Strategic Finance Advisor

Department for Transport; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 45,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A government department in the UK is seeking a Strategic Finance Advisor to provide critical financial advice on budget and spending for major transport projects. The role includes reviewing business cases, engaging with HM Treasury, and influencing financial decision-making. The ideal candidate must be CCAB qualified or have equivalent experience, with strong analytical and communication skills. This position offers benefits such as a generous pension contribution, flexible working options, and opportunities for professional development.

Benefits

Employer pension contribution of 28.97%

25 days annual leave plus bank holidays

Flexible working options

Qualifications

• Experience in reviewing business cases with significant expenditure.
• Ability to communicate complex financial issues simply.
• Experience in identifying financial risks and controlling costs.

Responsibilities

• Provide expert financial advice to senior officials and Ministers.
• Collaborate with budget holders on feasible financial plans.
• Prepare for fiscal events and ensure sufficient funding.
• Advise on departmental spending proposals.

Skills

Analytical skills

Strategic thinking

Relationship building

Financial forecasting

Communication skills

Education

CCAB qualified or equivalent experience

Job description

Location

Birmingham, Leeds, London

About the job

Job summary

Do you have excellent analytical and strategic thinking skills and would embrace the opportunity to support key spending decisions on some of the government’s biggest projects and key transport policies by providing outstanding financial planning advice?

Are you experienced in reviewing business cases and submissions? Can you communicate complex financial issues in non-technical terms to maximise impact and understanding to various stakeholders?

If so, then we would love to hear from you! We are seeking an exceptional individual to join our Strategic Finance and Planning team in the Group Finance Directorate.

DfT is a high-profile department at the heart of UK government. We work with agencies and partners to support the transport network that helps businesses and gets people and goods travelling around the country. We plan and invest to make journeys better.

Benefits

• Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary. Read more about Civil Service Pensions
• 25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave), plus 8 bank holidays a privilege day for the King’s birthday
• Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.

Read more in the Benefits section below!

Find out more about what it's like working at DFT.

Job description

The Department for Transport is seeking a Strategic Finance Advisor to provide expert financial advice to senior officials and Ministers on budgets, spending and efficiencies. You will play a key role in shaping future transport policy and ensuring finance is central to decision-making. Working across Strategic Finance and the Finance Centre of Excellence, you’ll be involved in fiscal events, business planning, and financial assurance, influencing stakeholders across government and HM Treasury on high-profile projects and future transport priorities.

Your main duties will include:

1. Develop an understanding of transport policies in order to identify financial risks and provide advice on options and actions that can be taken to control costs. Improve the accuracy of forecasting through constructive challenge and by identifying evidence to underpin assumptions.
2. Collaborate with budget holders to develop medium and long term plans that are affordable and aligned with government’s economic and fiscal objectives. Consult and negotiate with HM Treasury colleagues to agree spending plans.
3. Ensure that the departmental approach to efficiencies and productivity is embedded and look for opportunities to continually improve this process, from leading on quarterly Government Efficiency Framework reporting to considering how to embed efficiencies and productivity throughout the department.
4. Work as part of the Fiscal Events team to prepare for upcoming Spending Reviews to ensure that the department secures sufficient funding by working closely with internal stakeholders such as Strategy Unit (SU), Finance Business Partners (FBPs) and policy teams to develop potential funding options as well as external stakeholders such as HM Treasury (HMT).
5. Provide quality and timely strategic finance advice on the Department’s spending proposals as part of the Finance Centre of Excellence.

For further information on the role, please read the role profile. Please note that the role profile is for information purposes only - whilst all elements are relevant to the role, they may not all be assessed during the recruitment process. This job advert will detail exactly what will be assessed during the recruitment process.

Person specification

Required experience

These are high profile, challenging and rewarding posts that will require you to work and make decisions at high pace. You will need to be self-motivated, highly organised, and comfortable working with staff at all levels throughout the organisation and internal and external stakeholders in a fast-moving environment.

To be successful in this role you will need to have the following experience:

1. Developing effective relationships to understand needs and priorities of stakeholders at all levels.
2. Communicating complex financial issues simply to enable individuals with limited financial knowledge to understand the key messages.
3. Challenging financial forecasts and identifying financial risks and providing options to control costs and drive efficiencies.
4. Reviewing business cases / investment proposals with significant expenditure.

Additional Information

The roles are suitable for people who are qualified under one of the main five Consultative Committees of Accounting Bodies [CCAB] i.e. ACCA; CIPFA; ICAEW; ICAI or ICAS, or CIMA, or who is actively studying toward these qualifications or has equivalent experience which would provide them with the technical knowledge required to perform this role and can clearly evidence this.

Working hours, office attendance and travel requirements

Full time roles consist of 37 hours per week.

Whilst we welcome applications from those looking to work with us on a part time basis, there is a business requirement for the successful candidate to be able to work at least 22 hours per week.

This role is suitable for hybrid working, which is a non-contractual arrangement where a combination of workplace and home-based working can be accommodated subject to business requirements.

The expectation at present is a minimum of 60% of your working time a month will be spent at either your designated workplace (one of the locations cited in the advert) or, when required for business reasons, in another office/work location/visiting stakeholders. Your designated workplace will be your contractual place of work. There may be occasions where you are required to attend above the minimum expectation.

If you have a question about hybrid working, part time/job share hours, flexible working, travelling for work, or require a reasonable adjustment, please contact the Vacancy Holder during the recruitment process to avoid possible disappointment later in the process should your working arrangements not be compatible with the requirements of the role (see below for contact details).

Visa Sponsorships

Please note that we do not hold a UK Visa & Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker Licence sponsor and are unable to sponsor any individuals for Skilled Worker Sponsorship. Candidates must ensure they have the appropriate rights to work in the UK before application.

Behaviours

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

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together

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