Job Description

Background and Job Description

The Finance Strategy & Planning Team is responsible for setting the financial strategy for the Ministry of Justice and delivering our medium-term financial plan. We work with colleagues in every area of the department and at every level to make sure that finance is at the heart of decision making and that when developing our strategic plans, we understand and have gained buy-in from policy, operational and corporate colleagues. We also represent the department to HM Treasury, for whom we are the main link, including in negotiations over the department’s financial settlement.

FSP is a friendly multi-disciplinary team, representing policy, finance, and strategy experience. We work hard to foster an inclusive atmosphere and value a broad range of experiences in the team. We have a good record of colleagues leaving these roles on promotion and to other high-profile roles in Private Office and at the centre of Government.

The G6 Head of Finance Strategy is a critical leadership role in the team’s work. They head up a team of 4 G7s and are one of the main conduits between MoJ and HMT. The role involves working closely with teams within the department to understand their funding needs, including challenging assumptions around affordability, value for money and feasibility. It also involves negotiating directly with HMT to ensure that funding and approval to spend is secured when it is needed. This is a particularly exciting time for the financial strategy team as they steer the department through the multi-year spending review and internal departmental allocations process. The role is high profile, fast paced and varied.

Responsibilities

• Providing effective leadership to the finance strategy team, line managing 4 G7s directly and overseeing a team of 9 FTE as well as forming a key part of the FSP SLT.

• Work closely with Directors, Directors General and Ministers on the key financial issues facing the department. This will include during setpiece fiscal events, such as the next Spending Review, as well as the annual budget setting process.

• Maintaining a high-quality, collaborative relationship with the HMT Spending Team,.

• Leading on fiscal events for the Department and leading the annual budget setting process for MoJ (i.e. allocations), working collaboaratively across the Department to ensure that trade-offs and risks are exposed and resolved.

• Building strategic, financial capability and understanding across the department, through outreach and engagement at all levels of seniority.

• Testing the affordability and value for money rationale of new policy measures with policy and operational colleagues, acting as a critical friend to challenge assumptions where appropriate and using expertise to advise on handling strategies. Ensuring that ministerial decisions are informed by an understanding of the financial impacts.

• Working with policy and operational colleagues to ensure that financial risks and opportunities are identified and to develop strategies to mitigate risks and exploit opportunities.

Key Skills, Knowledge and Experience

• Able to work independently, proactively, passionately, and confidently on high-profile areas across the Department and lead others to achieve quality and on time delivery of outputs

• Comfortable and confident in working at pace to manage a full workload with conflicting short and long-term priorities.

• Able to build positive relationships with partners in other teams and departments, and to use those relationships to influence others through excellent interpersonal and communication skills, tailored to the recipient. This includes the ability to critically consider and confidently challenge stakeholders regarding their delivery or information and translating across functions to obtain a joined-up approach.

• Leading policy development and making decisions in complex policy areas, using analytical skills and different evidence sources to provide Ministers or senior officials with high-quality advice

• Considerable experience in providing written and oral briefings to Ministers and/or senior officials

• Strong negotiation skills, with the ability to remain resilient in the face of substantial and sustained challenge.

• Leading collaboratively with structure, by constructing clear timelines and processes, with interdependencies and owners, to lead others to successful delivery with clear products and outcomes for the process

• Fostering and leading a culture of knowledge sharing and collaboration between policy, programmes, the business, finance, and other corporate services

Professional Skills

Key for Levels of Professional Skills

A = Awareness

W = Working

P = Practitioner

E = Expert

Application process

You will be assessed against the Civil service success profiles framework.

Sift

Behaviours - Please provide examples of how you have met each of the behaviours (or list other criteria) below:

• Leadership (lead behaviour)

Please refer to the CS Behaviours framework for more details at this grade:

Success Profiles: Civil Service behaviours - GOV.UK

Experience - Please provide:

• CV anonymised

• Statement of suitability (1000 words) - Please use your statement of suitability to set out how you meet the key skills, knowledge and experience, and professional skills (in particular at practitioner and expert level), as set out in the job description.

If we receive a large number of applications, we will carry out an initial sift on the lead behaviour of Leadership.

Candidates invited to Interview

Please note that interviews will be carried out in person at 102 Petty France, London (full details will be sent to candidates invited to interview). During the interview, we will be assessing you on the 5 Behaviours listed below, and Strengths from the Success Profiles framework.

You will also be asked to give a short presentation, the details of which will be sent to candidates invited to interview.

• Leadership

• Communicating and Influencing

• Seeing the Big Picture

• Delivering at Pace

• Making Effective Decisions