Job summary
We are recruiting for a Senior Finance Adviser to join the Homelessness & Rough Sleeping Finance Team. We�re looking for a team player who is committed to learning and personal development. We pride ourselves on providing a friendly, inclusive, and flexible working environment where you can bring your whole self to work. You will be joining a diverse award-winning team (Government Finance Awards 2022) taking on real responsibility and stretch from day one.
You will join us at an exciting time. Our work is a top priority for this Government, we secured almost � over the current spending review period to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping. You will be at the heart of this, ensuring that this funding is spent effectively and reaches the most vulnerable of our society. We will shortly be preparing to bid for future funding and you will play a key role in helping us to develop a strong case for further investment to change people�s lives. If you want an exciting and motivating role, with the freedom and the opportunity to develop and deliver interventions that will make a real difference to thousands of lives then this is the job for you.
Job description
We�re looking for a people person who has a solid grasp of finance and can lead through others. This role would suit someone with previous financial experience who is able to manage multiple workstreams simultaneously across a range of stakeholders. The post holder should have sound judgement and feel confident assessing risk to either deal with issues or escalate to seniors. This is a stretching role for anyone looking to have high responsibility and a wide ranging portfolio of work from strategic finance, forecasting, budgeting and decision making.
1. The post holder will play a key part in developing the programme�s plans for the next Spending Review, providing strategic finance advice to policy teams whilst maintaining an overview across every funding line. They should be a credible and trusted critical friend of policy teams, able to communicate complex finance processes to non-finance colleagues in writing and verbally. Successful candidates will be required to critically appraise investment proposals relating to homelessness & rough sleeping and provide advice on strategic fit, value for money, governance and commercial aspects of investments in line with Treasury�s Green Book.
2. The individual will be responsible for leading on the budgeting and forecasting for the Homelessness and Rough Sleeping programme. They will be accountable for ensuring that robust figures are presented to senior management and they have conducted a high degree of due diligence on these. We are looking for someone who is confident in working with complexity and has the ability to bring together wide-ranging financial and delivery information to present insights and recommendations to seniors. The post holder will be responsible for ensuring the accounts for Homelessness & Rough Sleeping are kept up to date and accurate. They will be responsible for posting credit and debit journals to our central accounts team.
3. They will be responsible for ensuring appropriate governance processes are followed and that we spend within our financial delegations. The individual will lead on the programme�s monthly finance clearance meetings, presenting to the Director on all aspects of the programmes finances, putting forward key decisions and escalating risks. They will ensure that our records are kept up to update and available promptly to the National Audit Office when required.�
4. You will be able to confidently synthesis and provide advice to policy teams on Managing Public Money, Cabinet Office�s Grants Functional Standards, Public Procurement and Technical Accounting Standards. If applying externally to the Civil Service, prior experience or working knowledge is not required of these. You will be required to translate these frameworks to colleagues and advise teams how to operate within a strict framework to achieve the best outcome.
5. You will be responsible for the line management of at least 1 FTE. You will be expected to provide excellent inclusive leadership to the team and wider colleagues at all grades to get the best out of them, working collaboratively.�
We�re committed to creating an inclusive environment where individuals are empowered to excel in their roles. We are happy to accommodate any reasonable adjustments if you require these to perform in the role. Examples include, but not limited to, flexible working arrangements, part time hours, hybrid working.
We are committed to the successful candidate�s learning and development, with a range of opportunities to gain professional qualifications or attend training courses to enhance their capability within the team. We expect that candidates are able to evidence their commitment to their own development as well as their team around them.
Person specification
1) Experience forming finance recommendations using qualitative and quantitative information.
2) Experience�communicating complex financial information to non-financial stakeholders in writing and verbally.
3)�Experience of working in finance with the willingness to learn about public finance if not already possessed.
4)�Strong evidence of people skills. Candidates must be able to demonstrate excellent inclusive leadership practices and experience leading teams through challenging times, ensuring that they are supported, motivated and valued in the workplace.�
5) Be highly proficient in Microsoft Excel and has the ability to quickly learn how to use the Department�s digital finance systems so they are confident in their role.�
6)�Able to demonstrate leading on multiple high-profile pieces of work at the same time. Be able to prioritise their work to meet deadlines whilst remaining mindful of the wider team.
7) Already have or be willing to work towards an appropriate professional finance qualification, once in post paid for and supported by the Department (20% of your time will be dedicated to this if through the apprenticeship route). The specific qualification and level is dependent on eligibility and entry requirements for the course. Examples of qualifications you could work towards include AAT, CIMA, ACCA etc.
Benefits
Alongside your salary of �41,679, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities contributes �10,457 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.
6. Learning and development tailored to your role
7. An environment with flexible working options
8. A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
9. A with an average employer contribution of 27%