Finance Chief of Staff

Government Recruitment Service; City of Westminster; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A government department in the UK is seeking a Finance Chief of Staff to lead the Private Office and Business Support team. This role involves managing staff, providing strategic support to Finance Directors, and ensuring alignment across financial communications. The ideal candidate will have strong leadership and stakeholder management skills, with a proven track record in financial management and advisory roles. This full-time position requires flexibility with work hours to accommodate departmental needs.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in financial management and advisory roles.
• Ability to manage a team effectively and drive results.
• Strong analytical skills to support decision making.

Responsibilities

• Manage the Private Office and Business Support team.
• Act as a critical advisor to Deputy Directors.
• Ensure alignment in communications and submissions.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Leadership

Communication skills

Strategic thinking

Job description

The Home Office works to build a safe, fair and prosperous UK. We achieve this through our work on counter‑terrorism, policing, crime, drugs policy, immigration and passports.

The Chief Operating Officer (COO) Group works closely with the Home Office’s policy and operational commands to enable us together to deliver the department’s priorities. The group is comprised of different teams and professional functions, including Commercial, Finance, People, Portfolio and Project Delivery, Security, Estates and Information and Digital, Data and Technology.

As Finance Chief of Staff (CoS), the post holder will lead the Private Office and Business Support team to help deliver the Finance Directors’ (FDs) and COO’s priorities for the Home Office (HO).

This is an exciting opportunity to provide direct support to the FDs who head up a unit of over 300 people. The FD’s office is a small and friendly team who support the FDs in their day‑to‑day role as well as assisting them in delivering the organisation’s priorities.

The CoS role provides a unique opportunity to work at the heart of the HO, working closely with Senior HO Leadership, Permanent Secretaries and the wider Private Office team, and to gain an insight into the senior workings of a central function within one of the great Departments of State.

This is a challenging and fast‑paced role which involves regular engagement with the offices of the Chief Operating Officer, Permanent Secretary, Home Secretary and Ministers.

The CoS will provide direct support to the FDs as part of their immediate support team to ensure there is a strategic approach to its work with the wider Department and wider stakeholders.

The Finance Directorate is increasing in size, as we build a stronger Finance centre. The FDs are responsible for overseeing:

• The Department’s finance business partnering, financial strategic finance services, financial planning, productivity and efficiency, as well as the fees and income planning team.
• The Finance change and shared services agenda, management accounts, financial accounts, transactional functions, portfolio finance.
• The running of the department finances, focusing more upon the ‘finance machine’ that produces the statutory reporting, management information and set the financial controls control environment for the HO. We also have a team leading the change, learning and development and continuous improvement within the finance space.

The post holder will provide accurate and clear advice to the FDs and Deputy Directors on a wide range of HO and COO group business, particularly focusing on areas where it is important to ensure Departmental join‑up. They will credibly represent the views of the FDs, building strong relationships with senior stakeholders across the HO to help unblock issues as and before they arise.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide line management and oversight of the Private Office and Business Support team, with a focus on delivering strong results while providing support and encouraging development. Direct line management of 4 staff members.
• Act as a critical friend and reviewer to Deputy Directors (SCS PB1s) prior to Director engagement on submissions and key finance processes such as supporting fiscal events, and Report and Accounts.
• Ensure Finance speaks with one voice in all submissions and published documents.
• Working closely with senior officials and other Private Offices, the Finance CoS will ensure that any key issues or risks to Finance strategies are mitigated before they impact on delivery.
• Provide challenge in a way that improves business outcomes.
• Oversee the operations of the Finance Directorate including recruitment exercises and manage the day‑to‑day Managed Services contract for Finance Professionals.
• Work closely with the FDs, the Change lead and the Senior Management Team to determine, communicate and drive key priorities across the Finance Directorate.
• Using good communication skills, build and maintain effective stakeholder networks in a short period of time, with colleagues across Finance, the Chief Operating Group and the wider HO.
• Using subject matter expertise to analyse advice provided by officials and ensuring FDs attention is drawn to key points and appropriate advice is given which supports and enables decision making.

Working Pattern

Due to the business requirements of this role, it is only available on a full‑time basis. There is an expectation that the CoS would match their office working days with the FDs, which is likely to be higher than the minimum 60% requirement.

Please note: Out of hours working may be required to assist the Business in completing critical or short‑notice tasking resulting from major events or Ministerial requests.