Job Title Commercial & Corporate Finance Manager
Grade Grade 7
Business Group Chief Operating Officer Group
Contract Type 1 role is Permanent and
1 role is Fixed Term for up to 12 months
Directorate Financial Strategy and Partnerships (FSP) Group
Team Commercial Finance
Location National
The Chief Operating Officer Group includes many of MOJ’s critical corporate services, including:
Finance
Financial Strategy & Partnerships is at the heart the Ministry’s decision making. With teams supporting our public bodies (often called ALBs – arm’s length bodies), the Office of the Accountant General who run the courts funds office, and the Financial Strategy and Planning team. Each team has a deep experience and is a key part of decision making for in the Ministry.
We own the annual and medium-term financial planning cycle. The partnerships we establish facilitate constructive challenge of the business and build bridges across our function, policy groups and Treasury, and with our Public Bodies. Alongside this, we work with the Court Funds Office to ensure that funding held by the courts on behalf of vulnerable users is invested well and generates a return. All of this ultimately supports the delivery of the Departments objectives.
Our vision is simple - each of our specialist teams supports the delivery of the Ministry’s strategic outcomes including value for money.
About the Role
The main purpose of the role is to provide strategic leadership, support and challenge to business areas across the department, and to ensure that decisions are made with reference to financial information and consequences, putting finance at the heart of decision making.
The lead will spend a significant proportion of their time within the business, interacting regularly to build and sustain trust, ensuring they keep strategic oversight of all agendas.
This role will also require partnering with the Commercial & Contract teams, wider Finance, Business and Functional areas and external stakeholders. The role holder will also own and drive forward the department's commercial finance policies and initiatives, sharing best practice and collaborating with colleagues from Other Government Departments.
Main Activities / Responsibilities
This role in the Commercial Finance team plays a crucial role to lead and support delivery of the department’s objectives. These include but not limited to, monitoring supplier financial resilience, providing technical, commercial and corporate finance expertise, identifying, managing and remediating commercial and corporate finance risks, providing expert financial advice to support major commercial and change programme decisions and supporting the Department to protect and maximise its income.
The job holder will be required to undertake the following duties and responsibilities which may vary in accordance to business needs.
Risk Mitigation & Management:
Provide expert corporate and commercial advice and insight on the financial implications of commercial contracts and major programme decisions.
Lead/support complex reviews of existing contracts to ensure MoJ is gaining the maximum economic value and applying the financial elements of the contract fully.
Lead/support on investigations and complex financial analysis.
Lead/support on major contract issues with suppliers and support tender process on financial matters for major programmes.
Provide specialist finance input into dispute and claims issues, including engagement with 3rd party suppliers.
Commercial Strategy & Policy:
Provide expert corporate and commercial finance advice on the financial implications of commercial strategies and decisions for major change programmes and existing commercial arrangements.
Develop expertise in the end-to-end commercial cycle on commercial arrangement types, supplier legal structures, payment mechanism (including payment by results), financial contract clauses, financial rights and obligations, market players, macro-economic impacts (e.g. inflation and foreign exchange), financial protections and guarantee models and overarching bid/cost model requirements.
Develop commercial finance policies/guidance and support their introduction and implementation in the relevant business areas. These will include learnings from key cross-government guidance documents.
Supplier Financial and Market Monitoring:
Provide expert analysis of financial statements on the relative strength and ongoing financial viability of suppliers.
Have an expert understanding of, and provide professional insight and advice in response to, market dynamics within key and applicable sectors.
Lead/support on process improvement on supplier financial health monitoring, including developing the service offer across other government Departments. This includes working with other functional areas and Commercial in developing tools that allow easy analysis of outputs.
Investment/Business Case Reviews:
Lead financial assurance reviews of business cases over £10m, providing advice to the approval bodies on the financial aspects, in order to influence major programmes on commercial and finance decisions.
Work collaboratively with other functional experts in forming your overarching assessment.
Upskill MoJ Finance colleagues to help ensure that they are able to deliver good quality financial analysis within business cases and carry out 1st line assurance responsibilities on business cases.
Lead on process improvement around governance of investment assurance, specifically around finance requirements, with the intention to work with Other Government Departments to leverage best practice and share ours.
Develop to become the MoJ’s central expert in relation to Finance Case preparation and application of the HM Treasury Green Book (Investment appraisal and evaluation).
Other duties:
There will be opportunities to support the Income team in occasional time-bound activities. This will be a development opportunity for the role-holder and suitability for working on Income projects will not form part of the recruitment process for this role. Examples of this might be refreshing the data and analysis supporting the cost calculations for one group of HMCTS fees, or writing a submission to ministers requesting approval for the use of funds raised from confiscation orders.
The post holder will be required undertake wider leadership work to support the department and 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. This may also include working closely with other MoJ Finance staff and functions to develop solutions/problem-solve, engaging in project work to drive finance improvements.
Essential Criteria
The post holder will have:
In addition to salary, a pensionable, non-contractual specialist allowance will be applied to this role, only for fully qualified finance staff. Specialist allowances apply to certain roles only, are non-transferable to other roles and are subject to annual review.
Desirable Criteria
Please note that whilst we don’t assess or score ‘desirable’ criteria, we may consider evidence provided that demonstrates meeting the desirable elements of the role, only after essential criteria is assessed and where there is a need to differentiate between closely scored candidates.
Application process
You will be assessed against the Civil service success profiles framework
Sift
Please refer to the essential criteria above.
Behaviours
Please provide examples of how you have met each of the behavioursbelow:
Experience
CV - Please submit an anonymous copy of your CV.
Statement of Suitability - Please use your statement to explain how you are the right person for this role linking it to your skills, experience and any evidence in relation to the essential criteria that has been outlined.
Technical
Please answer 'yes' to meeting the qualification requirement if you are either:
1) Must hold a recognised financial qualification (CCAB, CIMA or equivalent) or
2) Be working towards a recognised financial qualification (CCAB, CIMA or equivalent)
If you are answering yes to option 2, please upload a note indicating this and include if part qualified, which stage have you achieved so far?
If we receive a large number of applications, we will carry out an initial sift on the lead criteria of Communicating and Influencing
Please refer to the CS Behaviours framework for more details, including by grade:
Candidates invited to Interview
Please note that interviews will be carried out remotely via MS Teams.
During the interview, we will be assessing you on Behaviours (below) and Strengths (not shared in advance)from the Success Profiles framework.
If you wish to find out more about the role, please contact – Chris Kempton - chris.kempton@justice.gov.uk
Working Arrangements & Further Information
The MoJ offers Hybrid Working arrangements where business need allows. This is an informal, non-contractual form of flexible working that blends working from your base location, different MoJ sites and / or from home (please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas). All employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office, subject to local estate capacity.
Some roles will not be suitable for Hybrid Working. Similarly, Hybrid Working will not suit everyone’s circumstances. Arrangements will be discussed and agreed with the successful candidate(s) and subject to regular review.
For nationally advertised roles: All successful candidates will be appointed to the nearest viable office nearest to their home postcode and on its respective pay scale. This will be at either a HQ building (subject to desk allocation, a Justice Collaboration Centre (JCC) or a Justice Satellite Office (JSO) – See Map All employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office, subject to local estate capacity).
For current MoJ employees, your base location will need to be changed to the nearest viable office (to your home postcode), either at a HQ building, JCC or JSO within the National Office Network and moved its location’s respective pay scale (any legacy arrangements/locations will need to be amended).
Some of MoJ’s terms and conditions of service are changing as part of Civil Service reform. The changes will apply to staff joining MoJ who are new to the Civil Service. Staff joining MoJ from other civil service employers will transfer onto the new MoJ terms if they are already on 'modernised' terms in their current post or onto 'unmodernised' MoJ terms if they are on 'unmodernised' terms at their current post. Details will be available if an offer is made.
MoJ candidates who are on a specialist grade, will be able to retain their grade on lateral transfer.
All candidates who are currently in receipt of Mark Time / Pay Protection should ensure they are familiar with the new policy on permanent and temporary promotion which can be found on the employee intranet.
Flexible working hours
The Ministry of Justice offers a flexible working system in many offices. Standard full time working hours are 37 hours per week. MoJ welcomes part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns, where they meet the demands of the role and business needs. All applications for part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns will be considered in accordance with the MoJ’s Flexible Working policy.
Benefits
The MoJ offers a range of benefits:
Annual Leave
Annual leave is 25 days on appointment and will increase to 30 days after five years’ service.
There is also a scheme to allow qualifying staff to buy or sell up to three days leave each year. Additional paid time off for public holidays and 1 privilege day. Leave for part-time and job share posts will be calculated on a pro-rata basis.
Pension
The Civil Service offers a choice of pension schemes, giving you the flexibility to choose the pension that suits you best.
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.
Eligibility
Staff on fixed term appointments must have been recruited through fair and open competition.
Vacancies advertised “cross-government” are only open to all Civil Service employees and employees of accredited non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) who were appointed on merit following a fair and open competition; or were appointed to a permanent post through an exception in the Civil Service Commissioners' rules.
Support
Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles Should you feel that the recruitment process has breached the recruitment principles you are able to raise a formal complaint in the following order
As a Disability Confident employer, MoJ are committed to providing everyone with the opportunity to demonstrate their skills, talent and abilities, by making adjustments throughout all elements of the recruitment process and in the workplace. MoJ are able to offer an interview to disabled candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns.
You will be able to request reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process within the application form. If you need additional help completing the application form, please contact the TBS Recruitment Enquiries Team.
For more information on applying for a role as a candidate with a disability or long-term condition, please watch our animated videos
Diversity & Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Planand the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy
Redeployment Interview Scheme
Civil Service departments are expected to explore redeployment opportunities before making an individual redundant. The MoJ is committed, as part of the Redeployment Interview Scheme, to providing opportunities to those who are 'at risk of redundancy'.
MoJ is able to offer an interview to eligible candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns. Candidates will not be eligible for the Redeployment Interview Scheme if they are applying on promotion.
Civil Service Nationality Rules
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-rules
Reserve list
A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made for the same or similar roles.
MoJ:
If you require any assistance please call 0345 241 5359 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@resourcing.soprasteria.co.uk
Please quote the job reference 18884
HMPPS
If you require any assistance please call 0345 241 5358 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail moj-recruitment-vetting-enquiries@resourcing.soprasteria.co.uk
Please quote the job reference 18884
New Offer Specialist Allowance (Finance)
Use of Artificial Intelligence (Al)
Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
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