Full-Time DE&S – Senior Qualified Accountant
Job Description
Salary
£48,450 – £59,000 per annum (plus benefits)
Job description
As a Senior Qualified Accountant you will fulfil one of our Finance Business Partner, Management Accountant, Financial Accountant or Cost Control (Finance) positions which operate across the business, deployed by the Finance & Accounting (F&A) function:
To be successful:
– You must be a qualified accountant (CIMA, ACCA, ICAEW, CIPFA) or international equivalent with extensive post qualified experience and knowledge in financial and management accounting techniques.
– Demonstration of being an experienced leader, who can work on their own initiative and has had exposure to senior stakeholders and ownership.
– Previous management experience and experience working within large, complex organisations, or Government.
Please note that during interview you will be considered for and may be subsequently offered any of the listed roles within the F&A function at this level. Additionally, some of our roles are reserved for UK nationals only due to security.
Responsibilities
In the role of Finance Business Partner you will provide key financial guidance within a defined area of the business. You will analyse, understand and report on financial performance, providing strategic analysis of risks and opportunities to aid in the decision making process, ensuring decisions based on this advice are correctly reflected in current forecasts and future plans. By ensuring that your financial data is accurate and robust you will ensure high standards of financial management and planning with responsibility. Your primary responsibility is providing professional financial advice and judgement to Directors and Project Managers to ensure we make well founded investment decisions whilst protecting taxpayer’s interests. As a senior finance professional, you will be responsible for ensuring during commercial negotiations accounting treatment and taxation issues are identified and managed appropriately.
As a Management Accountant you will be responsible for the integrity, consistency and accuracy for the management accounts, planning and budgeting, and in-year performance reporting of a defined area of DE&S. You will identify and implement best practice management reporting and provide Business Cases/Investment Appraisals, evaluating, reviewing and ensuring viable investment and spending options to support and challenge. Primarily you will manage the budgeting and forecasting process, identifying and investigating variances from budget and articulating those variances accurately and establishing effective and consistent modelling, planning and forecasting processes across the organisation. Your additional responsibilities could include the review of Company accounts, advising on cost models in respect of F&A implications and the review of proposed commercial payment and reward mechanisms to ensure F&A implications of DE&S managed contracts are identified and understood, are affordable and offer value for money.
In the role of Financial Accountant, you will be responsible for the management and accuracy of the General Ledger and preparation of financial statements, applying standard accounting practice, the control framework and departmental financial policy to produce the key financial statements to compile the Annual Accounts. You will oversee and maintain accounting standards and policies on the application of the standards, ensuring proper and effective financial and inventory accounting through the DE&S defined processes. In addition, you will oversee the Audit process to ensure compliance and provide advice and assurance, driving consistency across the organisation by providing written guidance and policies on accounting treatments. Some roles may require specific technical knowledge including Tax advice on non-routine issues, providing advice and direction on MoD finance policy, regularity and propriety, potential novel and/or contentious expenditure, ensuring value for money, consultancy approval, repayment policy, gifting policy.
In the role of Cost Controls (Finance) you will be responsible for the leadership, direction and guidance of a team of Cost Control staff working within a specific area or domain. You will use your technical expertise in cost management to provide oversight, support and guidance to Cost Management staff to ensure that project outputs are delivered successfully and to the required standard. You will ensure that appropriate procedures, methods and systems are in place and maintained for the necessary level of project control both within DE&S and at Suppliers. You will be primarily responsible for overseeing tasks such as reporting, analysis, forecasting, planning and budgeting. In these roles, you will be working with a range of stakeholders across DE&S Corporate and Delivery Business units and may include line management of a number of junior accountants with varying levels of experience. A career in the DE&S Finance & Accounting function will allow you to develop as a Finance Professional, with opportunities to deploy across a variety of assignments based on business needs. With this, you will be willing and able to gain a broader exposure of the business and work hands-on when required.
Please note that you may be considered for similar positions at the level below the advertised role.
What you will be assessed against
To be found successful you must be able to demonstrate proficiency in the following essential criteria:
• Produce key financial statements which are used to compile the Annual Accounts. Apply standard accounting practice, the control framework, departmental financial policy and sound business knowledge in this process whilst leading a business unit, developing people and processes to maximise the effectiveness and efficient operation of the F&A function
• Oversee the inventory audit process with external audits and internal teams; ensuring compliance with accounting boundaries for statement of accounts and review of audit risks
• Evaluate, review and ensure viable investment and spending options to support/challenge the recommended option (incl. the development of business cases); referring disputed cases to higher authority
• Act as key support to the DE&S business areas to analyse, understand and report on financial performance and provide a strategic level analysis of risks and opportunities, including mitigation options as appropriate whilst supporting contract negotiations from a Finance and Accounting perspective
• Leading the team in working with PM/Scheduler/PCM to implement Cost Loaded Schedules to drive forecasting. Guide the production of EVM analysis to demonstrate project performance and analyse variances to plan, determine impact on the schedule and cost to complete the scope of work. Ensure consistency with IYM and EVM reporting
It would benefit your application should you be able to demonstrate competence in the following criteria:
• Oversee the production, review and assurance of inventory elements of the General Ledger and key financial statements which are used to compile the Annual Accounts by applying standard accounting practice, the control framework, departmental financial policy and sound business knowledge
• Scrutinising, challenging and ensuring effective and consistent planning, budgeting and forecasting processes across the organisation. Manage the budget and resource to maximise value for money
• Oversee the Cost Control Finance team in working with Estimators to develop cost models and assist in the production of Investment Appraisals. Monitor project expenditure against approval and liaise with F&A colleagues to ensure that VAT and FOREX costs receive the correct financial treatment.
If you are invited to an interview, you will be assessed against the following technical competencies:
• Technical Accounting Standards, Statutory Reporting & Compliance
• Leading Financial Strategy
If you are invited to an interview, you will be assessed against the following behaviours:
• Seeing the big picture
• Delivering at pace
What’s in it for you?
You will receive a generous benefits package including market leading employer pension contributions of around 21% of your salary (not including any personal contribution), annual bonuses, a flexible working pattern to fit you where possible, 25 days holiday +1 additional day every year you work up to 30 days with opportunity for movement and promotion. Parking is available at this site.
Find out more about what we offer by clicking here or by using ‘The Little Book of Big Benefits’ booklet PDF at the bottom of this page.
Applicants should be aware that any move across the Civil Service may have implications on an employee’s ability to carry on claiming childcare vouchers.
About your team
Our Finance & Accounting teams ensure that DE&S meets its financial and management responsibilities for recording, communicating and driving financial performance. We are fundamental in ensuring the delivery of capability and capacity to the armed forces – and securing the best value for the taxpayer.
Benefits
Please find ‘The Little Book of Big Benefits’ attached or click here
This post is not eligible for relocation allowances.
How to Apply
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