90291 - Financial Accountant

Overview

The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) is here to protect the public, reduce offending, and deliver swift access to justice. We are responsible for:
•    prisons
•    probation
•    courts and tribunals
•    a range of services to help victims of crime, children, vulnerable people, and those seeking access to justice.

The roles advertised are in MOJ’s Financial Accounting and Reporting team. The team produces financial accounts for the MOJ Group and agencies, and support accounts production for arm’s length bodies (ALBs): each year, we prepare and see through audit 17 sets of annual accounts.

Role summary and typical role responsibilities

In most cases, the Senior Financial Accountant will have responsibility for one MOJ organisation, and will be expected to produce their first draft statutory financial accounts, ensuring they meet FReM and HMT reporting standards. If working in the ALB team, where the accounts are less complex, they will have responsibility for drafting three sets of ALB accounts, managing competing priority and challenging deadlines. All Senior Financial Accountants liaise with a range of colleagues and wider stakeholders to obtain and assure the information relevant to the production of accounts, and liaise with the auditors to see the accounts to a clear audit certificate.

Senior Financial Accountants work with Management Accounting and Finance Business Partnering colleagues to support the organisation they have responsibility for, but are also a part of, and supported by, the wider Financial Reporting team which covers the whole of MOJ.

Role responsibilities/tasks

The job holder will be required to undertake the following duties and responsibilities:
•    producing high-quality quarterly financial statements to challenging timescales
•    reconciling ledger balances on a monthly basis and making sure discrepancies are resolved in a timely manner
•    reviewing current systems and processes to ensure they incorporate the appropriate financial controls and that system documentation is accurate and up to date
•    answering queries from internal and external auditors and resolving issues raised in management letters
•    maintaining a strong working relationship with the NAO and other external stakeholders
•    preparing or contributing to technical accounting papers and presenting these to senior management
•    working with Business Partners and Management Accounting to better understand operational issues behind the financial information

The post holder will be required to work in a flexible way and undertake any other duties reasonably requested by line management which are commensurate with the grade and level of responsibility of this post.

Behaviours 

The following Civil Service Behaviours are essential to this role and will be assessed upon application:
•    making effective decisions
•    delivering at pace
•    communicating and influencing

Please refer to the Civil Service Behaviours Framework, which can be found here, to complete this application: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/717275/CS_Behaviours_2018.pdf

Interpersonal skills

•    Ability to develop collaborative relationships with key stakeholders e.g. NAO, Finance Business Partners, Management Accounting
•    Good coaching and leadership skills with the ability to manage a team, ensuring that staff are being developed and have the tools and support to deliver their objectives

 
Professional skills

Professional skill    Level
Understanding of International Accounting Standards    E
Understanding of all Govt guidance relevant to role e.g. FReM    E
Presentation skills    P
Drafting skills    P
Excel skills    E
Interrogation of technical systems    P

Key for levels of professional skills
•    A = Awareness
•    W = Working
•    P = Practitioner
•    E = Expert

Qualifications
•    Level 4 qualification with AAT, CCAB or CIMA or
•    Qualified with CCAB, CIMA or equivalent or
•    Working towards a qualification or
•    Financial experience over an extended period.

Application Process

The Civil Service uses Success Profiles when recruiting. Success Profiles will 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. To find out more about Success Profiles to support your application please click here for further guidance.

To apply please complete the online application form and provide a CV detailing your employment history and their key deliverables or achievements in each role.

Applications will be sifted by a panel who will look at the Civil Service Behaviour framework and what is evidenced in your application. If we receive a large volume of applications, we reserve the right to conduct the sift based on one lead behaviour. The chosen lead behaviour for this campaign is ‘making effective decisions’.

Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to interview. Applicants will be expected to demonstrate the essential role requirements within the application behaviour responses.

Candidates who are successful following the sift process will be invited to interview, where the behavioural elements and strengths will be tested further. In addition, we will ask you questions to assess your technical accounting and Excel skills.

Further details will be provided to shortlisted candidates in advance of the interviews.

Entry routes

Experience of government financial accounting and reporting is not essential, and applications are welcomed from finance professionals who don’t have public sector experience.

For those currently working within the Civil Service:
Within Finance

This role may be suitable for individuals in the following roles:
•    Financial Accounting and Reporting HEO
•    Business Partnering HEOs or SEOs with sufficient technical accounting knowledge
•    Finance HEOs or SEOs with the required numeracy and technical accountancy skills

From outside Finance

This role may be suitable for HEOs on promotion and SEOs with the required numeracy skills.

Progression routes

Staff in this role typically move into other SEO roles in wider finance (e.g. Management Accounting or Finance Business Partnering) or progress to Financial Accounting and Reporting G7 or wider finance G7 role.

Training 

The Ministry of Justice is committed to staff development and offers an extensive range of training and development opportunities. Staff in relevant roles completing finance qualifications are supported through our Apprenticeship Scheme, with time off for study and payment of tuition and exam fees with our approved providers.

Specialist allowance

In addition to salary, a pensionable, non-contractual specialist allowance will be applied to this role for fully qualified appointees. Specialist allowances apply to certain roles only, are non-transferable to other roles and are subject to annual review. The current level of professional allowance for this role is £1,500 for London-based staff, and £2,500 for national.

Travel

The MOJ offers hybrid working arrangements where business need allows. This is an informal, non-contractual form of flexible working that blends working from your base location, different MOJ sites and / or from home (please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas). Some roles will not be suitable for hybrid working. Similarly, hybrid working will not suit everyone’s circumstances. Arrangements will be discussed and agreed with the successful candidate(s) and subject to regular review.

This will be discussed and agreed upon completion of pre-employment checks.

Applicants are advised to access the JCC/JSO office map, which is updated whenever a new JCC/JSO site opens, to determine potential travelling times and distances to MOJ locations before applying for a job.

Ministry of Justice: an Inclusive Employer

We recognise the challenges that people with (multiple) protected characteristics may experience on the job market and in their career progression. We are fully committed to being an inclusive employer of choice and ensuring equity of opportunity for all. We welcome the unique contribution diverse applicants bring in terms of their culture, ethnicity, race, nationality or national origin, age, sex, gender identity or expression, religion or belief, disability status, sexual orientation, educational or social background or any other factor. To find out more about how we champion diversity and inclusion in the workplace please visit https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity

Networks

The opportunity to join employee run networks that have been established to provide advice and support and to enable the views of employees from minority groups to be expressed direct to senior management. There are currently networks for employees of minority ethnic origin, employees with disabilities, employees with caring responsibilities, women employees, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender employees.

For further information please feel free to contact glenda.roberts@justice.gov.uk