Senior Consolidation Accountant
Department for Business and Trade
Apply before 11:55 pm on Friday 20th September 2024
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Finance
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About the job
Job summary
Finance is at the heart of decision making in the Department for Business & Trade (DBT).
The Financial Accounting, Reporting and Control team lead on the production of DBT’s financial accounts, DBT’s relationship with the National Audit Office (NAO) and providing advice on compliance with HM Treasury and Cabinet Office controls. The team are critical in embedding high quality financial accounting controls practices and processes in DBT, within and beyond the Finance team.
This is a high-profile role within the Finance directorate, and you will share your financial accounting expertise with stakeholders across the department. For example, through assessing business cases and investment decisions, and working with finance professionals in DBT’s partner organisations, to ensure the financial accounting and budgeting implications are clearly understood.
Job description
Responsibilities are varied but will include:
- Lead and oversee the production of key statutory financial reports (including whole government accounts – WGA), consolidations, and notes to the accounts, and collating data from across the DBT group.
- Working with peers within the financial control team, supporting and developing team members to help them fulfil their potential.
- Line management of a small team.
- Collaboration with DBT’s partner organisations to build relationships and facilitate effective consolidation.
- Engagement with the National Audit Office and Government Internal Audit Agency, ensuring a good working relationship, excellent communications and delivery of on-time and accurate financial and other information.
- Supporting the Head of Financial Reporting as an advisor for technical accounting matters, particularly relating to consolidation and Group matters, and making sure that all known technical accounting issues are dealt with in a timely and planned manner.
- Collaborate closely with HM Treasury colleagues on technical issues and cross Whitehall accountancy issues with the aim of ensuring that all technical aspects of the accounts production process are consistent with HM Treasury guidance and specifically the requirements of the Financial Reporting Manual (FReM).
- Drive improvements to the accounts production process to ensure that the Department’s accounts achieve best practice in complying with all current accounting and legal reporting obligations.
- Building strong relationships with relevant functional stakeholders across the Department and wider HMG, to encourage alignment and cooperation, and the most efficient use of public funds, mitigating accounting risks and ensuring good financial control.
Person specification
Applicants will demonstrate the ability to work across organisational boundaries in order to deliver with effective communication skills, including communicating complex information to non-specialist audiences and influencing the decision making in the business.
Crucially, we are looking for you to:
- Be a fully qualified accountant (ACCA, ACA, CIPFA, or CIMA), with a passion for financial accounting and reporting.
- Have significant experience of using, applying, and interpreting International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).
- Have experience of producing financial accounts and making technical accounting judgements, and then explaining those judgements to others.
- Exhibit excellent Excel and presentational skills.
- Be able to work independently, proactively, passionately, and confidently on high-profile areas across the Department and lead others to achieve quality and on time delivery of outputs.
- Be comfortable and confident in working at pace to manage a full workload with conflicting short and long-term priorities.
- Build positive relationships with partners in other teams and departments (such as NAO, HMT, and partner organisations), and to use those relationships to influence others through excellent interpersonal and communication skills, tailored to the recipient.
- Lead collaboratively with structure, by producing sufficiently detailed timelines and processes, with interdependencies and owners, to lead others to successful delivery with clear products and outcomes for the process.
Desirable
- Government finance experience, including accounting standards and government accounting regulations (for example IFRS, FReM and Managing Public Money).
Qualifications
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Delivering at Pace
- Leadership
- Making Effective Decisions
- Developing Self and Others
Benefits
- You will have 25 days annual leave in your first year, and an additional day for each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days after 5 years)
- 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 average employer contribution of 27%
We recognise the challenges that people with (multiple) protected characteristics may experience on the job market and in their career progression. We are fully committed to being an inclusive employer and ensuring equal opportunities. We are keen to make our workforce as diverse as possible, and we hope to attract applications from underrepresented groups, including ethnic minorities, people with a disability, and people with gender diverse identities.
Please refer to the attached candidate pack for further information on our benefits.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
Interviews for this vacancy will be conducted virtually. We will, however, consider in-person interviews by exception.
Please ensure that you check your emails regularly as all updates from us will be sent to you this way.
To apply for this post, you will be asked to complete the following as part of the online application:
- A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Provide employment history that relates to the essential criteria, and that any gaps in employment history within the last 2 years are explained. The CV should not exceed more than 2 x A4 pages.
- A Personal Statement of up to 750 words. You should explain how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role in reference to the job description.
It is likely that the sift will take place 1-2 weeks after the closing date and interviews 3-5 weeks after the closing date though this is subject to change.
In the event of a large number of applicants, an initial short sift will be conducted on the Personal Statement.
Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to assessment/interview.
Reasonable Adjustments
We are committed to supporting candidates so they can perform at their best throughout the recruitment process. This includes making reasonable adjustments to our process. In order to request an adjustment:
Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section on the ‘Additional requirements’ page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process.
Alternatively contact the Government Recruitment Service at DBTrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.
Candidate Support
You may want to join a virtual Candidate Support Session. These sessions include helpful tips and advice on the recruitment process, from application to interview.
Please see attached Candidate Pack for further information on: Diversity and Inclusion; Benefits; Learning and Development; Working Patterns and what we deliver as a department.
Further Information:
- A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made. Reserve Lists will be for each location and appointments made in merit order based on location preferences.
- Any move to the Department for Business and Trade from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments.
- The Department will not consider sponsoring a visa or issuing a Certificate of Sponsorship. We are unable to offer advice on any Visa and Immigration cases.
- New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
- 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. Any applicant who has 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.
- Terms and Conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.
- Please note – the successful candidate will be expected to remain in post for a minimum of 18 months before being released for another role.
- This role may be considered as a secondment opportunity. Please reach out to the hiring manager listed at the bottom of this advert to discuss.
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service / Disclosure Scotland / Access NI 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.
For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email Info@disclosurescotland.co.uk
For further information on the Access NI confidential checking service telephone: the Access NI Helpline on 0300 200 7888 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email accessni@ani.x.gsi.gov.uk
Vetting
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 please visit the following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting
Feedback
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Nationality requirements
Working for the Civil Service
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).
Diversity and Inclusion
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : Charlotte Luckett
- Email : charlotte.luckett@businessandtrade.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : dbtrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Further information
If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with these principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should in the first instance contact DBT by email: Resourcing@businessandtrade.gov.uk.
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, you can contact the Civil Service Commission, which regulates all Civil Service recruitment.
For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages: Click here to visit Civil Service Commission/Complaints
