Senior Management Accountant

Job summary

The Home Office works to build a safe, fair and prosperous UK. We achieve this through our work on counter-terrorism, policing, crime, drugs policy, immigration and passports.

The Chief Operating Officer Group works closely with the Home Office’s policy and operational commands to enable us together to deliver the department’s priorities. The group is comprised of different teams and professional functions, including Commercial, Finance, People, Portfolio and Project Delivery, Security, Estates and Information and Digital, Data and Technology.

The Management Accounts Unit (MAU) sits at the centre of this activity, providing timely information, forecasts and insight. This supports leaders to understand financial position, manage risk and take informed decisions.

Working in MAU offers a fast‑paced environment where your analysis directly supports national priorities and public services.

Job description

This is a senior leadership role responsible for the end‑to‑end delivery of consolidated management reporting, strategic financial insight, and robust governance for a major Home Office area.

You will lead the production of Board‑level reporting, ensure accuracy and completeness of MI, provide incisive narrative, challenge forecasts, and surface strategic risks and opportunities. You will ensure that reporting meets the needs of Senior Civil Servants (SCS) budget‑holders and aligns to the MAU cycle.

You will lead Management Accountants and virtual teams, maintain high control standards, strengthen data quality, and provide scenario‑based analysis to support operational and strategic decision‑making.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced finance professional seeking a strategic leadership role with real impact on organisational performance. It will suit someone who enjoys shaping direction, leading high‑performing teams, and providing authoritative insight and challenge at senior levels.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Reporting & Assurance

Lead consolidated Board and Budget Holder reporting, delivering accurate, timely outputs with clear narrative on financial position, drivers, risks, opportunities and decisions. Maintain oversight of cross‑cutting trends, dependencies and pressures.

Leadership of MAU Monthly Cycle

Oversee the monthly MAU close and forecasting cycles, ensuring accurate reporting, strong controls, standardised improvements and data quality. Ensure alignment with FBPs, Corporate Finance, and operational leads to maintain one version of the truth.

Forecast Challenge, Approvals & Decision Support

Lead rigorous forecast challenge, securing Director General approvals; rapidly quantify risks, opportunities and mitigations. Oversee scenario modelling, options analysis and dynamic cost models to inform senior decision‑making.

Governance, Controls & External Assurance

Embed robust controls and assurance across reporting, lead responses to high‑priority commissions including NAO, PQs and FOIs. Act as senior escalation point for accounting judgments, modelling assumptions and governance.

Leadership & Ways of Working

Provide visible leadership across teams, set clear standards, manage resources through peaks, maintain strong controls, foster high performance and improvement. Undertake line management responsibilities for staff development and delivery.

Working Pattern

This role is available on a full-time basis with the option of compressed hours working. This role is also suitable for part-time working hours, with a minimum requirement to work 4 days / 32 hours per week due to business requirements.

Travel

Occasional travel may be required to attend meetings.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

1. Proven strategic leadership experience, delivering through peak periods, building multi-grade capability, and fostering collaborative, high-performing organisational relationships.
2. Extensive experience in board-level consolidated financial reporting, delivering high-quality insight to inform strategic decision-making effectively.
3. Demonstrated leadership of the full management accounting cycle, in-month and YTD reporting, variance analysis, forecasting challenge, risk management, quality assurance, timely consolidation.
4. Expert in financial controls, governance and assurance, ensuring data integrity, compliance and audit readiness, with strong public sector finance knowledge across budgetary control, forecasting, in‑year reporting and decision support expectations.
5. Strong influencing and challenge skills, proven ability to challenge assumptions, strengthen discipline and enable evidence-based decision making.
6. Excellent written, verbal and Excel skills, translating complex financial and operational data into clear, actionable insight for senior audiences; interpreting datasets, identifying cross-cutting themes, and articulating key risks and opportunities.
7. Proven change leadership delivering continuous improvement, standardised processes, reporting, user‑focused culture.

Desirable Criteria

1. CCAB or CIMA qualification or working towards and have financial experience over an extended period of time.
2. Experience working with Metis or other corporate Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems.

Behaviours

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

• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions
• Changing and Improving

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

• Leadership

Benefits

In addition to your salary, a career with the Home Office offers a range of benefits, including:

• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%.
• In-year reward scheme for one-off or sustained exceptional personal or team achievements.
• 25 days annual leave on appointment, rising with service to 30 days.
• Eight days of public holidays, plus one additional privilege day.
• Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working. This is a non-contractual arrangement where all employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office.
• See more of our benefits on our careers website.

Sign-up on our website to receive emails with information about careers at the Home Office.

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, Ability and Experience.

This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, drives up performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.

We will endeavour to conduct the selection process in line with the dates indicated below, but cannot guarantee that these will not, where necessary, be revised.

As part of the application process, you will first be asked to confirm your eligibility by providing some basic personal information.

After submission of this first stage, you will be invited to complete the following Civil Service Numerical Test and Civil Service Verbal Test.

1. Online Test – by 28th May 2026

If you successfully pass the CS Numerical and Verbal tests, you will be invited to complete the full application form. Please complete the online tests as soon as possible (within 24-48 hours is recommended). If you fail to complete the online tests or full application before the deadline, your application will be withdrawn.

Guidance for the Civil Service tests will be available when you are invited to take the tests. The online tests are accessed via the Civil Service Jobs website.

You cannot complete the tests on a mobile phone or tablet.

Following successful completion of your tests, you will then be asked to complete the full application form.

2. Application – by 28th May 2026

As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete:

• CV
• Evidence of the Behaviours Leadership (maximum of 250 words).

Your CV should consist of your career history, qualifications and skills/experience, including any key achievements in each role. Your CV will be scored against the experience required for the role as noted within the essential criteria.

For guidance and information on how to construct your application (CV and Behaviour), you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers website.

3. Sift – from 1st June 2026

The sift will be held on the CV and Behaviour, as listed in the advert.

Should a high volume of applications be received, an initial sift will be conducted on the CV. Candidates who pass the initial sift will then be progressed to a full sift that will consist of the remaining element submitted (Lead Behaviour). Candidates who fail to meet the minimum pass score for the initial sift will not have their remaining submitted element scored and will only receive a sift score for that assessed at the initial sift.

4. Presentation Assessment – from 22nd June 2026

Candidates who pass the full Sift will be invited to a separate Presentation Assessment (5 mins presentation and 5 mins Q/A). The presentation topic/scenario will be disclosed in advance to allow sufficient preparation time.

The presentation will be assessed against 'Behaviours' on the 'Success Profiles' and will be specifically assessed against the Behaviour Communicating and Influencing.

The Presentation Assessment will take place on Teams.

5. Interview – from 13th July 2026

If you are successful at both Sift and Presentation Assessment stages, you will be invited to an interview that will be based on the Behaviours (as listed in the job advert). All Behaviours listed in the selection process will be scored at the interview.

The interview will take place on Teams.

For guidance and information on what to expect and how to prepare for an interview, you are encouraged to visit Civil Service Careers.

Problems during the application process

If you experience problems accessing this advert, or you think you’ve made a mistake on an initial application, please contact hocandidates.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk, including the vacancy reference, at least two working days before the vacancy closes. Further information can be found on our website.

Do not create or attempt to submit another application, online test or use a different Civil Service Jobs account to proceed as this would be in violation of the candidate declaration.

Location Preferences

You can select up to threelocations in order of preference. Please ensure that these are locations you are prepared to travel to. If you are offered a role at one of your preferred location(s) and you decline, your application will be withdrawn.

Reserve List

A reserve list may be held for a period of up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made. There is no guarantee that being held on a reserve list will lead to a job offer. Further information can be found on our website.

Breaking Tied Scores

The behaviours have been ranked in order of importance to enable us to differentiate between candidates with tied interview scores.

Reserve lists will be held for each location. Candidates will be appointed in merit order by location.

Standards

All Civil Servants are expected to comply with the Civil Service Code, and its core values of integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality.

Additional Security Checks

As well as successfully obtaining UK Security Vetting clearance, candidates will be subject to a range of additional checks. The range of checks carried out will depend on whether you are a current Home Office employee, existing civil servant or an external new entrant as well as the role requirements. The level of Criminal Record Check required for this role is Basic. Further details are included in the Notes to Candidates.

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.

Reasonable Adjustments

If a person with disabilities is 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 HOrecruitment.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

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

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist 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 : Home Office Resourcing Centre
• Email : HORCCampaignTeamCorporateEnablers@homeoffice.gov.uk

Recruitment team

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

Further information

If you feel that your application has not been treated in accordance with the Civil Service Recruitment Principles. and you wish to make a complaint, then contact the Government Recruitment Service via HOrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response that you receive, then you can contact the Civil Service Commission.

Attachments

2025-11-17 Pre-employment Checking - Document Requirements (V17) Opens in new window (pdf, 231kB)Candidate_Information_v17_April_2026 Opens in new window (pdf, 207kB)