Finance Business Partner (Qualified)
Department for Work and Pensions
Apply before 11:55 pm on Tuesday 1st October 2024
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About the job
Job summary
The Department for Work and Pensions is one of the largest Departments in Whitehall, managing the delivering of benefit payments to citizens totalling over £200bn annually. As a Finance Professional in Government, your role is to protect public funds and add value through finance assurance activities.
This is a fantastic opportunity for fully qualified accountants to join the Financial Management and Partnering Directorate. This Directorate brings together, Finance Business Partners, Strategic Finance Advisors and Resource Modellers/Analysts into teams which are aligned to DWP Director Generals.
Financial Management and Partnering is a very dynamic area to work in. It has a strong track record of success, helping anyone looking for strategic insight and career progression. It is a great platform for developing and enhancing skill sets for a career in DWP Finance and provides an opportunity to work closely with Senior staff across the organisation.
Successful candidates will be posted to an on the Departmental Consolidation and Partnering Team or in a Finance Business Partner role supporting a specific area within the department.
Places for Growth
Please note we are restricted to the number of roles that are available in London. Our positions will be offered in strict merit order based on location selections. Once all London roles have been filled, we will no longer be able to offer any further roles in this location. We will also apply this rationale to any reserve lists held in the event of future.
The roles available will be based in
- Birmingham 3 Arena Central, Bridge Street, Birmingham B1 2AX.
- Leeds – Quarry House, Quarry Hill, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS2 7UA.
- Manchester – 2 St Peter’s Square, Manchester, M2 3AA.
- Newcastle – Benton Park View, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE98 1BA.
- Sheffield – Hartshead Square , Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S1 2FD
- London – Caxton House, London, SW1H 9NA
- Blackpool-Peel Park, Brunel Way, Blackpool, FY4 5ES
Job description
Financial Management & Partnering Directorate is responsible for financial consolidation, reporting and planning, together with supporting commercial and procurement exercises across our organisation.
In addition to the Financial Management & Partnering directorate, Finance Group comprises the following directorates, Financial Control & Policy, Systems Development & Design, Strategic Finance and Payments, Banking & Shared Services, Business Strategy, Contract Management & Partner Delivery, Commercial, Risk and Security and Data Protection.
We have a complex and engaging stakeholder network in our organisation. Our Finance Business Partners develop a strategic understanding of our financial position, using their interpersonal skills to develop great working relationships with budget holders from across the organisation as well as key contracted provision suppliers. We support with the mitigation of risk, providing advice, guidance and highlight opportunities which consider the political and economic landscape.
We prepare reports for presentation to HM Treasury and develop business cases for new initiatives. You’ll produce monthly management information packs to showcase forecast movements, and their impact on in year and future year plans. We produce analysis (for example actual vs. forecast) to support strategic decision making for services and entities with a total expenditure of over £9bn annually.
You’ll be responsible for Financial modelling and writing complex business cases as well as providing financial assurance to commercial and procurement exercises, analysing both affordability and value for money. Our role is to ensure that the Department’s funding and performance position is managed and communicated effectively to support senior decision making.
DWP are part of the wider Government Finance Function and information on the types of roles and skills needed in this role and to progress can be found in the Finance Career Framework.
Hybrid working
This job role may be suitable for hybrid working, which is where an employee works part of the week in their DWP office and part of the week from home. This is a voluntary, non-contractual arrangement and your office will be your contractual place of work. The number of days that anyone will be able to work at home will be determined primarily by business need, but personal circumstances and other relevant circumstances will also be taken into account. If you are successful, any opportunities for hybrid working, including whether a hybrid working arrangement is suitable for you, will be discussed with you prior to you taking up your post.
This role can only be delivered from the UK.
Person specification
Essential Criteria
A strong candidate for this role should be able to demonstrate the following essential criteria in the answers to the questions on the application form.
- Lead Criteria -The ability to work effectively with and influence senior stakeholders, demonstrating excellent communication skills.
- Hold a full chartered level professional qualification awarded by an IFAC recognised accounting body for example ACCA, CIMA, CIPFA or ICAEW, and to hold full membership of that body. Full details around eligibility can be found here
- Evidence of improving and enhancing finance processes
- A track record of supporting good decision making through high quality analysis
- Application of professional accountancy standards within a complex public or private sector environment
- Evidence of ability to deal with competing priorities whilst maintaining day to day activities and working to tight deadlines
Qualifications
Memberships
If you are invited to interview, you will be asked to provide evidence of both your qualification status and live membership.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Communicating and Influencing
- Managing a Quality Service
- Delivering at Pace
- Making Effective Decisions
Benefits
Alongside your salary, the Department for Work and Pensions contributes 28.97% towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
We also have a broad benefits package built around your work-life balance which includes:
- Working patterns to support work/life balance such as job sharing, term-time working, flexi-time and compressed hours.
- Generous annual leave – at least 25 days on entry, increasing up to 30 days over time (pro–rata for part time employees), plus 9 days public and privilege leave.
- Support for financial wellbeing, including interest-free season ticket loans for travel, a cycle to work scheme and an employee discount scheme.
- Health and wellbeing support including our Employee Assistance Programme for specialist advice and counselling and the opportunity to join HASSRA a first-class programme of competitions, activities and benefits for its members (subscription payable monthly).
- Family friendly policies including enhanced maternity and shared parental leave pay after 1 year’s continuous service.
- Funded learning and development to support progress in your role and career. This includes industry recognised qualifications and accreditations, coaching, mentoring and talent development programmes.
- An inclusive and diverse environment with opportunities to join professional and interpersonal networks including Women’s Network, National Race Network, National Disability Network (THRIVE) and many more.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
Sift
CV
Please provide a CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years.
NOTE - you are not required to upload a CV document, so please input all relevant information into the content of application.
Personal Statement
As part of your application, we would like you to answer 3 key questions, which relate closely to the experience you will need to be successful in this role. A strong applicant will be able to demonstrate clearly within the answers, how their skills and experience meet the essential criteria that is outlined in the personal specification in the advert. Please note behaviours will not be tested at sift.
You will be given a 1250-word limited section on your application, in which you must answer all 3 of the questions.
You can decide how you layout the answers to your questions, and how you share out the word limit. We recommend that in any eventuality, you make full use of the word count to demonstrate as well as you can, how you meet the criteria for the advertised role. We are interested to hear about what and how you have achieved your deliverables in your application content.
Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
Questions
1. How have you analysed financial information to provide decision support to other staff, including non-finance professionals? How have you used different styles/methods of communication to present your findings.
2. How have you developed strong relationships to ensure you can effectively contribute to the delivery of your organisations objectives?
3. What experience do you have of making improvements to financial processes?
Both your CV and personal statement will be sifted, and you will receive one overall score for both.
Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the lead Essential Criteria - The ability to work effectively with and influence senior stakeholders, demonstrating excellent communication skills’ Candidates who pass this will progress to a full sift on the remaining Essential Criteria.
Interview
If you have been successful in sift stage, you will be invited to an online interview via TEAMS, where you will be assessed against the behaviours listed in the advert.
Behaviour based questions are around evidence of what you have done and how you did it.
You will need to produce evidence of ID at your video interview.
Timeline
Application sift is planned to be carried out WC: 1st Oct 2024
Interviews are planned to be carried out WC: 28th Oct 2024
Please be advised that the above dates are indicative only and are subject to change.
All candidates invited to interview will be asked to provide proof of qualification AND current membership before attending an interview.
Further Information
A reserve list may be held for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made.
Any move to DWP 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
If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service 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.
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 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.
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.
Find out more about Working for DWP
Reasonable Adjustment
At DWP we value diversity and inclusion and actively encourage and welcome applications from everyone, including those that are underrepresented in our workforce.
We consider visible and non-visible disabilities, neurodiversity or learning differences, chronic medical conditions, or mental ill health. Examples include dyslexia, epilepsy, autism, chronic fatigue, or schizophrenia.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:Contact Government Recruitment Service via DWPRecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
Complete the “Reasonable Adjustments” 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.
Before applying for this vacancy, current employees of DWP should check whether a successful application would result in changes to their terms & conditions of employment, e.g. mobility, pay, allowances. Civil Servants that would transfer into DWP from other government organisations, following successful application, will assume DWP's terms & conditions of employment current on the day they are posted, unless DWP has stated otherwise in writing.
The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. Please ensure that all examples provided in your application are taken directly from your own experience and that you describe the examples in your own words. Applications will be screened and if evidence of plagiarism or copying examples/answers from other sources is found, your application will be withdrawn. Internal DWP candidates may also face disciplinary action.
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 : Nicky McLintock
- Email : Nicky.Mclintock@dwp.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : dwprecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Further information
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission. Click here to visit the Civil Service Commission.
