Finance Systems Accountant
HM Revenue and Customs
Apply before 11:55 pm on Wednesday 16th October 2024
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About the job
Job summary
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We have an exciting opportunity to join the Finance Systems Design Team (FSD Team).
Our role would suit anyone who wants to work in finance IT with an interest in developing their knowledge of tax systems. The team is building its expert finance systems skills to support HMRC through its tax modernisation and digital transformation programme.
The role will suit you if you like to collaborate, are confident, able to clearly explain technical finance IT functionality in plain English. The role involves agile working and resolving complex and challenging issues. It is ideal if you want to make systems work better for people who need to process and report volumes of financial information on a very large-scale.
You will work in a fast-paced environment, providing specialist advice and support, developing systems design to ensure our systems meet high demand for customer service. You will build relationships with IT partners to ensure key priority solutions are delivered.
This will allow HMRC to deliver a continuously improving financial accounting and reporting capability. This role gives an outstanding opportunity to develop key leadership, innovation, and collaboration skills.
Important: This vacancy is only available at the specified locations; alternative locations are not available.
Your office location is contractual so if you are successful, there is an expectation that you will attend that office a minimum of 60% of your available working time.
The successful candidate will be required to remain in post for a minimum of two years before considering a move within the same grade to a different business area.
You need to consider how you will meet these requirements before you apply and discuss any concerns with the vacancy holder before accepting any role.
See what it’s like to work at HMRC: find out more about us or ask our colleagues a question. Questions relating to an individual application must be emailed as detailed later in this advert.
Job description
You will join a welcoming and accomplished team of systems accountants and analysts, who have a wide knowledge of tax accounting and financial reporting systems.
You will be a critical stakeholder for HMRC Risk, Controls and Financial Accounting (RCFA) Directorate representing and working with HMRC Chief Finance Officer business teams.
You will engage with IT partners and subject matter experts to ensure that finance functional systems issues are resolved, improvements are properly tested, and solutions delivered to exacting customer standards. You will hold accountability for driving systems issues through to customer satisfaction, making sure that solution design complies with HMRC blueprint standards and allows HMRC accounts to be produced accurately and on time.
This role focusses on the application of financial accounting expertise to the support and development of tax accounting and reporting systems.
Successful candidates will undertake initial induction, specialist learning and extensive on-the-job training working in a supportive environment of experienced IT and finance experts enabling you to:
- Solve financial accounting and reporting IT problems for RCFA in a tax systems environment, building relationships and delivering issue resolution through collaboration.
- Support the Finance Systems Strategy for HMRC, maintaining and developing finance IT systems blueprints and design guidance whilst engaging with colleagues to support compliance and adoption.
- Develop the skills needed to build co-operative partnerships with IT experts to ensure finance user requirements are reflected in HMRC’s tax systems.
As a department committed to continuous professional development this role will also provide you with many opportunities to learn, expand or further develop your knowledge across HMRC and the Government Finance Function to support you in reaching your full potential.
Person specification
We want you to lead engagement with our finance systems customers to fully understand their needs. You will introduce, develop, and deliver their tax accounting and reporting requirements with IT partners to meet financial accounting and audit standards. You will ensure that fixes and enhancements of the tax accounting systems and processes and provide finance users with robust support for testing.
You will do this by:
- Maintaining engagement with the customers and IT partners through systems analysis, solution design and testing to deliver satisfactory issue resolution for customers.
- Ensuring your work is handled at pace, given appropriate priority alongside the work of your colleagues so that you meet critical deadlines.
- Working with an expert team of systems accountants, experienced finance experts and IT specialists, to make sure issues are resolved and improvements are delivered.
- Buddying, coaching, and mentoring other team members to help them develop and deliver systems solutions.
- Providing written updates and reports to support customers and Directors where senior management decisions are needed.
- The role may include HR management responsibilities.
We will support you to develop your skills so that you can take ownership and support for customers to resolve their finance IT issues and make their systems and reports work better. You will be introduced to an extensive network of contacts to develop partnerships and collaborations. These will enable you to innovate and deliver the best solutions we need to drive finance taxes systems transformation for HMRC.
The ideal candidate will be a confident professional who puts customer service at the heart of what they do. You will be a strong team player, demonstrating strong communication, collaborative working and stakeholder engagement skills whilst being keen to learn, proactive and influential.
Important: The role can require frequent travel including overnight stays, sometimes at short notice.
Essential Criteria
- Strong knowledge and experience of processing financial transactions correctly and preparing financial statements on accounting software to month-end and year-end deadlines to meet audit timelines
- Ability to communicate technical concepts clearly and concisely.
- Experience within a finance systems accounting environment.
Desirable Criteria
- Good knowledge of accounting principles, including desirable qualifications as follows:
- Part/fully qualified accountant (CIMA or equivalent).
- Part/fully qualified Association of Accounting Technician (AAT).
- Audit qualification(s).
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- At interview candidates will also be asked to provide a 5 to 10-minute presentation on the topic: Your skills and experience, and how you will add value to this position.
Benefits
HMRC operates both Flexible and Hybrid Working policies, allowing you to balance your work and personal commitments. We welcome applications from those who need to work a more flexible arrangement and will agree to requests where possible, considering our operational and customer service needs.
We offer a generous leave allowance, starting at 25 days and increasing by a day for every year of qualifying service up to a maximum of 30 days.
- Pension - We make contributions to our colleagues’ Alpha pension equal to at least 28.97% of their salary.
- Family friendly policies.
- Personal support.
- Coaching and development.
To find out more about HMRC benefits and find out what it’s really like to work for HMRC hear from our insiders or visit Thinking of joining the Civil Service
Things you need to know
Selection process details
How to Apply
As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide the following:
- A name blind CV detailing your prior job history, and experiences and specific qualifications (If part qualified – detail to what stage/level).
- A personal statement (of no more than 750 words) describe how your skills and experience to demonstrate your suitability for this role, in relation to the essential criteria and the person specification detailed in the advert.
Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
Sift
At sift your CV and your Personal Statement will be assessed, with the successful candidates being invited to interview.
Interview
If successful at sift, you will be invited to a virtual interview where you will be assessed further on
- Your prior experience
- Strength based questions
At interview candidates will also be asked to provide a 5 to 10-minute presentation on the topic:
- Your skills and experience, and how you will add value to this position.
We reserve the right to raise the score required at any stage of the process in order to manage numbers.
This is an example of a strengths-based question:
“It is often said that the customer's needs should come first. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?”
There is no expectation or requirement for you to prepare for the strengths-based questions in advance of the interview, though you may find it helpful to spend some time reflecting on what you enjoy doing and what you do well.
Interviews will take place via video link. Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.
Eligibility
Please take extra care to tick the correct boxes in the eligibility sections of your application form. We understand mistakes sometimes happen but if you contact us later than two working days (Monday-Friday) before the vacancy closes, we will not be able to reopen your application for you. If you do make a mistake with your eligibility form, please contact us via: ubsrecruitmentexcellence@hmrc.gov.uk – Use the subject line to insert appropriate wording for example – ‘Please re-open my application – 371745 & vacancy closing date 16/10/2024’.
To check that you are eligible to apply for this role, please review the eligibility information before submitting your application.
Reserve List
A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made for the same or similar roles – if this applies to you, we’ll let you know via your Civil Service Jobs account.
Merit List
After interview, a single merit list will be created, and appointments will be made in strict merit order until the set demand is filled in each location. If successful, you will be informed which locations are available when we reach your position on the merit list.
Criminal Record Check
Applications received from candidates with a criminal record are considered fairly in accordance with the DBS Code of Practice and the Recruitment of ex-offenders Policy.
Reasonable Adjustments
We want to make sure no one is put at a disadvantage during our recruitment process. To assist you with this, we will reduce or remove any barriers where possible and provide additional support where appropriate.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
- Contact the UBS Recruitment team via unitybusinessservicesrecruitmentresults@hmrc.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.
Important information for existing HMRC contractual homeworkers:
Please note that this role is unsuitable for contractual homeworkers due to the nature and/or requirements of the role.
Terms and Conditions
Customer facing roles in HMRC require the ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English and/or Welsh where required. Where this is an essential requirement, this will be tested as part of the selection process.
HMRC has a presence in every region of the UK. For more information on where you might be working, review this information on our locations.
The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. The evidence you provide in your application must relate to your own experiences.
Any instances of plagiarism or other forms of cheating will be investigated and, if proven, the relevant application(s) will be withdrawn from the process.
Recording of interviews is prohibited unless explicit agreement is sought in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulations.
Questions relating to an individual application must be emailed as detailed later in this advert.
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.
New entrants will join on the minimum of the pay band.
If you experience 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.
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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
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Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : Paul Woodroof
- Email : paul.woodroof@hmrc.gov.uk
- Telephone : 07469023192
Recruitment team
- Email : unitybusinessservicesrecruitmentresults@hmrc.gov.uk
Further information
In the first instance, you should raise the matter directly via unitybusinessservicesrecruitmentresults@hmrc.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response, you may bring your complaint to the Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their website.
