Job summary

DEFRA is the UK government department responsible for safeguarding our natural environment, supporting our world-leading food and farming industry, and sustaining a thriving rural economy. Our broad remit means we play a major role in people's day-to-day life, from the food we eat, and the air we breathe, to the water we drink.

Defra Group Finance have a G7 role in Business Partnering, supporting the Environment Agency’s £5.2bn capital programme, acting as the face of Finance, and taking Finance to the heart of decision making.

As a Finance Business Partner your role is to protect value, drive value and add value. Your key responsibility will be to support the Head of Function and their senior leadership team in managing their financial position and implementing their savings, make robust investment decisions and implement their action plans. The roles will involve collaborating with colleagues from across Defra Group Finance and the business areas to deliver successful outcomes. You will also assist in providing insightful financial analysis and establishing a robust challenge to inform decision making and business planning.

You will act as the face of Finance to ensure that finance is at the heart of commercial decision making, engaging suppliers in holding to account and securing benefits. As a critical friend to the business, you will ensure stewardship of public funds, efficient and effective use of budgets and play a key role in transformational change. You will provide advice on Directorate budgets, improve forecasting capability of teams and protect the Accounting Officer’s interest as outlined in Managing Public Money.

Job description

Key responsibilities will include but not be limited to: -

Leading a team of SEO Business Partners who use a variety of skills and techniques, encouraging and motivating the team to deliver at pace and to a high standard.

Build and sustain a reputation amongst senior stakeholders as an indispensable, high quality source of expertise on strategic business affairs.
Provide financial input to strategy development from the outset, supporting and advising as part of the decision-making process.
Taking the outputs from management accounts and using these to facilitate discussions on the direction of travel and management of financial risk, providing financial analysis and the identification of risk & opportunities.
Support customers with financial planning and budgeting, ensuring they are as prepared as possible for the future requirements, for example Spending Reviews.
Challenge and support the business to enhance decision-making and increase performance.
Ensuring input to key finance activities, such as Defra’s Annual Report and Accounts, is timely, accurate and that relevant interim and end year information is provided.
Build strong relationships with colleagues from across Finance and the wider Department to provide a joined up service.
Support key portfolios of work. This could be functional based such as key projects, programmes or for cross cutting Finance services.
Provide financial scrutiny of investment proposals including support to Project assurance groups.
Provide expert finance advice and resolving queries from stakeholders (NAO, HMT, Cabinet Office and external delivery partners.
Monitor and provide advice on compliance with financial policy and accountabilities as outlined in Managing Public Money, ensuring appropriate financial controls are in place.
Play a key role in shaping the finance service by leading improvement projects.
Work with all stakeholders to develop enhanced reporting via Qlik and live capital reporting solutions.

Person specification

Experience of:

A strong track record of managing others.
Strong technical skills across a wide range of financial disciplines and a proven ability to apply them to the customers you support.
Proven ability to work with senior financial and non-financial colleagues to deliver improved performance and value for money.
Strong relationship management and influencing skills and personal credibility with stakeholders.
Strong written and oral communication skills and the ability to present information clearly to senior audiences to enable decision making.
Ability to assess a business areas’ financial situation and its implications and advise on strategies and provide insight to enhance decision making.
Excellent analytical, data management and modelling skills and the capacity to get senior leadership to focus on critical issues.
Developing proposals and assessing investment proposals, options and identifying risks.
Delivering quality outcomes within tight deadlines and prioritise effectively.
Developing financial awareness in colleagues and enhancing their development.
Qualified or part qualified accountant (who is committed to gaining final qualification).
Line Management experience
Grants administration

Qualifications

CCAB qualified or part qualified accountant (who is committed to gaining final qualification).

Behaviours

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

Making Effective Decisions
Working Together
Changing and Improving
Communicating and Influencing

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

Making Effective Decisions

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £56,375, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs contributes £16,331 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

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, Strengths and Experience.

Application Process

After submission of the first stage of your application you will be invited to complete a Civil Service Numerical Test. If you successfully pass the test, you will be invited to complete the final stage of the application.

Please complete the online tests as soon as possible (within 24-48 hours is recommended), the closing date for the tests is 23:55 on 16th January 2026. If you fail to complete the online test before the deadline your application will be withdrawn. Guidance for the test will be available when you are invited to take the test. The tests are administered online and accessed via the CS Jobs website.

Do not leave completing the tests until the last minute in case you experience any access or technical issues. There may not be technical support available after business hours and after 2pm on the closing date of 16th January 2026.

While the tests should work on most operating systems and modern browsers with a good internet connection, we cannot guarantee that every combination will work. At the beginning, the test will check which browser you are using, and alert you if it is likely to be incompatible.

It is highly recommended that you complete the online tests on a desktop computer, not a mobile phone or tablet.

Please note that online tests associated with this vacancy are not subject to time limits; for further information visit the Reasonable adjustments for online tests - a candidate guide

Our online test supplier will be performing scheduled maintenance between 4:00pm and 7:00pm on 4th January 2026. There will be up to 1 hour during this time where candidates will not be able to access tests.

All online tests will be affected.

Impact for candidates

Candidates who are taking a test when the downtime starts will have their test paused. They will be able to pick up where they left off after the downtime. They can do this by accessing the test again from their application centre.

Candidates will not be able to launch new tests during the downtime.

Candidates reporting issues should be advised to return to take the test after 7:00pm on 4th January 2026.

As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete a CV, personal statement and lead behaviour statement.

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

The candidate CV needs to demonstrate they have undertaken similar roles and activities as shown in the job specification. The personal statement needs to demonstrate the experience as detailed in the personal specification. Please limit the personal statement to 500 words.

Sift

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the lead Behaviour, Making Effective Decisions and candidates need to meet the required sift score for their application to be progressed. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to a video assessment/interview.

Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.

Interview

Candidate successful at sift stage will be invited to a video assessment/interview (1hour 20 mins) that will consist of a blended interview of behaviours and strengths. A presentation or additional exercise relative to the role will also be assessed, further details will be given to candidates selected for interview.

Further Information

Location

As part of the pre-employment process for this post, successful candidate(s) will be able to agree a contractual workplace from those locations listed in this advert. The agreed contractual workplace is then the substantive and permanent place of work for the successful candidate(s).

Where the location is ‘National’ the successful appointee should discuss and agree an appropriate contractual location in line with both Defra’s location policy and site capacity, prior to proceeding with pre-employment processes.

Successful applicants currently employed by the hiring Defra organisation for this post may choose to remain in their current contractual location or may choose to change contractual location to one of those listed above. This should be discussed and agreed prior to proceeding with pre-employment processes.

The agreed amount of time spent at a workplace for this post will reflect the requirement for Civil Servants to spend at least 60% of their working time in an organisation workplace with the option to work the remaining time flexibly from home. Working time spent at a workplace may include time spent at other organisational locations including field-based operational locations, together with supplier, customer or partner locations. This is a non-contractual agreement which is consistent with common Civil Service expectations.

Travel costs to non-contractual workplaces will be subject to departmental travel and subsistence policies. Travel costs to contractual workplaces are the responsibility of the employee.

The successful candidate is required to carry out all their duties from a UK location, and cannot do so from an overseas location at any time.

Defra includes the core department, APHA, RPA, Cefas and VMD.

Salary

New entrants to the Civil Service are expected to start on the minimum of the pay band. The internal roles rules apply to existing Civil Servants, i.e. level transfers move on current salary or the pay range minimum, transfers on promotion move to new pay range minimum or receive 10% increase. Either case is determined by whichever is the highest.

Reserve List

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

Merit Lists

Where more than one location is advertised, candidates will be appointed in merit order for each location. You will be asked to state your location preference on your application.

This role is full time only. Applicants who wish to work an alternative pattern are welcome to apply however your preferred working pattern may not be available and you should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying.

Childcare Vouchers

Any move to Defra 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.

Internal Fraud Database Check

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.

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the Demystifying Vetting website.

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 defrarecruitment.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.

Accessibility

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

Visa Sponsorship Statement

Please take note that Defra does not hold a UK Visa & Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker License sponsor and are unable to sponsor any individuals for Skilled Worker Sponsorship.

Feedback

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 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.

Medical

Successful candidates will be expected to have a medical.

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 : Gary Story
Email : gary.story@defra.gov.uk
Telephone : 07768006054

Recruitment team

Email : defrarecruitment.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 Government Recruitment Services via email: defrarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: here

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