Lead Financial Accountant (Ref: 16746)

Job summary

This position is based Nationally

Job description

Overview

The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) is here to protect the public, reduce offending, and deliver swift access to justice. We are responsible for:

• prisons
• probation
• courts and tribunals
• a range of services to help victims of crime, children, vulnerable people, and those seeking access to justice.

The role advertised is in MOJ’s Financial Accounting and Reporting team. The team produces financial accounts for the MOJ Group and agencies and supports accounts production for arm’s length bodies (ALBs).

Information about the MoJ and its priorities can be found at www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about

About the Role

Lead Financial Accountants manage the production of the relevant parts of the Annual Report and Accounts (ARA) and the annual audit process. They offer accounting advice and work with finance colleagues and auditors to agree accounting treatments. They review accounting working papers prepared by their team and others and ensure robust processes are in place to give assurance on the quality of the numbers.

We are looking to recruit an experienced accountant with an ability to analyse complex information, and provide written and verbal advice and explanations that can easily be understood by both finance professionals and non-finance stakeholders

In addition to salary, a pensionable, non-contractual specialist allowance will be applied to this role for CCAB qualified staff. Specialist allowances apply to certain roles only, are non-transferable to other roles and are subject to annual review.

Progression Routes

Staff in this role typically move into other G7 roles in Finance or progress to Financial Accounting and Reporting G6 or wider finance G6 roles.

Main Activities / Responsibilities

The job holder will be required to undertake the following duties and responsibilities:

• managing the production of FReM and IFRS-compliant financial statements to a pre-recess delivery timetable, including identifying and ensuring appropriate management of risks to delivery
• providing technical accounting advice, acting as subject matter expert on the Financial Reporting Manual (FReM), Managing Public Money, and Consolidated Budgeting Guidance
• working with colleagues in Management Accounting and Finance Business Partnering to ensure that in year and year end accounting adjustments are appropriately reflected in the ledgers
• liaising with the National Audit Office during external audit of the ARA, ensuring a good working relationship, excellent communication and delivery of on-time and accurate financial and other information
• liaising with colleagues throughout the department to obtain audit evidence, including review to ensure the quality and ease of use of the evidence provided to the NAO
• providing timely high-quality returns to the MoJ Group Consolidation team
• managing and coaching staff within their financial accounting team and ensuring that all professional training and development requirements are met
• supporting the continuous improvement of business and financial control processes and helping build and develop financial capability and professionalism both inside the function and across the business
• any other duties reasonably requested by line management which are commensurate with the grade and level of responsibility of this post

The successful candidate will be expected to have excellent Excel skills – as a minimum, you should be comfortable with pivots, lookups and if statements.

Technical Requirements

Please answer 'yes' to meeting the qualification requirements if you are:
1) Someone who is qualified under one of the main five Consultative Committees of Accounting Bodies (CCAB) i.e. ACCA; CIPFA; ICAEW; ICAI / ICAS or CIMA or
2) Working towards the qualification or
3) Have financial experience over an extended period of time

If you are answering yes to option 2, please provide evidence or a note regarding how you are working towards the qualification. If you are answering to option 3, please upload a note that you have extensive experience and this will be assessed using your CV.

Person specification

Please refer to Job Description

Behaviours

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

• Making Effective Decisions
• Delivering at Pace
• Communicating and Influencing

Technical skills

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

• Please refer to Job Description

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £58,511, Ministry of Justice contributes £16,950 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Access to learning and development
• A working environment that supports a range of flexible working options to enhance your work life balance
• A working culture which encourages inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
• Annual Leave
• Public Holidays
• Season Ticket Advance

For more information about the recruitment process, benefits and allowances and answers to general queries, please click the below link which will direct you to our Candidate Information Page.

Link: https://justicejobs.tal.net/vx/candidate/cms/About%20the%20MOJ

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, Experience and Technical skills.https://justicejobs.tal.net/vx/candidate/cms/About%20the%20MOJ

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.

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 : SSCL Recruitment Enquiries Team
• Email : moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@resourcing.soprasteria.co.uk
• Telephone : 0345 241 5359

Recruitment team

• Email : moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@resourcing.soprasteria.co.uk

Further information

Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. If you feel a department has breached the requirement of the Recruitment Principles and would like to raise this, please contact SSCL (Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com) in the first instance. If the role has been advertised externally (outside of the Civil Service) and you are not satisfied with the response, you may bring your complaint to the Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages: http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/civil-service-recruitm…

https://justicejobs.tal.net/vx/candidate/cms/About%20the%20MOJ