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
Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield
Job Summary
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 Management Accounts Unit (MAU) sits at the centre of this activity, providing timely information, forecasts and insight to support leaders in understanding financial position, managing risk and making informed decisions. Working in MAU offers a fast‑paced environment where your analysis directly supports national priorities and public services.
Job Description
This is a senior leadership role responsible for the end‑to‑end delivery of consolidated management reporting, strategic financial insight, and robust governance for a major Home Office area. You will lead the production of Board‑level reporting, ensure accuracy and completeness of MI, provide incisive narrative, challenge forecasts and surface strategic risks and opportunities. You will also lead Management Accountants and virtual teams, maintain high control standards, strengthen data quality, and provide scenario‑based analysis to support operational and strategic decision‑making. This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced finance professional seeking a strategic leadership role with real impact on organisational performance.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Reporting & Assurance
Lead consolidated Board and Budget Holder reporting, delivering accurate, timely outputs with clear narrative on financial position, drivers, risks, opportunities and decisions. Maintain oversight of cross‑cutting trends, dependencies and pressures.
Leadership of MAU Monthly Cycle
Oversee the monthly MAU close and forecasting cycles, ensuring accurate reporting, strong controls, standardised improvements and data quality. Ensure alignment with FBPs, Corporate Finance, and operational leads to maintain one version of the truth.
Forecast Challenge, Approvals & Decision Support
Lead rigorous forecast challenge, securing Director General approvals; rapidly quantify risks, opportunities and mitigations. Oversee scenario modelling, options analysis and dynamic cost models to inform senior decision‑making.
Governance, Controls & External Assurance
Embed robust controls and assurance across reporting, lead responses to high‑priority commissions including NAO, PQs and FOIs. Act as senior escalation point for accounting judgments, modelling assumptions and governance.
Leadership & Ways of Working
Provide visible leadership across teams, set clear standards, manage resources through peaks, maintain strong controls, foster high performance and improvement. Undertake line management responsibilities for staff development and delivery.
Working Pattern
This role is available on a full‑time basis with the option of compressed hours. It 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
* Proven strategic leadership experience delivering through peak periods, building multi‑grade capability, and fostering collaborative, high‑performing organisational relationships.
* Extensive experience in board‑level consolidated financial reporting, delivering high‑quality insight to inform strategic decision‑making effectively.
* Demonstrated leadership of the full management accounting cycle, in‑month and YTD reporting, variance analysis, forecasting challenge, risk management, quality assurance, timely consolidation.
* Expert in financial controls, governance and assurance, ensuring data integrity, compliance and audit readiness, with strong public sector finance knowledge across budgetary control, forecasting, in‑year reporting and decision support expectations.
* Strong influencing and challenge skills, proven ability to challenge assumptions, strengthen discipline and enable evidence‑based decision making.
* Excellent written, verbal and Excel skills, translating complex financial and operational data into clear, actionable insight for senior audiences; interpreting datasets, identifying cross‑cutting themes and articulating key risks and opportunities.
* Proven change leadership delivering continuous improvement, standardised processes, reporting, user‑focused culture.
Desirable Criteria
* CCAB or CIMA qualification or working towards and have financial experience over an extended period of time.
* Experience working with Metis or other corporate Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems.
Behaviours
We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
* Leadership
* Communicating and Influencing
* Making Effective Decisions
* Changing and Improving
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