27650 - Finance and Acquisitions Manager

£30,389 - £37,806
1
12 Months
London
London
London CTS Royal Courts of Justice, WC2A 2LL
HEO
C
Permanent
Full Time
Finance

Background

Judicial Office

The Judicial Office (JO) was established following the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 and is directly accountable to the Lord Chief Justice and Senior President of Tribunals. We are a unique branch of the Civil Service, dedicated to supporting the judiciary and promoting judicial independence, to maintain confidence in the rule of law. The JO delivers a wide range of functions including training (through the Judicial College), communications, human resources, welfare, legal and policy advice, and library services.

Judicial Library and Information Services

The Judicial Library and Information Service (jLIS) is a team of 13 people which provides legal publications and information to judges and legal advisers to ensure that they are equipped to carry out their duties effectively. Last year we provided over 30,000 print publications to 1,700 salaried judges, 7,500 fee-paid judges and 1,100 legal advisers in the courts and tribunals. We also provide a central legal research enquiry service for judges across England and Wales through the library at the Royal Courts of Justice, which provides judges with access to an unrivalled collection of online legal information; last year we dealt with over 2,500 research enquiries.

This is a new role within jLIS as the lead on both finance and acquisitions, and the successful candidate will bring these two vital functions together for the first time. jLIS has an annual budget of £9 million, and is therefore high-profile within the JO, and requires careful management. A key tool jLIS uses for managing both finance and acquisitions is Acqua, our bespoke acquisitions portal. It is relatively new, and whilst its use has been embedded in the team, there is a lot of scope for enhancing its capabilities, particularly as to how it can assist with managing our financial information. The successful candidate will lead this ongoing development, liaising with both the Acqua developers and colleagues within jLIS to maximise Acqua’s functionality and usefulness.

jLIS is currently in the process of renewing its contracts for the supply of print and online legal publications, which will come in to force in April 2020 when the current contracts end. The successful candidate will lead on the mobilisation of the contracts, liaising with the suppliers and colleagues in the wider Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to ensure that they are up and running efficiently and effectively in April 2020. This is an exciting time to join jLIS, as you will get to shape the way the team operates going forwards, and lead the team responsible for the essential work upon which the rest of jLIS relies.

Role purpose

To lead on finance and acquisitions for jLIS, and for providing finance services including in-year management and financial reporting, ensuring that jLIS meets its finance obligations, and acting as the finance link between jLIS and the wider JO and MoJ.

To manage the Finance and Acquisitions Team and work with your wider jLIS colleagues to ensure that the judges, staff, courts and tribunals have access to the information that they need in a timely manner.  

 Key Responsibilities

The job holder will be required to undertake the following duties and responsibilities:

  • Manage the Finance and Acquisitions Team, including line management of one Band D (possibly increasing to two next year), and actively encourage them to meet finance deadlines and provide an efficient service to the judges and courts so that all KPIs are met:
  • Provide regular finance reports and forecasts for internal jLIS senior management and team meetings, as well as for the JO Business Support Team and wider MoJ
  • Manage all other financial arrangements including the start and end of financial year processes, in accordance with MoJ Finance deadlines
  • Maintain regular contact with suppliers ensuring that accounts are managed correctly, and organise monthly supplier account review meetings
  • Lead the ongoing development of the acquisitions portal, Acqua, including liaising with the developers to refine its reporting and forecasting capabilities
  • Lead on the mobilisation of the new contracts, liaising with suppliers and MoJ colleagues to get them operational by April 2020
  • Being an active member of the jLIS senior management team
  • Any other duties and responsibilities as appropriate

Person Specification

To be successful in this role, you will:

  • Be comfortable working with financial and qualitative data
  • Take a systematic and methodical approach to your work, and have the ability to prioritise work
  • Work effectively under pressure and meet deadlines
  • Be detail-focussed and work with accuracy to correctly follow guidelines and processes
  • Look ahead to anticipate and avert potential risks and problems
  • Be an energetic and enthusiastic individual who can lead others and make an active contribution to senior management discussions and decision making
  • Have excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to work effectively on own initiative, with both internal and external stakeholders

Essential criteria

  • Previous experience of working in a financial management role
  • A highly proficient and confident user of MS Excel and Outlook

Desirable criteria

  • Knowledge of the courts, tribunals and judiciary
  • Experience of SOP Financial Applications including Discoverer and Hyperion
  • Experience of government finance

Behaviours

We’ll assess you on these behaviours during the recruitment process:

Managing a Quality Service

Delivering at Pace

Communicating and Influencing

Leadership

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Strengths.

Applications will be sifted on Experience and Behaviours. In the event of a large number of candidates, the sift will be carried out on your Experience and the lead Behaviour, Communicating and Influencing.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

If you would like to discuss the role or have any questions, please contact Kathy Turner at kathy.turner@judiciary.uk or 020 7947 6564.

Working Arrangements & Further Information

Some of MoJ’s terms and conditions of service are changing as part of Civil Service reform. The changes will apply to staff joining MoJ who are new to the Civil Service. Staff joining MoJ from other civil service employers will transfer onto the new MoJ terms if they are already on 'modernised' terms in their current post or onto 'unmodernised' MoJ terms if they are on 'unmodernised' terms at their current post. Details will be available if an offer is made.

Flexible working hours

The Ministry of Justice offers a flexible working system in many offices.

Benefits

The MoJ offers a range of benefits:

Annual Leave

Generous allowances for paid holiday starting at 25 days per year, and rising as your service increases. There is also a scheme to allow qualifying staff to buy or sell up to three days leave each year. Additional paid time off for public holidays and 1 privilege day. Leave for part-time and job share posts will be calculated on a pro-rata basis.

Pension

The Civil Service offers a choice of pension schemes, giving you the flexibility to choose the pension that suits you best.

Training

The Ministry of Justice is committed to staff development and offers an extensive range of training and development opportunities.

Support

  • A range of ‘Family Friendly’ policies such as opportunities to work reduced hours or job share.
  • Access to flexible benefits such as voluntary benefits,retail vouchers and discounts on a range of goods and services.
  • For any moves across the Civil Service may have implications on your ability to carry on claiming childcare vouchers
  • Paid paternity, adoption and maternity leave.
  • Free annual sight tests for employees who use computer screens.

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.

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles.

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity.

There is a guaranteed interview scheme (GIS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Expected Week commencing 19th August 2019.

16/07/2019, 23:55 hours.

If you require any assistance please call 0845 241 5359 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@sscl.gse.gov.uk Please quote the job reference - 27650.
Counter-Terrorism Check (CTC)

To apply for roles in MOJ you will need to confirm your employment history for at least 3 years prior to the date of application so that pre-employment checks (BPSS) can be undertaken. If you have spent significant time abroad (a total of 6 months in the past 3 years) you would be required to give a reasonable account of the reasons why. 

For some roles you will be required to successfully complete National Security Vetting at Counter Terrorism (CTC), Security Clearance (SC) or Developed Vetting (DV) level as a condition of appointment. To meet CTC/SC/DV requirements you will normally need to have been resident in the UK for at least 3/5/10 years prior to the date of application (The level of checks that are required are stated in the advert).

If you do not meet the above requirements, you may still be considered if, for example:

  • You've been serving overseas with HM Forces or in some other official capacity as a representative of HM Government
  • You were studying abroad
  • You were living overseas with parents

In such cases you will need to be able to provide referee cover for the period(s) of residence overseas. The duration of overseas residence and the country of abode will also be taken into account.

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.

if you feel that your application has not been treated in line with the Civil Service Recruitment Principles, please contact SSCL (Moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@gov.sscl.com) in the first instance

We have provided detail of the assessment stages and areas being assessed to help you prepare for completing your application form, and to advise of what will be assessed following this, if you successfully pass the application stage.


Application form stage assessments

Behaviours
Managing a Quality Service - word limit
Delivering at Pace - word limit
Communicating and Influencing - word limit
Leadership - word limit
Experience

Interview stage assessments

There is 1 interview stage for this vacancy.
Behaviours
Managing a Quality Service
Delivering at Pace
Communicating and Influencing
Leadership
Strengths may also be assessed at interview but these are not shared in advance.

A Great Place to Work for Veterans

The "Making the Civil Service a Great Place to work for veterans" initiative includes a guaranteed interview scheme to those who meet the minimum criteria to provide eligible former members of the Armed Forces with opportunities to secure rewarding jobs. Allowing veterans to continue to serve their country, and to bring highly skilled individuals with a broad range of experience into the Civil Service in an environment, which recognises and values your previous service in the Armed Forces.
For further details about the initiative and eligibility requirements visit : https://www.gov.uk/government/news/making-the-civil-service-a-great-place-to-work-for-veterans

Redeployment Interview Scheme

Civil Service departments are expected to explore redeployment opportunities before making an individual redundant. The MoJ are committed, as part of the Redeployment Interview Scheme, to providing opportunities to those who are 'at risk of redundancy'.

MoJ are able to offer an interview to eligible candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns. Candidate's will not be eligible for the Redeployment Interview Scheme if they are applying on promotion.

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

· UK nationals

· nationals of the Republic of Ireland

· nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK

· nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window) https://www.gov.uk/settled-status-eu-citizens-families

· nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)

· individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020

· Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-rules

This Vacancy is closed to applications.