G6 Head of Core Finance (National)

The Insolvency Service; Cardiff; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A UK government agency is seeking a Head of Core Finance to lead its finance function. This critical role involves managing external audit engagements, providing financial guidance, and overseeing compliance standards. The successful candidate will have strong leadership skills and a CCAB or CIMA Accounting qualification. This position offers the opportunity to work in a diverse and inclusive environment with emphasis on professional growth.

Benefits

Flexible working arrangements

Inclusive workplace initiatives

Qualifications

• Accountant with CCAB or CIMA qualification mandatory.
• Experience in managing teams in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to influence stakeholders confidently.

Responsibilities

• Oversee external audit engagement and report to stakeholders.
• Provide assurance to HMRC regarding income accounting.
• Lead and manage Core Finance senior leadership team.

Skills

Financial control

Audit assurance

Technical accounting

Leadership

Collaboration

Strategic analytical skills

Problem-solving

Education

Fully qualified CCAB or CIMA Accountant

Job description

Location

Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Exeter, Ipswich, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Nottingham (Stratford and Croydon only open to existing employees of the Insolvency Service)

About the job Job summary

The Insolvency Service is a leading Government agency which plays a crucial role in providing essential services to the public and to business. The work we do is important to the proper functioning of markets, the economy in general and support for thousands of people each year who are in financial difficulty.

Inclusive and diverse teams are important to us. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including groups underrepresented in our workforce. The Insolvency Service strives to ensure that the agency is a safe, inclusive and welcoming place for everybody to bring their true self to work and to help the agency to achieve its diversity objectives. We have 10 active employee network groups available to join or become an ally, these include, Carers Network, Disability & Health, FACES Network Group, Grass Roots, LGBT+, Mind Matters, No Limits, Part Time Workers, The Shed, and Women’s Network Group.

We offer full-time, part-time, job share and flexible ways of working. We value capability, technical skills and experience and we place great emphasis on lifetime development to support our people. We encourage our employees to become more involved in areas they feel strongly about, whether it be for the benefit of the agency, though our Engagement network or in their own local communities via volunteering opportunities.

The Insolvency Service is a great place to work, learn and grow your career!

The Insolvency Service is seeking to recruit a Grade 6, Head of Core Finance in our Finance, Commercial, Sustainability and Property (FCSP) Directorate. The Head of Core Finance will work to the FCSP Director and will be responsible for jointly leading the Agency’s finance function alongside the Head of Strategic Finance, representing the interests of the function and financial management in the agency strategic decision-making, and supporting and driving change across the organisation.

Job description

The Head of Core Finance role will have consistent exposure to the Executive Leadership Team and Senior External Stakeholders with the successful candidate playing a leading role in the development and roll out of the agency’s finance strategy and will be pivotal in the sustainable management of finances in a very challenging and rapidly evolving operational environment. It will involve the ability to work at pace to support operational requirements that may emerge around major insolvency cases as a result of the wider economic setting.

The successful candidate will be responsible for the day-to-day leadership, management and development of the Core Finance senior leadership team.

Responsibilities:

The responsibilities for the successful candidate for the role of Head of Core Finance will include:

• Oversee and manage the external audit engagement with all key internal and external stakeholders and report to Audit and Risk Assurance Committee and Insolvency Service Board to gain accounts endorsement and the ensure the safe laying of statutory accounts.
• Oversee and manage the provision of information and assurances to HMRC and DBT regarding all aspects of the Agency involvement in the National Insurance Fund audit and NIF ‘White Paper Accounts’. The successful candidate will be required to represent the Agency at the National Insurance Fund Accounting Board.
• Proactive engagement and clear advice and guidance to the Accounting Officer to ensure they are meeting their obligations under the four key Accounting Officer standards and to ensure compliance with HMT publications.
• Ensuring the maintenance and driving the improvement of the Agency’s compliance with the Finance and Debt Functional Standards. Collaboration with internal and external teams to build and maintain excellent relationships and maximise opportunities to improve.
• Oversee all aspects of Income Accounting and provide clear and accurate advice on income matters to decision makers, senior forums, our sponsor department and HMT.
• Ensuring the Agency has a Working Capital policy that is fit for purpose, a liquidity position that ensures the Agency has enough resources to safely conduct business, that the Treasury Management function has appropriate engagement with Government Banking Service, and adheres to the HMT cash management scheme requirements.
• Lead and support the Agency in all aspects of System Accounting including supporting the critical delivery of FCMC and the New Finance System Discovery Project

In order to assist you in making your decision in whether to apply, we will be holding 3 drop-in sessions on Microsoft Teams, where you will be able to hear more about what our finance teams do, who we are as a government agency and what it is like to work in the Insolvency Service. Please refer to the attached document (further down) for more information on these drop-in sessions.

Person specification

This role requires an individual who is an outstanding leader who can quickly grip and deliver their leadership responsibilities, build highly effective teams and influential relationships, working collaboratively to deliver across multiple locations.

Essential to success in this role is the ability to collaborate effectively and work with very broad collection of internal and external stakeholders.

Other essential skills:

• Knowledge and experience across financial control, audit assurance and technical accounting.
• An outstanding track record in leading a team of finance professionals in a fast-paced environment and managing competing priorities.
• Experience of supporting the delivery of the strategic direction of a complex organisation. An ability to confidently, clearly and credibly influence stakeholders and decision makers.
• An understanding of developing technologies and shared service provision.
• Strong leadership skills, and the ability to motivate and develop themselves and staff whilst leading through periods of change.
• Ability to bring Strategic analytical rigour coupled with pragmatic problem solving
• Ability to bring business insight to address ambiguity in complex financial situations and a capacity to drive innovative approaches through to implementation.
• Experience of successfully having built and maintained broad diverse networks and relationships, using communication and collaboration skills to challenge assumptions, negotiate and influence decisions.

This vacancy is advertised across 11 locations; however, Stratford and Croydon are only available to current Insolvency Service Staff. The advertised salary includes London weighting, which is only applicable to internal candidates.

Mandatory Qualifications

• The successful candidate must be a Fully Qualified CCAB or CIMA Accountant and member

Qualifications

1. Fully qualified CCAB or CIMA qualified Accountant
2. CCAB or CIMA membership


Please make it clear in your application which qualification you hold.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Making Effective Decisions
• Leadership
• Working Together

For more information and to apply, please visit our website via the apply button below.