Strategic Finance Lead
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Apply before 11:55 pm on Wednesday 16th October 2024
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Please see Job Description for more details.
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About the job
Job summary
Strategic Finance Operations is a team that was established in early 2024 in the Safer Greener Buildings Group.
After the Grenfell Tower tragedy our directorate was borne to remediate unsafe buildings. As a response to the Government resetting its approach to building safety, with a bold plan to protect leaseholders and make those responsible pay to fix the cladding crisis, we have evolved from a crisis response to a portfolio function model.
The role will be joining a directorate that is driving forward the remediation portfolio established to remove dangerous cladding from unsafe buildings and protect over 800,000 leaseholders and their families. The purpose of the Directorate is to deliver an ambitious system of reform and delivery ensuring unsafe cladding is remediated in high and medium rise buildings, and that residents feel safe in them, now and in the future. This role will be at the heart of this high-profile portfolio working across all five programmes to ensure we communicate a clear and accurate financial picture to support our seniors to make strategic decisions.
The Strategic Finance Operations team is an exciting and friendly place to work and we come to work each day to make a positive difference. We are looking for someone to join us who is keen to help us shape our team to enable us to most effectively meet business requirements. This role will report into the Head of Strategic Finance.
Job description
- The role will be responsible for setting up and managing processes to report on in year and multi-year spend across the portfolio programmes.
- They will create robust processes for consolidating the financial position and forecasts of the portfolio in a clear manner, providing insightful commentary to highlight the key issues, risks and opportunities. This may include undertake options and scenario modelling. Their analysis and recommendations will be key in supporting SCS colleagues to make effective decisions.
- Working across multi years they will lead on creating processes and implementing the consolidation of the budget and business planning exercises at a portfolio level.
- They will be responsible for updating the financial assumptions and assessing the impact when the economic modelling for the remediation full business case (FBC) is refreshed biannually.
- They will build excellent working relationships with key internal and external stakeholders to ensure that strategic finance meets end user needs. Such relationships may included key stakeholder such as HMT, IPA, Central Finance and Programme Finance teams.
- They will lead on the financial case of new remediation business cases, policies and papers within the portfolio and coordinate the navigation of this process via HMT.
- They will ensure that business cases are affordable and meet budgetary requirements as set out in Consolidated Budgeting Guidance.
- They will have oversight of the financial risks across the portfolio, undertaking analysis and making recommendations to minimise risk, exploit opportunities and aid senior management decision making.
- They will deputise for the Head of Strategic Finance and be flexible to cover absences in the wider team.
Person specification
At MHCLG we value diversity and inclusion and actively encourage and welcome applications from everyone, including those that are underrepresented in our workforce. We promote equality of opportunity in all aspects of employment and a working environment free from discrimination, harassment, bullying and victimisation. As such if you require any accessibility alterations to the recruitment process, please get in touch with the vacancy holder.
- Ideally qualified CCAB or CIMA Accountant, but will accept part qualified candidates with extensive experience.
- Ability to build strong working relationships across the Department and with external stakeholders. Your stakeholder engagement skills will be built on diplomacy, problem-solving and a “can-do” approach.
- 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.
- Experience of providing strategic level advice and analysis on financial impact, performance and risk to senior stakeholders. Within this, the ability to act as a ‘critical friend’ to challenge stakeholders regarding their financial management and delivery where necessary.
- Confident in working at pace, either independently or as part of a team, to manage a full workload with conflicting short and long-term priorities
- You will be highly motivated and an enthusiastic self-starter, with an ability to learn.
- Comfortable to work with uncertainty and moving deliverables as we grow and shape our team.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Making Effective Decisions
- Communicating and Influencing
- Working Together
- Delivering at Pace
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- Presentation
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 employer contribution of 28.97%
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.
CV and Cover Letter Declaration
We recruit based on your knowledge and skills, and not background, gender or ethnicity - this is called name blind recruitment.
Please remove references to your:
- name/title
- educational institutions
- age
- gender
- email address
- postal address
- phone number
- nationality/immigration status
You will need to merge your CV and covering letter into one document. When submitting your application Applied will ask you to upload a CV, when doing this you should upload your merged document of your CV and covering letter.
Most of our campaigns utilise multiple assessors and so it is possible that your application would be viewed by different assessors.
At sift, through your CV and covering letter we will be assessing:
Experience
Your covering letter should be no more than 750 words. In your CV and covering letter, please include:
a. why you are interested in the role;
b. how you meet the essential skills and experience required
The interview will be of a blended nature consisting of the following success profiles elements:
Experience: Experience questions will be based around the essential skills and criteria as listed in the job description.
Behaviours: Making Effective Decisions, Communicating and Influencing, Working Together, Delivering at Pace.
Strengths: The strength based questions will require natural responses from the candidate.
Candidates will also be asked to prepare a short presentation, details of which will be provided with the interview invitation.
In full the campaign will test the below Success Profile Elements:
Experience
Behaviours
Strengths
Please contact the vacancy manager if you have any questions about the role.
We do not consider direct CV applications – 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
Grade 7 salary
- The salary for this role is £51,934 (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.
Accountancy Allowance
As part of the 2019/20 pay remit we introduced an allowance for fully-qualified chartered accountants in pay band 6 (Grade 7), in the 2020/21 pay remit we expanded the criteria to also include fully qualified chartered accountants in pay band 7 (Grade 6) who are in a post determined by the Finance Head of Profession to be a qualifying post. This allowance is £4,000pa and will be applied automatically if you are identified as being eligible.
Benefits
Transfers across the Civil Service on or after 4 October 2018:
Any move to MHCLG 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 MHCLG employees, please see the attached Candidate Pack.
Location
- Birmingham
- Bristol
- Darlington*
- Leeds
- Manchester
- Wolverhampton
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.
*Please note: The Darlington Economic Campus is a pioneering new cross-government hub which will bring together people across departments and public organisations to play an active role in the most important economic issues of the day. The work of the Campus will make a real difference to people both across the UK and internationally. There will be substantial career opportunities and exciting prospects - a career at the Campus means you will be working at the heart of Government, with access to the benefits and fantastic opportunities offered by the civil service.
For further information on the DEC, please take a look at the attached DEC candidate pack.
Sift and Interview dates
Sifting is envisaged to take place W/C 21 October 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 on 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@communities.gov.uk to be removed from the reserve list.
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 MHCLG candidate pack regarding nationality requirements and rules
Candidate Pack Information
Please see attached Candidate pack for further information.
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 MHCLG as a participating government organisations. MHCLG 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 : Leah Tennent
- Email : leah.tennent@communities.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : recruitment@communities.gov.uk
