About the job
The Home Office works to build a safe, fair and prosperous UK. We achieve this through our work on counter-terrorism, policing, crime, drugs policy, immigration and passports.
Location
Croydon, Liverpool, Salford, Sheffield
Job Summary
The Home Office works to build a safe, fair and prosperous UK. We achieve this through our work on counter-terrorism, policing, crime, drugs policy, immigration and passports.
The Chief Operating Officer Group works closely with the Home Office’s policy and operational commands to enable us together to deliver the department’s priorities. The group is comprised of different teams and professional functions, including Commercial, Finance, People, Portfolio and Project Delivery, Security, Estates and Information and Digital, Data and Technology.
The Finance Directorate ensures that financial decision making across the department is robust, evidence based and aligned to public value. We work closely with policy, operational commands and corporate partners to support strategic planning, strengthen financial governance, and enable effective delivery of departmental priorities.
The Management Accounts Unit (MAU) sits at the centre of this mission. MAU enables confident, well evidenced decision making by producing accurate, timely and transparent management information that explains the financial position, highlights risks and opportunities, and supports leaders in making informed, accountable decisions. As a core part of the Home Office’s financial governance system, MAU provides monthly management accounts, dashboards, forecasts, deep dives, scenario analysis, and financial insight that directly shape how the department allocates resources, budgets, and responds to operational pressures. Working in MAU means contributing to a high performing, fast paced and purpose driven environment where your analysis supports essential public services and national priorities.
Project Accountants provide the same requirements as MAU but will be focused on an individual programme. Alongside the MAU activity, project accountants will also ensure development of whole life cost models for programmes and ensure multiyear financial positions are understood by the programme senior management team.
Job Description
Key Responsibilities
Reporting Leadership & Insight
* Lead monthly management accounts, dashboards, and Board/Budget Holder reporting, ensuring accuracy, clarity, and timely delivery.
* Produce high quality narrative that explains variances, trends, risks, and forward look insights for non finance audiences.
* Develop and maintain models/trackers with reconciliations, audit trails, and standardised processes.
Insight, Deep Dives & Commissions
* Lead variance analysis, trend reviews and deep dives, ensuring risks and opportunities are understood and mitigated.
* Maintain risks and opportunities registers, escalating key issues to senior leaders.
* Produce submissions and respond to National Audit Office (NAO), Cabinet Office, Parliamentary Questions (PQs) /Freedom of Information (FOI), or audit requests with timely, defensible outputs.
Controls, Assurance & Data Integrity
* Embed strong financial controls across the reporting cycle (source to Metis checks, reconciliations, journal governance, Purchase Order (PO) hygiene).
* Provide expert advice on accounting treatment including accruals, VAT, prepayments, and balance sheet management.
* Drive corrective actions where data integrity or process issues exist.
Forecasting, Budgeting & Planning
* Lead reviews with senior budget holders, challenging assumptions and securing forecast approvals.
* Oversee forecast and budget loading, ensuring reconciliations to control totals and credible profiling.
* Manage BAT (budget allocation transfer) forms and In-Year budget adjustments.
Leadership & Ways of Working
* Line manage staff: set standards, allocate work, coach and develop capability, and support performance management.
* Work collaboratively with Finance Business Partners and operational teams to ensure a single version of the financial truth.
* Promote continuous improvement, process standardisation and reduced manual handling.
Working pattern
This role is available on a full-time basis with the option of, job-share and compressed hours working. This role is also suitable for part-time working hours, with a minimum requirement to work [4 days / 32 hours] per week due to business requirements.
Travel
Occasional travel may be required to attend meetings.
Person specification
Essential Criteria
You must demonstrate:
* Proven leadership, including managing and developing staff, coordinating delivery across month end peaks, and fostering effective working relationships within the team and across wider functions.
* Strong analytical and investigative skills, with the ability to interpret complex financial information, explain variance drivers, assess emerging risks, and produce clear, insight rich narrative for senior audiences.
* High proficiency in financial systems and Excel, with experience designing and maintaining trackers, models and assurance tools that meet audit and governance standards.
* Demonstrated experience maintaining robust financial controls, including reconciliations, system integrity checks, purchase order (PO) governance and ensuring appropriate accounting treatment.
* Experience leading forecasting and budget management, reporting, including challenging assumptions, quality assuring submissions, and securing senior leader approval
* Excellent stakeholder management skills, Strong stakeholder management skills, influencing and constructively challenging senior leaders in a multi-stakeholder environment to balance priorities and; drive robust financial discipline and high‑quality decision‑making.
* A continuous improvement mindset, with the ability to identify issues, streamline processes, improve reporting, and embed more standardised, user focused ways of working.
Desirable Criteria
* CCAB, CIMA or AAT qualified, part qualified, or currently studying.
* Significant financial experience gained over an extended period of time.
Behaviours
We\'ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
* Communicating and Influencing
* Leadership
* Working Together
* Changing and Improving
We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:
* Communicating and Influencing
#J-18808-Ljbffr