60513 - Head of Shared Service and Purchase to Pay

We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the wider society that we serve. We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice. We champion diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued and a sense of belonging. To find out more about how we do this visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity.

Job Title/ Position

Head of Finance Shared Services and Purchase to Pay

Band/Grade

Grade 6

Number of Vacancies

1

Business Group

Chief Operating Officer’s Group

Directorate

Financial Management and Control

Location

National

Hours

37

Working Pattern

Permanent

Role Type/ Team 

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

Overview

Overview of department: The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is a major government department at the heart of the justice system.  We serve the public by upholding the rule of law, and by delivering an efficient, fair, timely and effective justice system in which the public has confidence. We:

• Enforce the decisions of the court: we punish offenders and work to reduce reoffending; we prevent victims by changing lives.
• In partnership with an independent judiciary, run the courts and tribunals service, helping individuals, businesses and families resolve their disputes.
• Protect vulnerable members of society and children and help to ensure victims of crime get justice.
• Provide legal aid and advice for those cases where it is justified.
• Develop policy on all aspects of law and justice, both domestically and internationally, helping to build a legal and rights framework that is clear and proportionate, and that commands confidence around the world.

The role sits within the Financial Reporting, Transactions and Governance team within the Ministry’s Financial Management and Control Directorate.  The Directorate brings together multiple teams from across the Ministry into consolidated teams and centres of excellence to deliver high quality financial management and reporting services for the Ministry.

Stakeholders and customers include the finance and commercial functions, senior leaders in MoJ, including the Chief Operating Officer, the Permanent Secretary and the Executive Committee, HM Treasury, and Parliament (the Justice Select Committee). 

Role Purpose

The department has an ambitious agenda to improve all aspects of its Purchase to Pay (P2P) operation – ultimately delivering a P2P operation which ensures suppliers are paid promptly and that it is easy to make purchases. We are particularly committed to developing a fully compliant culture and making a decisive move to a ‘no PO, no pay’ policy.

This role is at the heart of that transformation: working closely with colleagues across the department, the postholder will form and deliver our improvement plan. As the global process owner (a role shared with the Commercial Directorate), the postholder will be responsible for ensuring that our systems and processes are efficient and well-controlled and will work across government to converge on best practice.  The role oversees the new P2P Centre of Excellence Team, alongside the MoJ Transaction Team which provides P2P services to the core department and most of its agencies.

MoJ receives transactional shared services from an outsourced provider.  This role is responsible for maintaining the intelligent client function, working closely with the provider and holding them to account for delivery of effective finance services: including accounts payable, accounts receivable, general ledger and payroll.  This function also supports the finance end user community, keeping them informed of service issues and capturing their issues and needs. 

The Ministry is looking to replace its current Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software in the next few years.  This role will help to lead the Finance Function’s engagement in this programme, ensuring that the future technology and service provision meets the needs of users going forward, championing business change, and maximising the opportunities presented to improve the function.

Responsibilities

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

Purchase to Pay:

• Work across MoJ agencies and cross-functionally to drive P2P transformation, building towards a P2P model that is efficient, effective, and responsive to user needs. Lead initiatives and interventions to ensure that MoJ meets prompt payment targets as soon as possible.
• Promote P2P processes and compliance across the organisation, obtaining buy-in from senior leadership for change.
• Establish and maintain regular performance monitoring of P2P systems and processes, including progress towards specific benchmarks and targets.
• Own the delivery of P2P transactional services for MoJ Core and agencies (except HMCTS and HMPPS), ensuring the Transaction Team is sufficiently skilled and resourced, and setting appropriate priorities to support both BAU delivery and drive increased compliance.
• Oversee the P2P Centre of Excellence.
• Drive increased compliance with P2P policies and processes: in particular, lead on work towards a No PO, No Pay policy, reduce the non-compliant use of manual payment forms and ensure that compensating controls are in place and operating effectively for non-compliant processes e.g. two-way match.
• Act as P2P global process owner for the department (jointly with Commercial). This role is responsible for overseeing departmental convergence to best practice (global design principles), including signoff of process changes and management of risks and controls.
• Represent MoJ at cross-government global process owner networks: sharing experiences, common issues and supporting movement to best practice.
• Ensure that systems and technology support the department's P2P objectives, including leading on any system changes required in SOP, and setting appropriate specifications/outcomes for future ERP or separate P2P systems. 

Finance Shared Services:

• Maintain and continuously improve an effective intelligent client function, working closely with the shared services provider to ensure the service provided meets the needs of the finance function, and holding them to account for delivery against relevant targets and benchmarks.
• Attend supplier and governance meetings as appropriate.
• Work collaboratively with others and contribute actively to ensure that Finance is fully engaged and represented in the 3rd Generation Shared Services programme.
• Identify opportunities and minimise risks arising from the procurement and implementation of new technology, and re-competing of the shared service (BPO) provider.
• Champion shared services and technology with senior leadership in the department, obtaining buy-in for change initiatives and support in delivering any necessary business change. 

Key skills and knowledge

• Ability to lead, motivate, and develop a diverse team, based in multiple locations, to deliver results and high-quality outputs, providing support and context to their work.
• Strategic approach and mindset, able to identify key issues and derive insight and fresh perspectives from analysis of data and trends.
• Ability to build influential relationships with senior managers and decision-makers.
• Ability to develop collaborative relationships with key stakeholders and customers, including finance business partners, financial accountants, and governance colleagues, while also offering constructive challenge.
• Excellent communication skills, orally and in writing, able to communicate with confidence and credibility on complex financial issues to a range of financial and non-financial audiences.
• Good organisational skills and a proven ability to deliver and manage competing priorities.
• Strong problem-solving skills, with a focus on innovation and continuous improvement.
• Desirable: knowledge of P2P global processes and general principles. 

Success Profiles  

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.

Civil Service Behaviours

The following Grade 6 Civil Service Behaviours are essential to this post and will be assessed upon application:

• Leadership
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Communicating and Influencing
• Changing and Improving 

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

In the event that 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 Leadership.

Specific Technical and Experience Skills Required

In addition to Civil Service Behaviours identified above, if you will be using Experience, Ability or Technical standards to assess the candidate please provide further details below:

• It is desirable for candidates to have experience of leading finance change projects. This will be assessed at interview.
• It is desirable for candidates to have a high level of knowledge of the operation of P2P processes. This will be assessed at interview.
• CV

Professional Competencies / Requirements

• Qualified with CCAB, CIMA or equivalent
• Working towards qualification
• Extensive financial expertise

• MoJ candidates who are on a specialist grade will be able to retain this on lateral transfer. 

To apply please complete the online application form. Applications will be sifted by a panel who will look at the Civil Service Behaviour framework and what is evidenced in your application. Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the lead behaviour, changing and improving. 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 alongside other elements of the post. Further details will be provided to shortlisted candidates in advance of the interviews.

Training

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

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: henry.young@justice.gov.uk