Election Claim Unit Analyst
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Apply before 11:55 pm on Friday 27th September 2024
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About the job
Job summary
Are you somebody who is analytically minded with good attention to detail skills? Then this could be the role for you!
This is a decision-making role that forms a key part of the Election Claims Unit which has responsibility for analysing, processing and actioning payments for the reimbursement of expenses necessarily incurred by Returning Officers for the conduct of UK Parliamentary elections, Police and Crime Commissioner elections and Recall Petitions – all of which are paid for from the Consolidated Fund via ECU.
The role involves extensive financial analysis of expenses incurred and would best fit someone that can work independently and can apply a logic-based approach to decision-making. The post holder is responsible for ensuring that only legitimate, reasonable, and necessary expenditure is reimbursed from the Consolidated Fund, thus safeguarding the public purse. This requires examining financial data from previous election claims, identifying trends in expenditure and any other changes in the approach taken by Returning Officers. The work undertaken by the analysts is crucial in helping to accurately forecast the cost of future elections. In addition to the above, the analysts provide direct support to the head of ECU (Elections Claims Unit) and the head of Elections Funding and work closely with Electoral Service Managers and Returning Officers.
Job description
You will:
• Examine expense accounts submitted by Returning Officers (RO’s) in relation to UK Parliamentary and PCC elections, as well as recall petitions.
• Ensure adherence to policy, legislation, and considering value for money to the taxpayer.
• Liaising with senior stakeholders to request additional information / evidence to support expenditure claimed where the accounts are either incomplete, or otherwise non-compliant with the legislation and/or guidance.
• Work directly with the Returning Officers and Electoral Service Managers on amendments to accounts, along with agreeing final reimbursement amounts.
• Thoroughly analyse claims that are overspent against the funding allocation and write detailed analysis submissions, including recommendations of funding amounts to be reviewed by the Head of Elections Funding.
• Take a pro-active role in updating working documentation and revising the Returning Officers guidance in relation to elections funding and the relevant accounting requirements.
• Work directly with the Head of ECU, the ECU Finance Manager, and the Elections Funding team to escalate issues / problems, as necessary.
• Support the Elections Funding team in rolling out new technologies to aid Returning Officers with the submission of their expenses as required.
• Become a subject matter expert on analysing financial data submitted by Returning Officers by having a thorough understanding of the guidance and legislation underpinning the process.
• Have a thorough understanding of the digital system to be used for the submission of Returning Officer’s accounts and support further improvement to the system via feedback and user testing.
• Work with senior stakeholders to support and guide them through the claims process.
• Able to advise on eligibility criteria and take decisions on items of expenditure.
• Highlight fraud and error cases, taking appropriate escalation action.
• Work with the Head of ECU where claims are submitted late, or where novel or unnecessary items are claimed.
• Be responsible for training and supporting new members of staff.
Person specification
This is a role in a fast-paced team so highly organised individuals that can prioritise their own time and consistently deliver high quality results are required.
Essential Critieria
- Good interpersonal and numerical skills.
- Good written and communication skills.
- The ability to work with external stakeholders to gather essential information.
- The ability to work at pace under pressure.
Desirable Criteria
- Experience in financial analysis .
Benefits
- 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%
Things you need to know
Selection process details
As part of our pre-employment checking process we will be using your CV to confirm your job history. Please note that by providing us with your CV you are consenting to us using the information enclosed as part of the checking process.
Our application system is designed to remove as much bias as possible from the recruitment system – this means that a hiring manager does not know your name, your details, see your whole application in one go (or have your CV at review stage unless stated otherwise).
At application stage you will be asked to upload a CV document. Unless stated otherwise in the advert, your CV will not form part of the assessment but will be used for information purposes and only shared with the panel at interview stage.
Your answers are randomised and chunked up. This means that each assessor views sets of responses to questions, for example all candidates’ responses to ‘Seeing the Big Picture’ rather than seeing a candidate’s full application. The science behind this is that recruitment can be subject to ordering and fatigue effects and we want to reduce this as much as possible.
Most of our campaigns utilise multiple assessors and so it is possible that each of your answers would be viewed by different assessors.
When writing your application, remember:
- The assessor won’t be reading your answers sequentially.
- Do not assume that the same assessors will have read all of your answers.
- If talking about something in your first answer, make sure that you write the second answer as if you had not written the first (and so on!)
At sift, we will be assessing
Behaviour 1 (lead behaviour) - Making Effective Decisions
Behaviour 2 - Working Together
Behaviour 3 - Managing A Quality Service
Behaviour 4 - Delivering at Pace
There is a 250 word limit per question.
In the event that we receive a large number of applications, we may conduct an initial sift using the lead behaviour listed in the advert. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.
The interview will be of a blended nature consisting of the following success profiles elements:
Behaviour – Delivering at Pace, Making Effective Decisions, Managing A Quality Service, Working Together
Strength - The strength based questions will require natural responses from the candidates
In the full campaign we will test the below Success Profile Elements:
Behaviours: Delivering at Pace, Making Effective Decisions, Managing A Quality Service, Working Together
Strengths: Yes
We do not consider direct CV applications to our Recruitment mailbox – you must apply for this role via the application link on Civil Service Jobs
Please note that near miss offers may be made at the lower grade to candidates who do not meet the grade criteria for this campaign.
EO salary
- The salary for this role is £26,464 (National).
- For existing civil servants, the usual policy on level transfer and promotion will apply and is non-negotiable. If you apply for a role that requires a transfer of location, for example if you are transferring from London to a National location, your salary will be adjusted in accordance with our policy on transfer between HQ pay ranges.
Please note that the average employer pension contribution is based upon the National minimum salary for this role. Should your agreed starting salary for this role be different, the average employer pension contribution will be calculated accordingly. If you are a Secondee, this will not apply as you will remain on your home organisation’s terms and conditions.
BENEFITS:
Transfers across the Civil Service on or after 4 October 2018:
Any move to DLUHC 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
For further information about the benefits available to DLUHC employees, please see the attached Candidate Pack.
GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION:
- Norwich
There may be opportunities for candidates to work flexibly depending on the business needs. This will be discussed with the vacancy manager on a case-by-case basis if you are successful for the role.
sift and interview dates:
Sifting is envisaged to take place starting 30/09/2024 with interview dates to be confirmed. All interviews are currently being held remotely via videocall.
Reserve List
In the event that we identify more appointable candidates than we currently have posts available, we will hold applicant details in a reserve list for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made. This may include roles at a lower grade. Candidates placed on a reserve list will be informed of this. Those candidates who do not wish to remain on the reserve list should contact recruitment@levellingup.gov.uk to be removed from the reserve list.
Candidate Pack Information
Please see attached Candidate pack for further information.
Before starting your application it’s very important to make sure that you are eligible to apply and meet the Civil Service nationality requirements. All candidates are expected to read the information provided in the DLUHC candidate pack regarding nationality requirements and rules
Internal Fraud Database
The Internal Fraud function of the Fraud, Error, Debt and Grants Function at the Cabinet Office processes details of civil servants who have been dismissed for committing internal fraud, or who would have been dismissed had they not resigned. The Cabinet Office receives the details from participating government organisations of civil servants who have been dismissed, or who would have been dismissed had they not resigned, for internal fraud. In instances such as this, civil servants are then banned for 5 years from further employment in the civil service. The Cabinet Office then processes this data and discloses a limited dataset back to DLUHC as a participating government organisations. DLUHC then carry out the pre employment checks so as to detect instances where known fraudsters are attempting to reapply for roles in the civil service. In this way, the policy is ensured and the repetition of internal fraud is prevented.
For more information please see - Internal Fraud Register
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 : Jordan Peck
- Email : jordan.peck@communities.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : recruitment@communities.gov.uk