You will support Senior operational managers and their teams as well as working flexibly across the region to support the Strategic Finance Lead as required.

Postcodes have been included for your reference and location will be discussed at interview.

Travel Requirements

Guidance on office attendance remains that civil servants are expected to spend 60% of their time in local office/Government building. Successful candidates will be allocated a base location within the North East and Yorkshire region which will be one of the locations listed above. The role holder will be required to regularly visit prisons across the region to meet with stakeholders and attend meetings. These sites are located in the North East and Yorkshire region (see postcodes above). National travel will be required occasionally.

The expectation is that candidates will fund travel costs to and from their base location. If required to attend a location other than their base location, post-holders may be entitled to claim some or all of any extra expense (beyond the usual base location travel costs) in line with the T&S policy.

Role Responsibilities Overview

The job holder will be required to undertake the following duties and responsibilities:

• Budget management – Influencing how public money is used in prisons and probation settings by working with budget holders to develop robust plans and monitoring delivery
• Risks and issues – identify and monitor budget risks and opportunities, supporting stakeholders to develop mitigating actions
• Reporting – translate financial information to non-finance stakeholders, providing the narrative behind the numbers to influence decision making
• Governance – understand and advise on governance and compliance issues

Role Responsibilities/Tasks Detail

• Developing an understanding of the business, its stakeholders, and deliverables
• Building and maintaining relationships with customer budget holders
• Providing advice on compliance with policy, standards, accountabilities, and controls
• Translating, owning, and adding insight to financial data to provide clear information and evidence to support business activities and requirements
• Providing guidance at appropriate level budget holder meetings and boards
• Reviewing and providing input to business cases/ strategic documentation
• Identifying and applying relevant costs, benefits, and investment appraisal techniques
• Providing relevant coaching and training to the business
• Providing ad-hoc analysis and presentations to drive and support business decisions, such as efficiency and cost reduction options, using all available data and analytics tools

Essential Criteria

Candidates should have relevant, practical finance experience and the ability to provide clear financial advice and constructive challenge to senior colleagues (Communicating and influencing)

• Possesses emotional intelligence and can think empathetically, considering the strategic goals of others (Working Together)
• Fosters a culture of knowledge sharing and collaboration between the business, finance, and other corporate services (Working Together)
• Can tailor their communication style to a range of audiences, including internal and external stakeholders (Communicating and Influencing)
• Uses facts and evidence to aid negotiation and influencing (Communicating and Influencing)
• Helps others to understand the interdependencies between business and finance (Working Together, Communicating and Influencing)
• Proactive and passionate, inspiring others to continuously improve (Changing and Improving)
• Ability to "speak the language" of finance to business, and vice versa, acting as the critical translator between the two (Communicating and Influencing; Managing a Quality Service)

Qualification

• Qualified with CCAB, CIMA or equivalent, or
• Part qualified (actively working towards full qualification)

Application Process

You will be assessed using Success Profiles - GOV.UK. Success Profiles enable a fairer and more inclusive method of recruitment by enabling us to assess the range of experiences, abilities, strengths, behaviours, and technical/professional skills required for different roles. This flexible approach to recruitment focuses more on finding the right candidate for the specific role.

Sift

Behaviours – Please provide examples of how you have met the behaviours below in reference to the essential criteria (outlined above).

• Communicating and Influencing (Lead Behaviour)
• Working together
• Managing a Quality Service
• Changing and improving

Experience

We will also assess a candidate’s experience and ability based on the skills required as set out below through:

• A Statement of Suitability is required consisting of a maximum of 750 words
• Please provide an anonymised copy of your CV.

Applicants will be expected to demonstrate the essential role requirements within the application behaviour responses, statement of suitability and CV.

If we receive a large number of applications, we will carry out an initial sift on the lead criteria of Communicating and Influencing. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to interview.

Candidates invited to Interview

Candidates who are successful following the sift process will be invited to a face-to-face interview in Durham. During the interview, we will be assessing you on Behaviours, Technical and Strengths from the Success Profiles framework

Behaviours

• Communicating and influencing (Lead Behaviour)
• Working together
• Managing a quality service
• Changing and improving

Technical test on the day – the details of which will be provided on the day.

You will also be assessed on strengths, these are not shared in advance of interview.

Specialist Allowances

In addition to salary, a pensionable, non-contractual specialist allowance may be applicable if you are fully qualified with CCAB, CIMA or equivalent. Specialist allowances apply to certain roles only, are non-transferable to other roles and are subject to annual review.

For further information please feel free to contact Ruth Deedman at Ruth.Deedman-HMPS@justice.gov.uk

Directorate

Finance Business Partnering

Location

One post covering support to HMPPS specifically the Women’s Group within the North East and Yorkshire area

Base Location options

• MoJ HQ Building
  • 5 Wellington Place Leeds
  • LS1 4AP
• Forest House
  • Aykley Heads Business Park Durham
  • DH1 5TS

**Optional alternative base locations