Head of Research Finance

Job summary

In the Department of Health and Social Care, we are proud of our purpose – to enable everyone to live more independent, healthier lives for longer. To achieve this, and create a great place to work, we have four values: we are inclusive, we constantly improve, we challenge, and we are agile. If this sounds like an environment you would like to work in, we would love to hear from you.

The Science, Research and Evidence (SRE) Directorate provides research expertise to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and is responsible for the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), led by the DHSC Chief Scientific Adviser as CEO.

SRE oversees more than £1.8bn of annual health research expenditure through NIHR to support research that improves health, social care and public health outcomes in England and globally. This funding is delivered through a complex portfolio of research programmes, infrastructure and systems, working with NHS organisations, universities and a wide range of national and international partners. At any one time DHSC/SRE via NHIR is holding +2,000 research contracts with a range of providers in the UK and overseas, processing hundreds of financial payments monthly.

This role is a key leadership role within the Research Systems Branch. The Branch is responsible for overseeing the operation of a number of functions which enable the NIHR to operate. As such, the Branch is responsible for NIHR finances, procurement and contracting, digital system, communications and impact, open access and publications policy, and patient and public engagement in research.

This role leads a team of 10 officials, with expertise in finance and policy. The postholder will be responsible for strategic oversight of financial management for SRE and NIHR; oversight of NIHR and SRE approach to risk and assurance; and lead on research financing policy.

Job description

The Head of Research Finance provides strategic financial leadership for SRE and NIHR across the £1.8bn per annum budget, ensuring strong financial control, assurance and value for money while enabling delivery of ministerial and system priorities. The role works closely with the SRE Director and Chief Scientific Adviser (Deputy CEO and CEO of the NIHR), and is central to senior decision‑making on investment, affordability and risk.

This role provides leadership to a technical accounting team and finance policy professionals, and liaises with DHSC financial reporting teams and the NAO. It also provides technical advice and support to the SRE Director as budget holder, reporting to the DHSC Permanent Secretary.

Given the level of financial professional qualification required for this role (CCAB, CIMA or equivalent qualification) the post holder will be eligible for an annual Market Pay Supplement of £5,000. This payment is in addition to the advertised baseline salary.

This position manages a large team across London and Leeds, which requires significant support and engagement including time working face to face. The post holder must be able to travel to either London or Leeds regularly, depending on their location.

The position is open to part-time, job-share and flexible working. As a business critical leadership position in SRE, work patterns under 0.8 FTE will not be viable for the breadth of responsibilities.

Person specification

Key Skills and Experience required for the role:

• Strong team leadership and line management, including being able to mentor and develop a technical team.
• Financial management and budget oversight, including experience of leadership, strategic direction setting, and ensuring effective service delivery.
• Financial assurance and risk management, including experience of establishing robust risk management frameworks and managing them effectively
• Strategic finance and financial planning, including the impact of external pressures and inflation.
• Strong and effective communication skills, in particular presenting to seniors within your organisation, but also engaging broadly with the external health research sector and funding partners.
• An ability to manage a broad and dynamic portfolio of work

Essential

• A formal finance qualification is required (CCAB, CIMA or equivalent)

Desirable

The following skills and experience would be advantageous but are not essential:

• An understanding of portfolio contract/grant management and accounting.
• An understanding of research delivery and funding.

Qualifications

A formal finance qualification is required (CCAB, CIMA or equivalent)

Behaviours

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

• Leadership
• Delivering at Pace
• Changing and Improving
• Making Effective Decisions

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

• Leadership

Technical skills

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

• Can you describe a time when you applied your technical knowledge of leading the effective delivery of financial operations.
• Can you describe a time when you applied your technical knowledge of developing risk management strategies and policies, and leading their implementation.
• Can you describe a time when you applied your technical knowledge of analysing and reporting on an organisation’s strategic financial position, and providing insight to senior budget holders and leaders.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £70,730, Department of Health and Social Care contributes £20,490 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%

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, Experience and Technical skills.

Applications will be sifted W/C: 27/07/2026

Interview date: W/C 03/08/2026 & W/C 10/08/2026

Interview location: By video

Further details and interview slots will be released to candidates who are successful at sift.

Applications will be sifted on your CV, personal statement and the lead behaviour (Leadership).

An initial sift based on your CV and the lead behaviour may be held if a large number of applications are received. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to assessment/interview.

Please use your CV to set out your career history, highlighting specific responsibilities and achievements that are relevant for this role. These can be found in the ‘key skills and experience required for the role’ section of the advert.

Please also include a list of your relevant qualifications in your application, noting mandatory qualifications required for this role (CCAB, CIMA or equivalent).

Please use your personal statement to (in no more than 750 words) outline how you meet the key skills and experience required for the role as set out in the job advert.

At interview candidates will be assessed against behaviours and technical skills

To find out more about working in the department please visit our page on the Civil Service careers website https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/departments/working-for-the-de… and to find out more information on how to apply visit the Civil Service careers website https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/how-to-apply/

Applicants who are appointable but were not successful in appointment to this vacancy, may be held on a reserve list for up to 12 months, and contacted if similar vacancies become available.

Please be aware that some travel will be required across the DHSC estate (London and Leeds).

DHSC is a hybrid working organisation. DHSC colleagues based in offices will spend a minimum of 60% of their working time working face to face with their colleagues either in offices or on official business, rather than at home.

Candidates must ensure that all information provided in their application is factually accurate. Any examples provided must be taken from personal experience. The Civil Service abides by honesty and integrity as part of its core values, if evidence of plagiarism is found, applications may be withdrawn.

Please note that applicants will require BPSS clearance.

Financial professional qualifications are required for the role and will be checked and verified by the vacancy holder as part of the onboarding process. You may also be asked to provide evidence that any qualifications obtained overseas are equivalent to those advertised.

Further Information

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

Any move to DHCS 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.

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 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.

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

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

This role is being advertised on a permanent basis. If preferable, Loan or Secondment options will also be available for existing Civil Servants (Loan) and applicants from accredited NDPBs or any other employer (Secondment). Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return.

Existing Civil Servants and applicants from accredited NDPBs are eligible to apply, but will only be considered on loan basis (Civil Servants) or secondment (accredited NDPBs). Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return.

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

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 dhscrecruitment.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.

Terms and Conditions

Candidates should note that DHSC’s Terms and Conditions of employment changed from 1 October 2013. It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the terms and conditions they will adopt should they be successful.

New Entrants to the Civil Service

New entrants appointed in grades AA to G6 will receive DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions:

• Annual Leave: 25 days on entry rising by one day for each completed year of service to a maximum of 30 days and pro-rata for part-time staff
• Privilege Leave: 1 day - for the King’s birthday
• Hours of Work: 37 hours (net) per week for full time staff in all geographical locations, including London and pro rata for part-time staff
• Occupational Sick Pay (OSP): one month full pay/one month half pay on entry, rising by one month for each completed year of service to a maximum of five months’ full pay and five months’ half pay
• Mobility: Mobility clause in contracts allow staff to be mobile across the Civil Service
• Probation: 6 month probation period

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.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 : Nicola Murray
• Email : nicola.murray@dhsc.gov.uk

Recruitment team

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

Further information

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 the DHSC Central Recruitment Team at DHSCrecruitment@dhsc.gov.uk
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/contact/

Attachments

General Pay Principles on Recruitment (2) Opens in new window (pdf, 72kB)