Ministry of Justice an Inclusive Employer

We recognise the challenges that people with (multiple) protected characteristics may experience on the job market and in their career progression. We are fully committed to being an inclusive employer of choice and ensuring equity of opportunity for all. We welcome the unique contribution diverse applicants bring in terms of their culture, ethnicity, race, nationality or national origin, age, sex, gender identity or expression, religion or belief, disability status, sexual orientation, educational or social background or any other factor. To find out more about how we champion diversity and inclusion in the workplace please visit https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity

Overview

His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) is an Executive Agency of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). MoJ is responsible for everything that goes into running the UK’s criminal and civil justice systems, creating the foundations for a safe, fair and prosperous society. We are one of the largest government departments with over 88,000 staff based across England and Wales. We are responsible for 500 courts and tribunals, 122 prisons, several probation offices, the policies underpinning the system and much more.

More information can be found at: www.justice.gov.uk

Overview of Role

There is one (1 FTE) SEO Probation/Prison, Finance Business Partnering role available within the Finance Business Partnering Group supporting Probation/Prison Service within the South-Central region.

As a Finance Business Partner, you will be a key member of the finance team, working with other members of the team, wider MoJ Finance colleagues and key stakeholders from the Business Area we support. The finance team is geographically dispersed.

Post location is flexible within the South-Central region but there is the requirement to regularly visit probation/prison offices in person and attend scheduled meetings. Successful candidates will be allocated a base location within the region and the expectation is that candidates will fund travel costs to and from that base location.

You will provide support to the Probation/Prison South Central region with several offices in and around Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Hampshire, Southampton and Portsmouth.

You will support the Regional Probation Director, Prison Governors and their team in specific probation delivery units and prisons as well as work flexibly across the region to support the Lead Finance Business Partner as required. The major areas within the region have been included for your reference and location will be discussed at interview.

Role Summary

Finance Business Partnering SEOs are responsible for building strong relationships with their directorate, understanding the business, and explaining financial information to budget holders in an understandable manner.

Typical Role Responsibilities

The job holder will be required to undertake the following duties and responsibilities.

• Budget management - work with budget holders to develop robust budget plans and monitor delivery.

• Risks and issues - identify and monitor budget risks and opportunities, supporting stakeholders to develop mitigating actions.

• Forecasting - work with budget holders to project budget utilisation using local business knowledge of trends and plans together with past financial data to make educated assumptions for future periods.

• Reporting - be able to translate financial information to non-finance stakeholders, providing the narrative behind the numbers, to influence decision making.

• Governance - understand and be able to advise on governance and compliance issues.

Role Responsibilities/Tasks

Essential Behaviours Required

Success Profiles will enable a fairer and more inclusive method of recruitment by enabling us to assess the range of experiences, abilities, strengths, behaviours, and technical/professional skills required for different roles. This flexible approach to recruitment focuses more on finding the right candidate for the specific role. To find out more about Success Profiles to support your application please click here for further guidance.

• Communicating and Influencing

• Seeing the Big Picture

• Making Effective Decisions

• Working Together

Please refer to the Civil Service Behaviours Framework, which can be found here, to complete this application: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/717275/CS_Behaviours_2018.pdf

If we receive a large volume of applications, we reserve the right to conduct the sift based on one lead behaviour. The chosen lead behaviour for this campaign is Communicating and Influencing

• A Statement of Suitability is required consisting of a maximum of 500 words

• CV

• Candidates who reach interview stage will also be required to give a presentation.

Interpersonal Skills

• Possesses emotional intelligence and can think empathetically, considering the strategic goals of others.

• Fosters a culture of knowledge sharing and collaboration between the business, finance and other corporate services.

• Can tailor their communication style to a range of audiences, including internal and external stakeholders.

• Uses facts and evidence to aid negotiation and influencing.

• Helps others to understand the interdependencies between business and finance.

• Proactive and passionate, inspiring others to continuously improve.

• Ability to "speak the language" of finance to business, and vice versa, acting as the critical translator between the two.

Professional Skills

Key for Levels of Professional Skills

• A = Awareness

• W = Working

• P = Practitioner

• E = Expert

Essential Qualifications

Proven experience (at least 3 years) within a similar role and experience of working in a large and complex organisation. Also, full or nearing completion of CCAB qualification (incl. CIMA, ACCA, CIPFA, ACA) or willing to study towards being fully qualified.

In addition to salary, a pensionable, non-contractual specialist allowance will be applied to this role. Specialist allowances apply to certain roles only, are non-transferable to other roles and are subject to annual review.

Travel

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).

There is a requirement for the successful applicant for this role to be based within the South-Central region as this is where most of the team and stakeholders operate.  The postholder will be appointed to an office/hub location within the region, this will be discussed with the successful candidate. 

Candidates will be expected to work up to 3 days a week at their base location or another MoJ establishment - this includes travel across the region which can be on average [4 or 5 times a month or 6-9 times a month for SEO prisons] and other ad hoc travel.  Travel to your primary office location will not be paid for by MoJ but If required to attend a location other than their base location, post-holders may be entitled to claim some or all of any extra expense (beyond the usual base location travel costs) in line with the MoJ travel policy.

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.

Locations

Below is a list of current office locations for Probation and Prisons in the South-Central Region

Application Process

To apply please complete the online application form on or before the application closing date and time.

You will be asked to complete the following as part of the online application:

1. A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Provide employment history that relates to the essential criteria, and that any gaps in employment history within the last 2 years are explained.

2. A Personal Statement of up to 500 words, explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role in reference to the four essential Behaviours and skills described above.

It is likely that the sift will take place within a week after the closing date and interviews 2-3 weeks after the closing date though this is subject to change.

Should we receive many applications, we will sift primarily on the lead behaviour of Communicating and Influencing. Successful applicants will then be invited to an interview, testing both behaviours and strengths.

Interview

Please note that interviews will be held via Teams.

During the interview, we will be assessing you on the four Behaviours included in the application and Strengths from the Success Profiles framework. You will also deliver a presentation (details will be provided to candidates invited to interview).

Further Information

For any more information about the role, please contact the recruiting manager (Femi Ayanfe-Oluye femi.ayanfe-oluye@justice.gov.uk)