Senior Finance Business Partner

Job summary

We’re seeking talented accountants to join the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), with two Senior Finance Business Partner roles available on a permanent basis.

The Senior Finance Business Partner is a trusted strategic adviser to senior leaders, responsible for ensuring that financial considerations are integral to operational and strategic decision-making. The postholders will lead the provision of high-quality financial planning, forecasting, analysis and challenge for an allocated portfolio, enabling resources to be aligned with organisational priorities and managed in accordance with Managing Public Money.

At the SFO, the role of a Senior Finance Business Partner has an opportunity to collaborate and contribute across the whole organisation. You will have exposure and be expected to build meaningful internal stakeholder relationships up to and including SLT and Director General level. The SFO is also on the cusp of launching a number of exciting projects, to which the postholder will contribute to through sound financial judgement, a proactive approach and the willingness to innovate.

The role will provide clear, evidence-based insight on affordability, value for money, financial risks, cost drivers and delivery performance. You will hold budget holders to account for financial management, support robust investment decisions and lead the development of financial capability across the business.

As a member of the Finance Function Senior Leadership Team, the postholders will lead and develop the Finance Business Partnering team, contribute to the future direction of the Finance function and promote consistent professional standards, inclusive leadership and continuous improvement.

As an organisation, the SFO delivers and exciting, meaningful service. This role exposes you to a broad range of duties, working at pace to support business areas and inform strategic and operational decisions. You will need to be skilled at listening, interpreting, influencing, negotiating, inspiring and challenging, which are all vital to the role.

Job description

Reporting to the Head of Finance, as a Senior Finance Business Partner you will line manage SEO Finance Business Partners. Your responsibilities include:

• Lead the Finance Business Partnering service for the allocated portfolio, setting priorities and ensuring consistent, timely and high-quality support to senior budget holders.
• Act as a trusted adviser to senior leaders, providing constructive challenge and ensuring that financial implications, risks and opportunities are understood in strategic and operational decisions.
• Produce clear, decision-focused analysis that integrates financial and operational information and identifies cost drivers, trends, productivity opportunities and potential efficiencies.
• Maintain oversight of financial performance, forecast accuracy and emerging pressures, agreeing corrective action with budget holders and escalating material issues promptly.
• Taking the lead on implementing the Government Finance Function’s standards for Excellence in Finance Business Partnering in your area, working across the function to raise the quality of services in all parts of finance, developing capability and continually developing knowledge based on best practice.
• Lead annual budget-setting, medium-term financial planning and in-year forecasting for your allocated portfolio, ensuring assumptions are evidence-based and aligned with organisational priorities.

For more information about the role and for a full list of key responsibilities, please see attached Job Pack and follow the link below to apply via Allen Lane.

Person specification

See above and attached Job Pack.

Behaviours

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

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions
• Changing and Improving

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £57,602, Serious Fraud Office contributes £16,687 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).

Option to join the Civil Service pension scheme. For further details, click here http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/pensions

Generous annual leave provision of 25 days which increases to 30 days after five years’ service plus an additional day in recognition of the King’s Birthday and the option to buy or sell up to five days’ leave per year. Different terms may apply if you are already a Civil Servant.

Discretionary performance-related bonus scheme.

Interest-free season travel ticket, bicycle loan and cycle to work scheme.

Access to the Rental Deposit Salary Advance Scheme which assists employees in meeting the costs of deposits for privately rented homes.

Opportunities for learning and development.

Flexible working arrangements and family-friendly policies.

Voucher for eye care and discounted spectacles.

Access to a range of discounts through membership of the Civil Service Sports and Social Club, CSSC Sports and Leisure. http://www.cssc.co.uk/

Maternity and paternity leave provision over and above the statutory entitlements.

Access to My CPS Rewards Gateway. My CPS Rewards offers staff a range of rewards and savings including:

• Discounts with high street retailers
• Savings on grocery shopping at a range of supermarkets
• Special salary sacrifice and recognition schemes
• Reloadable gift cards and e-cards
• Instant vouchers

Any move to the Serious Fraud Office 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. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/

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.

Application stage

As part of the application process you will be required to provide:

• A CV and supporting statement (up to 1,000 words) to Allen Lane. Please follow the link to apply for full details.

Interview stage

Behaviours and experience criteria as outlined in the job pack will be tested at the in person interview. Candidates invited to interview will also be required to prepare in advance a short presentation.

Full details of the interview process will be made available to shortlisted candidates in the invite to interview.

Sift to take place from 10th November.

Interviews are expected to take place in person at the SFO offices from week commencing 16th November.

All dates are indicative and subject to change.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. To be eligible you must meet the following residency requirements dependent of the level of security vetting required:

• SC: 5 years residency in the United Kingdom preceding this application.

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

Security

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 : Ed Stroud - Allen Lane
• Email : edstroud@allenlane.co.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : edstroud@allenlane.co.uk

Further information

For external competitions there is no appeal against the selection decision. However, individuals have a right to appeal if they feel that the principle of appointment on merit through fair and open competition and the Civil Service Commissioners’ recruitment principles have not been met. Individuals who want to appeal should do this by setting out their grounds for appeal in an email for the attention of Head of People to People@sfo.gov.uk. If, after an internal appeal, you still believe that the Civil Service Commissioners’ Principles have not been met, then you can contact the Commission directly: Complaints should be sent in writing to: Civil Service Commission, Room G08 ,1 Horse Guards Road, London SW1A 2HQ. Email info@csc.gov.uk

Attachments

Senior Finance Business Partner Job Pack Opens in new window (pdf, 392kB)