7296 - Strategic Financial Planning Manager

Job Description:

MoJ Corporate Finance is looking to recruit high calibre individuals as Strategic Financial Planning Managers.

MoJ needs to deliver significant savings by 2019/20 to live within its spending review settlement, while delivering an ambitious and challenging reform agenda. MoJ Corporate Finance focuses on ensuring the department lives within its financial settlement from the 2015 Spending Review while delivering the Secretary of State’s reform priorities, including the high-profile reforms in prisons and courts.

The Finance Strategy & Planning Team is responsible for setting the MoJ’s financial strategy and financial plan, advising on the financial implications of policy and reform programmes, working closely with teams across the MoJ and HM Treasury. To support this work, we operate a multi-disciplinary approach in which team members have policy, finance and/or strategy experience.

You will need to be numerate with strong policy and strategy skills with the ability to communicate complex concepts and proposals clearly and succinctly to colleagues, senior officials and Ministers, through quickly developing a good understanding of the department’s priorities, its policies and its operations. This is a fast paced and challenging role and you should be organised with the ability to manage conflicting demands effectively, learn quickly, work autonomously and also within a team exercising sound judgement while taking the initiative. The post holder will be required to establish and maintain relationships, particularly with HM Treasury, MoJ, HMCTS or HMPPS business groups and work collaboratively with policy teams across MoJ as well as our analytical teams. A financial qualification would be beneficial. This is an excellent opportunity for non-finance professionals to gain finance experience and for finance professionals to gain policy and strategy experience.

Responsibilities:

• Managing, on behalf of the team, the relationship with business groups across the MoJ including developing a detailed knowledge of how the business group operates, its key objectives and challenges and supporting the business group to resolve any financial issues.
• Support the department’s yearly financial allocations process by leading on the development of the department’s medium term financial plan and working collaboratively with business groups.
• Direct involvement in planning, through to preparing financial and performance reporting information for HMT review meetings.
• Providing high quality, accurate advice to ministers on the financial implications of policy proposals or proposals that change key assumptions underpinning the strategic financial plan. This will include quality assuring and challenging plans and proposals submitted by business groups.
• Leading for Corporate Finance on key strands of cross departmental work that will feed into the overall financial strategy for the MoJ or may have a downstream financial, operational or policy impact.
• Reviewing cross-government policy proposals, including clearance requests and Cabinet Committee papers, to ensure that the financial implications are understood and managed appropriately.
• Create models and scenarios to support decision making.
• Line management and/or task management of team members.
• The post-holder will be expected to work flexibly within the team and be willing to take on additional responsibilities where necessary.

Skills & Qualifications

You will be required to provide evidence of the following competencies

Seeing the Big Picture

• Be alert to emerging issues and trends which might impact or benefit own and team’s work
• Develop an understanding of own area’s strategy and how this contributes to Departmental priorities
• Ensure own area/team activities are aligned to departmental priorities
• Actively seek out and share experience to develop understanding and knowledge of own work and of team’s business area

Making Effective Decisions

• Make decisions when they are needed, even if they prove difficult or unpopular
• Identify a range of relevant and credible information sources and recognise the need to collect new data when necessary from internal and external sources
• Recognise patterns and trends in a wide range of evidence/data and draw key conclusions
• Explore different options outlining costs, benefits, risks and potential responses to each
• Invite challenge and where appropriate involve others in decision making to help build engagement and present robust recommendations

Leading and Communicating

• Take opportunities to regularly communicate and interact with staff, helping to clarify goals and activities and the links between these and departmental strategy.
• Communicate in a succinct, engaging manner and stand ground when needed.
• Communicate using appropriate styles, methods and timing, including digital channels, to maximise understanding and impact.

Collaborating and Partnering

• Establish relationships with a range of stakeholders to support delivery of business outcomes
• Invest time to generate a common focus and genuine team spirit
• Actively seek input from a diverse range of people
• Deal with conflict in a prompt, calm and constructive manner

Delivering at Pace

• Successfully manage, support and stretch self and team to deliver agreed goals and objectives
• Take responsibility for delivering expected outcomes on time and to standard, giving credit to teams and individuals as appropriate
• Plan ahead but reassess workloads and priorities if situations change or people are facing conflicting demands
• Regularly monitor own and team’s work against milestones or targets and act prompt to keep work on track and maintain performance

Closing Date: 30th March 2017 at 23:55 hours

If you require any assistance please call 0845 010 3512 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail Moj-recruitment@noms.gsi.gov.uk

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