Senior Finance Officer

Job summary

As a member of either the Finance Business Partnering Team, Strategic Finance Team, Transactional Services Support Team or Financial Control Team, you will actively support the Finance Manager and manage a team within the Finance Department which provides finance support to the wider business to help the NCA deliver its business objectives. This role will be suitable for those with a Level 4 financial qualification and experience of working in a finance department, looking to develop their career further with responsibility for managing a team to deliver financial reporting

Job description

Depending on the Team that you are posted in, your role could cover any of the following areas:

- You could be accountable for the delivery of a management accounting service for specific business areas, teams and projects, ensuring reporting and transactional accuracy. You will be able to demonstrate your ability to develop relationships, understand the business of NCA commands and communicate financial data and other information clearly and provide valuable financial advice, challenge and support;

- You could be responsible for supporting the Strategic Finance Team with monitoring the Agency’s strategic financial position, by reporting to stakeholders, tracking the Agency’s financial position and contributing to financial planning in the short and longer term including supporting business planning priorities;

- You could be part of the Financial Control Team, including preparing the statutory accounts, maintaining the non current asset register, liaising with internal and external stakeholders such as NAO and HMRC

- You could be a part of the Transactional Services / Payroll function providing transactional processing key service delivery functions.

The role descriptions are not exhaustive but gives an indication of the type of duties usually carried out within these teams at this level.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Support Finance Business Partners - Help commands to develop budget and savings proposals to inform the negotiations on future budget delegations.
• Provide financial and management reports - Provide effective and timely financial and management reports in line with business requirements and both statutory and regulatory duties, including supporting documentation to audit standard, ensuring that the NCA complies with general accounting standards and the NCA's corporate governance requirements.
• Financial advice - Provide financial advice to budget holders and project leads, finance and wider Agency colleagues or external partners such as HMRC, HMT and NAO as required.
• Develop policy, reports and procedures - Supervise research, development, collation, co-ordination and dissemination of management information, including policy, reports, briefings, business plans, risk registers, presentations and web-based communications, as appropriate.
• Manage a team - Manage a team within the Finance Department, responsible for providing management accounts/financial accounts support of an area of business (as designated) and to manage and monitor expenditure/income for that area.
• Budget Management - Produce monthly variance analyses, ensuring corrections and changes to both actual costs, forecasts and budgets are identified and accurately reflected on the finance system.
• Manage and direct resources - Ensure work is completed within agreed timescales/financial constraints and quality standards, in line with NCA policy.
• Data Assurance - Secure handling and dissemination of data/information, maintaining confidentiality, sensitivity and a duty of care in line with NCA policy.
• Finance System Management - Develop an understanding of the financial system within the NCA and the relationships between the various systems and tools so that accurate and consistent information is produced together with ad hoc reports as and when required.
• Managing relationships with stakeholders - Develop and maintain effective working relationships with internal and external stakeholders in order to foster collaborative working.

Person specification

• Strong numerical skills - The ability to quantify and manipulate financial data.
• Strong analytical skills - Able to analyse data from multiple sources.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office - Good Excel skills relating to analysing data, information and statistics from a wide range of sources
• Technical understanding of finance systems - Good technical knowledge of accounting processes, policies, statutory requirements and internal controls.
• Finance policy within public sector - Good knowledge of Finance policy within public sector
• Customer Service Experience - Able to communicate with internal and external stakeholders
• Line Management - Developing individuals in a finance environment.

Qualifications

Level 4 qualification with AAT, CCAB or CIMA or equivalent qualification.

Behaviours

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

• Delivering at Pace
• Communicating and Influencing

Technical skills

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

• Strong numerical and analytical skills with the ability to quantify, analysis and present financial data.
• Strong customer service and stakeholder management skills
• Technical understanding of finance systems, processes and control environments.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £45,326, National Crime Agency contributes £13,130 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).

New entrants to the NCA receive 26 days annual leave, rising to 31 on completion of 5 years continuous service, plus 8 bank holidays.

If qualifying criteria is met new joiners from UK Police Forces or the UK Intelligence Community (UKIC) will have service with those employers taken into account for continuous service purposes for annual leave entitlement only, this will be up to a maximum of 31 days leave (including 1 privilege day).

Other benefits include:

• Flexible working, including flexi-time, compressed hours and job sharing (in line with business requirements)
• Family friendly policies, notably above the statutory minimum
• Learning and Development opportunities
• Interest free loans and advances, including season tickets, childcare and rental deposits
• Housing schemes - Key Worker status
• Discounts and Savings with a wide variety of services including Cycle to Work, Smart Tech schemes, dental insurance, gym discounts and savings on everyday spending, available through the Reward Gateway , Edenred and Blue Light Card schemes.
• Staff support groups/networks
• Sports and social activities, including membership to the Civil Service Sports Council (CSSC)

Further information is available on the NCA Website.

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.Your application will be assessed against the following:Technical - this will be assessed by 250 word examples on:

• Strong numerical and analytical skills with the ability to quantify, analysis and present financial data.

• Strong customer service and stakeholder management skills

• Technical understanding of finance systems, processes and control environments.

A panel will assess how well your application demonstrates the requirements outlined above.

Longlist

In the event of a high number of applications, we may operate a longlist. Applicants will need to meet the minimum pass mark for the lead criteria.

- Strong numerical and analytical skills with the ability to quantify, analysis and present financial data. .

Candidates who do not meet the minimum pass mark for the lead criteria will not progress to having their other criteria assessed. Applications must meet the minimum criteria to be progressed to the assessment stage.

You will receive an acknowledgement once your application is submitted.

We aim to have sift completed and scores released within 10 working days of the closing date of the advert. For high volume campaigns this timeframe may be extended.

Scores will be provided but further feedback will not be available at this stage.

For guidance on the application process, visit:
NCA Applying and Onboarding

Assessment 1

The format of this assessment will be Interview which will be tested on the criteria listed in the Success Profiles at Assessment section.

Success Profiles at Assessment

Behaviours

• Delivering at Pace

• Communicating and Influencing

Technical

• Strong numerical and analytical skills with the ability to quantify, analysis and present financial data.

• Strong customer service and stakeholder management skills

• Technical understanding of finance systems, processes and control environments.

Assessment OutcomeOutcomes will be communicated via the NCA recruitment portal.
If successful but no role is immediately available, you may be placed on a reserve list for 12 months.
Reserve lists can be used to fill similar role types across the Agency where the assessment criteria is considered a match by the recruitment team and the business area.

In the event of a tie at the assessment stage, available roles will be offered in merit order using the following order:

1. Lead criteria (behaviours/technical/experience)
2. If still tied, desirable criteria will be assessed (if advertised)
3. If still tied, application sift scores will be used

Feedback is provided only to those who attend an assessment.You will be subject to vetting and pre-employment checks before appointment.Once the vacancy closes, the advert will no longer be accessible. Please save a copy for your records. We encourage all candidates to visit the NCA Careers Page for more information.

Vetting requirements - SC Enhanced

Prior to commencing the role, you will need to successfully complete SC Enhanced clearance. The requirement for SC clearance is to have been present in the UK for at least 3 of the last 5 years.Failure to meet the residency requirements will result in your security clearance application being rejected.For further information on National Security Vetting checks please visit the following page Demystifying VettingIndividuals will be required to undertake and pass a substance misuse test as part of pre-employment checks.

Occupational Health

Successful candidates will be expected to undertake an occupational health assessment. Depending on the role an in-person medical may be required in either London or Warrington. Unfortunately, travel costs will not be reimbursed.

Multi Location

Where multiple locations are advertised, appointments will be made in merit order for each location.

Please indicate up to three location preferences clearly. Only your first three preferences will be considered. You may be allocated to any of the locations you select. If you decline an offer for a location you have selected as a preference, a further offer may not be made.

If you choose to reject an offer and no alternative preferred location can be offered, you will not be able to return to the process or be placed on a reserve list.

Only the advertised locations are available; any additional notes added to the application will not be taken into account.

Near Miss

If you meet the criteria for a lower grade, you may be offered that role if not appointable at the advertised grade.

Conversely, if found appointable at a higher grade but no posts are available, you may be offered a lower-grade role.

All offers are made based on merit.

Hybrid Working

The NCA supports hybrid working. The extent of remote working will depend on the role and can be discussed at the offer stage.

Reasonable Adjustments

We’re proud to be a Disability Confident Leader and an inclusive, equal opportunities employer.

We’re committed to creating a workplace where everyone can be their authentic self. If you’re neurodiverse, have a disability, or live with a long-term health condition, we encourage you to let us know about any reasonable adjustments you may need during the recruitment process.

If you experience accessibility issues with the advert or require reasonable adjustments, please contact our Recruitment Team at Central.Recruitment@nca.gov.uk before the advert closing date.

Please ensure you complete the ‘Equal opportunities’ and 'Reasonable Adjustments' sections in the application form to inform us on what support you may need in the recruitment process.

For more on our Disability Confident commitment, visit Disability Confident Scheme , Civil Service Careers.

Visit NCA Benefits and Support for more details.

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.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 : Central Recruitment Team
• Email : central.recruitment@nca.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : central.recruitment@nca.gov.uk

Further information

If you believe your application has not been treated fairly, email: Central.Recruitment@nca.gov.uk (quoting the vacancy reference).
If unresolved, you may escalate your complaint to the Civil Service Commission.