify processes, improve user experience and release capacity for higher-value work.

This role will suit someone who is motivated by public service, enjoys working with complex financial information, and wants to help shape how finance enables strategic decisions in a major government department. If you want to make a tangible contribution to GLD’s future and develop your career in the Government Finance Function, I would strongly encourage you to apply.

Carmel

Carmel Thornton, Government Legal Department Director of Finance, Operations and Digital "

About the Role

We’re looking for an experienced finance professional to lead GLD’s Management Accounting function and help shape the department’s financial planning and decision-making.

Leading a small team, you’ll oversee budgeting, forecasting, management accounting and fee-setting activities, providing high-quality financial insight to support senior leaders. You’ll work with a wide range of stakeholders, manage complex financial information and play a key role in ensuring GLD effectively balances its income and expenditure.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone with strong analytical, communication and leadership skills who enjoys using financial data to drive informed decision-making. You’ll gain exposure to strategic finance issues, influence senior stakeholders and contribute directly to the successful financial management of the organisation.

If you’re looking to develop your career in strategic finance and management accounting within a collaborative and supportive environment, we’d love to hear from you.

Key Responsibilities and Tasks Areas:

• Lead GLD’s annual budgeting, quarterly forecasting and fee-setting activities.
• Provide management accounts and financial insight that support strategic decision-making.
• Partner with senior leaders and budget holders, offering trusted financial advice and guidance.
• Drive improvements to budgeting, forecasting and reporting processes.
• Analyse financial performance to identify risks, trends and opportunities.
• Build collaborative relationships across the organisation to support effective financial management.
• Lead, support and develop an HEO team member.

Person specification

Behaviours

Below are details of the Success Profiles that make up this role. Demonstrating all the behaviours listed below is essential at either application or interview. You can read more about Success Profiles and how they are used as an assessment method before completing your application.

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

• Making Effective Decisions (Lead Behaviour)
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace

Key Skills & Experience

Essential – must be demonstrated at application and interview

• Budgeting
• Forecasting
• Advanced Excel skills
• Good working knowledge of IFRS Accounting standards
• Experience of co-ordinating a complex finance consolidation process
• Excellent communication skills
• Advanced Excel skills
• Good working knowledge of IFRS Accounting standards
• Experience of co-ordinating a complex finance consolidation process
• Excellent communication skills

Desirable

Desirable criteria will be used when there is a need to distinguish between candidates who are closely tied or the same after the initial consideration of essential criteria, at sift and / or interview.

• Fee setting
• Familiarity with government finance including Supply Estimates and Government Financial Reporting Manual, or similar processes
• Experience in using Power BI reporting

Essential Qualifications – Minimum Eligibility Criteria

Candidates must hold one of the following qualifications:

• CCAB (ICAEW, ACCA, CIPFA, ICAS, Chartered Accountants Ireland) or
• CIMA full accountancy qualification held

Security Clearance Level

All GLD employees must hold BPSS. In addition to this, those based in our London offices must hold or be willing to obtain CTC level clearance for this role. If London based, you can start your position pending this clearance level, however your appointment will be conditional upon obtaining CTC clearance. More information can be found about the vetting and clearance levelsbefore completing your application.

Sponsorship and Visas

There is the possibility that GLD can provide sponsorship for skilled workers, as long as they meet the full eligibility criteria set down under current immigration legislation. GLD does not guarantee sponsorshipwill be provided or that an applicant will be successful in gaining a skilled worker visa.

Candidates with Limited Leave to Remain can apply but must have at least 12 months remaining on an existing visa which allows them to work for GLD when employment commences. Please allow three months for the onboarding process from the point of offer. The expectation is that applicants have an existing visa, which at the point they start work with GLD has at least 12 months remaining on it. The share code you provide for your pre-employment checks must be linked to the visa that allows you to work for a minimum of 12 months in the role for which you have applied. This doesn’t not include having any outstanding visa applications in process during the recruitment process.

Candidate Information Session

We will be holding a candidate information session for these roles on Microsoft Teams from On Thursday 19 November 2026 from 11:00am – 11:45am

Candidates will have the opportunity to hear from the vacancy holder, about what they do and their experiences working for government. There will also be an opportunity to ask questions about the role.

If you are interested in further information on this role please join the link below:

https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/3148923894880277?p=ywchuFBHXbsLPP7dN8

Meeting ID: 314 892 389 488 027 7

Passcode: Re34to7S

Qualifications

Essential Qualifications – Minimum Eligibility Criteria
Candidates must hold one of the following qualifications:
•CCAB (ICAEW, ACCA, CIPFA, ICAS, Chartered Accountants Ireland) or
•CIMA full accountancy qualification held

Behaviours

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

• Making Effective Decisions
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace

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

• Making Effective Decisions
• Seeing the Big Picture

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £60,412, Government Legal Department contributes £17,501 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 with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Learning and Development

Benefits of working for the Civil Service

Whatever your role, we take your career and development seriously, and want to enable you to build a really successful career with the Department and wider Civil Service. It is crucial that our employees have the right skills to develop their careers and meet the challenges ahead, and you’ll benefit from regular performance and development reviews to ensure this development is ongoing. As a Civil Service employee, you’ll be entitled to a large range of benefits.

Learning and Development at GLD

GLD has a comprehensive learning and development offer for all employees.

We offer a programme of in-person/hybrid and virtual sessions providing learning on profession-specific, soft skills, technical skills, and different topics. We also support colleagues through a range of different professional qualifications.

Cross-Functional Professional

We support all Professions with building their careers and capability aligning with the wider Civil Service offerings for each Profession.

There are also talent and development opportunities offered throughout the year these include:

Senior Leaders and Future Leaders Schemes – cross Civil Service accelerated development schemes.

Beyond Boundaries – cross government development programme designed to help participants develop the knowledge, skills and networks required to build a satisfying and effective career in the Civil Service.

Mentoring and Coaching – we encourage all colleagues to share their knowledge, capability, and experience.

Apprenticeships - We have a range of apprenticeships on offer across all professions with the opportunity for all employees to explore a profession specific apprenticeship to support their development in role.

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.

The Recruitment Process

Application

To apply for this post you will need to complete the online application on Civil Service Jobs, searching the reference below. The deadline for this application is Monday 23rd November 2026 at 12:00 Midday.

In your application you will be assessed on the following:

1. An online CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements and qualifications. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years, as part of the online application form. This will be used to assess Key Skills & Experience andwill be scored.
2. A Personal statement of no more than 500 words demonstrating how you meet the Essential Criteria for Key Skill & Experience.
3. Please provide individual statements for the following behaviours listed below in no more than 250 words each.

• Making Effective Decisions (Lead Behaviour)
• Seeing the Big Picture

Application Errors

Please take extra care to tick the correct boxes in the eligibility sections of your application form. We understand mistakes sometimes happen but if you contact us later than two working days (Monday-Friday) before the vacancy closes, we will not be able to reopen your application for you. If you do make a mistake with your eligibility form, please contact us via: activecampaigns@governmentlegal.gov.uk Use the subject line to insert appropriate wording for example – Please re-open my application – 482979 & vacancy closing date Monday 23rd November 2026 at 12:00 Midday.

Selection Process

After the closing date, the appointing panel shall assess candidates’ suitability for the role based on evidence provided in their application against the behaviours and experience outlined in the person specification.

If there are a large number of applications the panel will conduct a staged sift. The initial sift will be on CV alone. If you meet the minimum criteria for the CV, you will then go to the full sift on the Personal Statement and the two behaviours,Making Effective Decisions (Lead Behaviour) and Seeing the Big Picture.

Lead Behaviour will be used when there is a need to distinguish between candidates who are closely tied or the same after the initial consideration of essential criteria at sift and interview.

In the eventuality that there are a high number of applicants successful at sift, GLD may operate a longlist, whereby applicants who have been shortlisted and met the minimum pass mark but are not selected for interview will have their application placed on hold. After the initial interview round candidates on the longlist may be offered an interview, should there still be posts available.

Lead Behaviour will be used when there is a need to distinguish between candidates who are closely tied or the same after the initial consideration of essential criteria at sift and interview.

In the eventuality that there are a high number of applicants successful at sift, GLD may operate a longlist, whereby applicants who have been shortlisted and met the minimum pass mark but are not selected for interview will have their application placed on hold. After the initial interview round candidates on the longlist may be offered an interview, should there still be posts available.

Interview

If you are invited to interview, you will be assessed on your performance in the criteria listed in the Person Specification, alongside strength-based questions. These criteria are:

• Making Effective Decisions (Lead Behaviour)
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace
• Key Skills & Experience

There will be a 5-minute presentation, which will be based on the key skills and experience criteria set out within the person specification. This will be scored. Full details of the interview format will be provided to shortlisted candidates prior to interview.

Your interview will take place online

Offer

The timeline later in this pack indicates the date by which decisions are expected to be made, and all shortlisted candidates will be advised of the outcome as soon as possible thereafter.

All communications regarding your application will be made through Civil Service Jobs.

All candidates will be notified of the outcome as soon as possible after the interview. Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview.

We appoint in strict order of merit. If you meet the minimum criteria for this position but are not successful for a post, you will be placed on the reserve list. We may contact you to see if you are interested in a post at the same, or a lower grade, in GLD should one arise.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) 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.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 : Bernard Muscat
• Email : Bernard.Muscat@governmentlegal.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : activecampaigns@governmentlegal.gov.uk

Further information

What do I do if I have a complaint?
You have the right to complain if you feel there has been a breach of the Recruitment Principles. If you feel that your application hasn’t been treated in accordance with these Principles and wish to make a complaint, please contact recruitment_feedback@governmentlegal.gov.uk in the first instance. Please title your email as follows: Job Reference Number – Job Title – Recruitment Complaint. Complaints must be submitted in writing within 30 days of the incident or the decision which has caused the complaint. To fully engage with the issues raised GLD require that you submit evidence of your complaint.

Attachments

482979 G7 Head of Management Account Opens in new window (pdf, 682kB)