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Job summary

The Army has circa 13,000 civil servants in 300 locations and The British Army comprises of 112,000 experienced, committed and highly skilled Regular and Reserve soldiers. The British Army protects the United Kingdom’s interests at home and abroad, providing a safe and secure environment and is supported by the civilian workforce. Standing Joint Command (SJC) is the Army's supporting command; a generating force, recruiting, training and enabling the Field Army; with people at the heart of our profession, engaged across society sustaining our institutional fabric, delivering UK resilience and the firm base.

The SJC Finance team is part of the SJC Headquarters. The purpose of the branch is to maximise efficiency through taut and realistic planning, scheduling and allocation of resources to meet current and future Operational commitments.

This position is advertised at 37 hours per week. You will be required to work at HQ SJC, Aldershot office a minimum of 3 days per week and occasional travel to other Defence sites.

Please be advised that the Army is conducting a review of its current Finance Operating Model. At the time of advertisement this post is deemed to have an enduring requirement and it is not anticipated that this post will be likely to change in the immediate future, however, is in scope of the ongoing review.

Job description

This role is responsible for reporting the financial position at strategic level for the business area(s) it supports and provides insight and management of the key issues, risks and opportunities to the Business and Finance Leadership team. Ensuring that management reporting meets end user needs and is presented to best convey key messages using continuous improvement principles. Ensuring that financial reporting is accurately completed both within corporate reporting systems and for input of accounting entries to support decision making.

We are currently recruiting for an experienced Finance individual to lead the delivery of a Financial Operations Team, ensuring that Financial Operations is effective and complementary of other finance processes. Your technical knowledge, insight, and ability to work constructively with people at all grades/levels will make you a valued contributor to the decision-making process and a champion for change. You will need to establish and develop effective working relationships with contributing teams and individuals across the Army and wider Finance Profession.

This is a challenging role, and key responsibilities will include:

• Management of financial processes and information, to ensure outputs are accurate and meet the expected standards, including Ownership of Management Information (MI) for monthly financial reviews and Strategic Planning Cycle (SPC) screenings, highlighting areas of concern to the relevant Finance Business Partner to discuss with their business area(s).
• Management of budget profiles, In Year forecasting and 10-year planning (SPC) financial information into corporate reporting systems, ensuring consistency and accuracy.
• In support of the accounts, produce standardised templates / forms for cyclical reporting, advising what information is required and enabling efficient review.
• Provide financial concurrence and affordability assessments in support of procurement. Ensuring compliance with the relevant processes and policies and provide guidance on appropriate procurement routes.
• Reconciliation of core finance operations e.g. Accounting Systems, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable in an efficient and effective manner.
• Effective leadership and management of the Finance Operations Team. Oversee team priorities and resourcing in accordance with reporting timelines. Ensuring all business areas have adequate support, monitoring against the agreed service provision and flexing team members to fill any temporary gaps, as required.
• Responsibility for ensuring sufficient monitoring tools is in place to highlight and eliminate financial control weaknesses, working with control owners as necessary.
• Developing and implementing appropriate policies and procedures for change control, in compliance with government standards.
• Effectively managing internal control and delivery risks with emphasis on customer service.
• Providing intelligent analysis of complex financial information, drawing out common themes and understanding linkages and dependencies.
• Continuously strive to improve the service provision, promptly addressing issues and ensuring that processes or ways of working are adapted, and customers are informed where there is an impact.

Person specification

Essential skills required:

• Qualified with CCAB, CIMA or equivalent or working towards qualification
• Experience in relevant strategic financial roles
• Clear evidence of strong numeric ability
• Experience of leading a team with excellent people management skills with the ability to promote team cohesion, adapt to changes and improvements
• Experience of working in a finance role(s)
• Experience in leading and/or influencing organisational change
• Ability to work flexible and adapt to changing priorities
• Strong communicator, able to communicate at all levels and excellent presentation skills
• Ability to develop collaborative relationships with a range of stakeholders and teams, spanning the junior to senior level
• Highly developed planning and organisational skills in a financial environment and experience of delivery and meeting tight deadlines.

Behaviours

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

• Changing and Improving
• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions
• Delivering at Pace
• Leadership
• Seeing the Big Picture

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

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

Technical skills

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

• Finance Competence 4 – In Year Financial Management

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £61,630, Ministry of Defence contributes £17,854 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).

As a civil servant working alongside the Army, you will be part of a forward-looking organisation with inclusive workplace policies, excellent career prospects and a job that makes a difference.
The Army prides itself on being a supportive employer and where possible encourages flexible working, helping you to maintain a great work/life balance.

Other benefits for Army civil servants include:

• An environment with flexible working options
• Flexible working hours upon completion of 6 months service
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 28.97%
• Professional and Personal Development on skills
• 25 days paid annual leave rising (1 day per year) to 30 days upon completion of 5 years service
• 8 Paid Public Holidays per year
• 6 days special leave per year which can be used for volunteering activities
• Enhanced parental and adoption leave
• Access to the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), a free service that assists you with achieving a productive, healthy environment that is conducive to a healthy lifestyle.
• Free car parking; a Sports & Social Club, Gym and site shops.

Learning and Development

We believe that everyone has the potential to make a difference and you will be supported to help you learn and advance in your career. Successful candidates can discuss their development options with their manager when in post. The post offers the opportunity to undertake professional financial qualification.

The post does not offer relocation expenses.

External recruits who join the MOD who are new to the Civil Service will be subject to a six-month probation period.

Please Note: Expenses incurred for travel to interviews will not be reimbursed.

Please be advised that the Department is conducting a review of all pay related allowances which could impact on those allowances that the post currently being advertised attracts.

Any move to MOD 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/.

The Ministry of Defence is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for its staff which includes educating them on the benefits of not smoking, protecting them from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke and supporting those who want to give up smoking. Under the Smoke-Free Working Environment policy, Smoking and the use of all tobacco products (including combustible and chewing tobacco products) will not be permitted anywhere in the Defence working environment however some exemptions are in place, please refer to local guidance. The policy is Whole Force and includes all Defence personnel, contractors, visitors and other non-MOD personnel. All applicants seeking, considering, or accepting employment with the Ministry of Defence should be aware of this policy and that it is already in place at a number of Defence Establishments.

MOD Recruitment Satisfaction Survey – We may contact you regarding your experience to help us improve our customer satisfaction. The survey is voluntary and anonymous. You may however be given the opportunity to provide additional information to help us improve our service which includes the collection of some personal data as defined by the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). The MOD Privacy Policy Notice sets out how we will use your personal data and your rights.

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, Experience and Technical skills.

At application stage you will be asked to complete a verbal reasoning test and a numerical test.

Should you be invited to complete the online tests, please allow sufficient time to complete the tests and the remainder of the full application form; only candidates who are successful at the test stage will be invited to complete the remainder of the application by clicking ‘Submit Application’. Your application must be completed by 23:55 on the closing date of the vacancy. Late submissions cannot be accepted. The tests are not timed, as they work by giving you harder questions if you answer the previous question correctly, and easier if you get it wrong. You should allow up to an hour for each test, and each test must be completed before you will be invited to complete the second part of your application. Internet access will be required for the duration of the test. Please refer to the attached Candidate Guidance for further information.

Candidates that reach the minimum required pass mark will have their results saved as a banked score against the following tests:

• New Civil Service Verbal Test
• New Civil Service Numerical Test

When a candidate has a banked score they’re not asked to re-take the same test providing it is set at the same level. Scores will be banked for a 6 month period from the date of test completion. If a candidate is invited to take the same test against multiple vacancies, the banked score will be recognised against all vacancies and all active applications will progress.

If you pass both of these, you will then be assessed at sift against the following:

• CV - to include job history, qualification details and previous skills and experience
• Personal Statement - 500 words relating to how you meet the relevant criteria contained in the essential skills criteria
• Behaviours
  • Changing & Improving
  • Communicating & Influencing
  • Making Effective Decisions

At interview stage you will be assessed against the following:

• Technical - You will be assessed on Finance competence 4 - In Year Finance Management - Finance Competence Framework 2022.pdf
• Behaviours
  • Communicating & Influencing
  • Delivering at Pace
  • Leadership
  • Seeing the Big Picture

Application sifting will be scheduled to take place within 7 days of the application closing date. Interview dates are to be confirmed and will be held in person. We endeavour to keep to these time frames, but these are subject to change around business needs.

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.

There may be occasions where it is not practicable or appropriate to interview all DCS candidates that meet the minimum criteria for the job. For example, in certain recruitment situations such as a high volume of applications, seasonal demand, or peak periods, the employer may wish to limit the overall number of interviews offered to both DCS and non-DCS applicants.

As a result of the changes to the UK immigration rules which came into effect on 1 January 2021, the Ministry of Defence will only offer sponsorship for a skilled worker visa under the points-based system, where a role has been deemed to be business critical. This role does not meet that category, and we will not sponsor a visa. It is therefore NOT open to applications from those who will require sponsorship under the points-based system.
Should you apply for this role and be found to require sponsorship, your application will be rejected and any provisional offer of employment withdrawn.

The Ministry of Defence requires all candidates who are successful at interview to declare any outside interests. These declarations will be discussed with successful candidates following the interview process and before a formal offer of employment is made, as some outside interests may not be compatible with MOD civilian roles. This will not, in the majority of cases, prevent employment in MOD, but it is a measure that must be taken to ensure that appropriate mitigations can be put in place to manage any potential, perceived or actual conflicts of interest from the first day of employment.

The Ministry of Defence adopts a zero-tolerance approach to unacceptable behaviours, which includes bullying, harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, and victimisation. You will not be eligible and will not be considered for this post if you have been dismissed from a role for such unacceptable behaviours within the last five years. This will also apply if you resign or otherwise leave a role but, because of an adverse decision, would have been dismissed for gross misconduct had you continued in that employment. Pre-employment checks will be carried out.

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.

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 : Sarah Witt
• Email : Sarah.Witt325@mod.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : DBSCivPers-ResourcingTeam3@mod.gov.uk

Further information

Please ensure you read the attached candidate information document prior to completing your application. If you are dissatisfied with the service you have received from DBS, or believe that DBS has failed to follow the recruitment process in line with the Civil Service Commission principles of selection for appointment on merit on the basis of Fair and Open competition, you can raise a formal complaint by writing to DBS at the following address: Defence Business Services, Scanning Hub, Room 6124, Tomlinson House, Norcross Lane, Blackpool, FY5 3WP. If after raising your complaint with DBS you remain dissatisfied you can complain directly to the Civil Service Commission at the following address: Civil Service commission, Room G/8, 1 Horse Guards Road, London, SW1A 2HQ Or by email: info@csc.gov.uk.

Attachments

Finance Competence Framework 2022 Opens in new window (pdf, 740kB)ARMY Candidate Pack Opens in new window (pdf, 273kB)Defence Civil Service Offer Opens in new window (pdf, 1562kB)Defence Internal Brief notice Opens in new window (docx, 43kB)