Head of Customer Payments & Accounting Team

Government Recruitment Service; Reading; On-site; GBP 200,000 +; Full time

Job summary

A government agency in the UK is seeking a dynamic Head of Customer Payments and Accounting Team (CPAT) to lead a high-performing team in ensuring timely payments and financial governance. This role involves managing a diverse team, adapting to changing priorities, and developing innovative processes using MS Dynamics 365. The ideal candidate will demonstrate excellent communication skills and the ability to foster a positive and inclusive culture within the workplace, influencing key stakeholders across various levels.

Qualifications

• Ability to create an inclusive and supportive work culture.
• Experience managing a team and adapting to changing priorities.
• Strong communication skills with diverse stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the Customer Payments and Accounting Team (CPAT).
• Ensure accurate and timely payments to customers.
• Monitor performance and champion continuous improvement.

Skills

Adaptability

Excellent Communication Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder Management

Tools

MS Dynamics 365

Job description

Join the Rural Payments Agency in a pivotal leadership role where your expertise will shape how we deliver for our customers. As Head of Customer Payments and Accounting Team (CPAT), you’ll lead a confident, high‑performing team responsible for ensuring accurate and timely payments, managing recoveries, administering guarantees and securities, and producing critical management and accounting insights.

This is a role with real impact. You’ll influence the systems, processes, and strategies that underpin our financial operations. From configuring and testing our finance platform (MS Dynamics 365) to developing end‑to‑end payment processes, your decisions will drive efficiency and innovation across the Agency.

Further details can be found at Rural Payments Agency - GOV.UK

You will have significant responsibility that directly impacts what the Agency delivers for our customers. You will influence processes, systems and approaches to how we work. You will have significant responsibility for providing input into the configuration, testing and updating of the Agency’s finance system (MS Dynamics 365) and in the development of end to end payment processes from front end systems.

You will build and maintain a strong relationship with Defra Finance, ensuring compliance with internal controls, audit requirements and public sector financial governance frameworks.

You will provide management and financial information for RPA governance forums (including Service Delivery, Finance, Audit and Risk).

You will play a key role, and be responsible for ensuring CPAT is fully engaged, in RPA’s Service Delivery and will build strong and effective relationships with other stakeholders, these could be within RPA, Defra, outsourced suppliers and other external stakeholders.

You will actively champion and support our full change agenda and will value the need for engagement, wellbeing and inclusion.

You will ensure that effective processes are in place and your teams have a clear understanding of their objectives, closely monitoring performance and championing continuous improvement activities.

You will be adaptable, responding to new and emerging priorities flexibly; working closely with colleagues across the RPA to plan and positively communicate to your teams. You will work well under pressure.

You will understand and represent the business, communicating confidently and persuasively about solutions in the language of the business.

Your Responsibilities:

• The successful applicant will need to be adaptable to changing priorities, with the ability to quickly react, re‑plan and effectively support delivery of any activity within the team/business area.
• You will have line management responsibility, including the possibility of remote management of, or close working with, colleagues in other parts of the country. You will lead a team of 31 people with 3 direct reports, making over 90k payments to customers in particular months.
• You need to demonstrate the ability to create a positive culture within the working environment that is inclusive, respectful and supportive, where people feel valued and listened to.
• Excellent Communication skills, demonstrating the ability to communicate with a wide variety of stakeholders from within RPA and Defra Group and external stakeholders.