35928 - Finance Business Partner

We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce and pride ourselves as being an employer of choice. To find out more about how we champion diversity and inclusion in the workplace, visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity

Interview Location:   Via Video Conferencing (Skype)

New recruits to the Civil Service joining MoJ are expected to join at the band minimum.

Existing civil servants applying on promotion will usually be appointed on the salary minimum of the pay band or with an increase of 10 percent on their existing base salary (restricted to the new pay band maximum), whichever is the higher.

Merit List:

HMCTS run a Merit List, where candidates who are unsuccessful at interview, by only a few points, can be offered other roles, at the same band, for up to 12 months!

So, it is always a good idea to apply for a role, and try as best as you can at interview, as you never know what future opportunities it may open! You will be able to view your status via the application screen. If you have been added to the Merit List, your status will show either Merit or Reserve list.

Introduction:

Her Majesty’s Court and Tribunals Service is an agency of the Ministry of Justice and provides the supporting administration for the judiciary across England and Wales. It delivers services to the public directly in court and tribunal buildings, remotely via business centres and some limited services via the internet. HMCTS is undergoing a period of unprecedented change, which is being managed through a range of change programmes with a combined budget in excess of £1billion. The main change programmes are:

HMCTS Reform – A once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform the entire HM Courts and Tribunals Service, enhancing the provision of a world-class justice system, in a manner that provides an improved user experience at reduced cost to the taxpayer. This will contribute to consolidating the UK’s position at the forefront of an increasingly competitive international legal market as well as ensuring access to justice for all.

HMCTS is a continually changing organisation. Resilience and strong leadership is a critical element in this being successful. As a leader and manager within HMCTS the jobholder must provide clear direction and focus and visibly championing the changes which deliver greater efficiencies. HMCTS Senior Management Team expects all leaders to operate in a culture of openness and honesty, demonstrating a commitment to change through involvement and empowerment, and by delivering results.

The HMCTS Finance, Governance and Performance function will have a pivotal role in supporting senior stakeholders and their teams through the change, with the right strategy to build the necessary organisational capability and to realise the benefits needed.

Key Purpose of the Role

To provide finance business partnering support to a specific portfolio within HMCTS. This may involve supporting both Business As Usual (BAU) and Change portfolios. This role is central to the relationship between the HMCTS business area and the finance function. You will use your strong technical and influencing skills and sound understanding of the relevant HMCTS business area to provide advice, challenge and scrutiny to senior colleagues. The post holder will need to establish and develop effective working relationships with many stakeholders, including Directors, Deputy Directors, Programme Leads and Senior Managers. You will be required to advise, challenge and influence as required to ensure the best outcome for the organisation. You will also deputise, where required, for the Senior Finance Business Partner.

Job Description:

As a Finance Business Partner, you will support dedicated operational portfolios from a financial perspective ensuring that delivery of HMCTS’ service provision and outcomes are linked to a robust financial and benefits plan - ensuring that you protect value, drive value and add value. Your role will be to help achieve the HMCTS vision to have an efficient and effective courts and tribunals system which enables the rule of law to be upheld, and provides access to justice for all. You will ensure that the significant investment made by HM Treasury allows HMCTS to provide a more accessible system which is modern and responsive, treats those who use our service with dignity and respect, and which provides better value for money for the taxpayer. You will help deliver a significant reform programme which will enable a radical estates modernisation and greater use of digital solutions.

You will be part of a high performing, flexible Finance Business Partnering team within HMCTS and be a part of a high profile and exciting change programme within central Government.  

Key Responsibilities:

• Developing a deep knowledge of diverse business areas, their needs and priorities, looking at the bigger picture to ensure that the business understands the financial implications of decisions and available choices.
• Ensuring that the leaders of HMCTS can make decisions based on accurate financial information, by bringing business intelligence and operational knowledge to budget setting, forecasting and financial reporting.
• Building, maintaining and influencing strong relationships with key stakeholders and budget holders.
• Providing advice to the business to ensure delivery plans are affordable and within agreed targets.
• Embedding a value for money culture within the department and supporting financial decisions through the provision of advice and challenge.
• Supporting the effective delivery of frameworks, governance and rules to ensure stakeholders across the department understand and comply with good financial control.
• You will develop an understanding of the programme benefits and how they link with programme delivery. You will work closely with the Benefits team and other stakeholders to ensure appropriate tracking of realised benefits.
• Support the business to manage the budget effectively, working in partnership to flag opportunities and risks early.
• Advise to ensure financial risks are identified, monitored and mitigated by the business.
• Ensure that finance reports turn information into insights and present information in an engaging way with rigorous models underpinning that are robust and quality assured.
• Acting in an intelligent customer role to actively work with the business to understand cost drivers and performance priorities and interpret financial implications of decisions
• Supporting the financial analysis of business areas to prepare for Spending Reviews, risk management and business planning processes.
• Ensure that the financial plans are developed through sufficient rigor and robustness to ensure it meets the necessary business case and government finance requirements
• Providing commercial insight to secure best value for money on commercial agreements.
• Building financial and commercial awareness of non-finance staff within the business

Skills & Experience:

• CCAB, or equivalent (e.g. AAT), qualified with considerable financial/commercial experience is essential
• Strong technical accounting skills to ensure Treasury financial reporting requirements and International Accounting Standards are applied correctly.
• A good understanding of programme and project principles as well as government accounting requirements.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to build and maintain strong working relationships with stakeholders.
• Strong influencing and negotiation skills.
• Strong excel and data presentation skills and an ability to convey complex information to a variety of audiences.
• Ability to work in a culture of change, to think strategically and work with risk.
• Adaptable and willing to review role and priorities with senior management team to meet the current and future needs of the organisation.

Other duties

The post holder is 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

Application process:

The following areas of Success Profiles will be used to assess and score your application, and interview.

• Experience – As demonstrated in your CV, statement of suitability, and application form
• Technical – As demonstrated in your CV, statement of suitability, and application form
• Strengths – The interview will involve a discussion around three strengths
• Behaviours – We will be using the four behaviours below.

Key Civil Service behaviours:

You will be required to provide evidence of the following key behaviours at Level 4.

Seeing the Big Picture

• Develop and maintain an understanding of economic, social, political, environmental and technological developments to ensure activity is relevant.
• Ensure plans and activities in your area of work reflect wider strategic priorities and communicate effectively with senior leaders to influence future strategies.
• Adopt a government-wide perspective to ensure alignment of activity and policy.
• Bring together views, perspectives and diverse needs of stakeholders to gain a broader understanding of the issues surrounding policies and activities.

Making Effective Decisions

• Clarify your own understanding and stakeholder needs and expectations, before making decisions.
• Ensure decision making happens at the right level, not allowing unnecessary bureaucracy to hinder delivery. Encourage both innovative suggestions and challenge from others, to inform decision making.
• Analyse and accurately interpret data from various sources to support decisions.
• Find the best option by identifying positives, negatives, risks and implications.
• Present reasonable conclusions from a wide range of complex and sometimes incomplete evidence.
• Make decisions confidently even when details are unclear or if they prove to be unpopular.

Communicating and Influencing

• Communicate with others in a clear, honest and enthusiastic way in order to build trust.
• Explain complex issues in a way that is easy to understand.
• Take into account people’s individual needs.
• Deliver difficult messages with clarity and sensitivity, being persuasive when required.
• Consider the impact of the language used.
• Remain open-minded and impartial in discussions, whilst respecting the diverse interests and opinions of others.
• Introduce different methods for communication, including making the most of digital resources whilst getting value for money.
• Monitor the effectiveness of own and team communications and take action to improve where necessary.

Delivering at Pace

• Ensure everyone clearly understands and owns their roles, responsibilities and business priorities.
• Give honest, motivating and enthusiastic messages about priorities, objectives and expectations to get the best out of people.
• Comply with legal, regulatory and security requirements in service delivery.
• Set out clear processes and standards for managing performance at all levels.
• Ensure delivery of timely quality outcomes, through providing the right resources to do the job, reviewing and adjusting performance expectations and rewarding success.
• Maintain own levels of performance in challenging circumstances and encourage others to do the same.

Flexible working options:

HMCTS offers a flexible working system in many of its offices.

Job Sharing and Reduced Hours:

All applications for job sharing or reduced hours will be treated fairly and on a case by case basis in accordance with the MoJ’s flexible working policy and equality policy.

Excess Fares and Relocation Allowances:

This job is not eligible for relocation allowances but excess fares may be considered in accordance with MoJ’s excess fares allowance policy