Job Description

Details

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Reference number

405495

Salary

45,272
A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
GBP

Job grade

Higher Executive Officer
UKRI Band E

Contract type

Permanent

Business area

UKRI - Finance

Type of role

Finance

Working pattern

Full-time

Number of jobs available

1

Contents

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Location About the job Benefits Things you need to know Apply and further information

Location

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Swindon

About the job

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Job summary

Purpose of the role

Provide dedicated finance expertise, insight and business partnering to NERC Governance Assurance Management and Non-Core R&D. The role heavily supports NERC's implementation of measures to support the financial sustainability of NERC research centres and strategic delivery partners, whilst working closely with stakeholders to add financial awareness to decision making and deliver outcomes that are in line with Council and UKRI priorities.

Key Areas of Accountability

Build & maintain good working relationships with colleagues & partners and provide input and advice Support Programme Managers and Senior Leadership Teams to effectively manage their programmes through the provision of timely, accurate and complete financial information, advice, and constructive challenge Understand the linkages and dependencies between the different Councils within UKRI by actively working with other Finance Business Partners and colleagues across UKRI to seek opportunities for improvement, change and efficiency within Finance, strengthening internal controls, financial analysis, and effective management of programmes and promoting a culture of teamwork To deputise for the Senior Finance Business Partner on a range of issues, if and when required

Delivery / programmes / projects / process

Perform a range of reporting and control functions, positioning Finance to work with the business and link budgets to delivery plans and business cases Communicate the importance of Finance to partners at all levels, and use strong business awareness to present insightful information and analysis to support effective longer-term decision-making and deliver outcomes in line with Council/UKRI priorities Manage annual and multi-year budget setting and forecasting cycles Develop the finance case within business cases Manage applications for additional budget cover Ensure compliance with internal financial, DSIT and HMG controls within assigned business areas


This job description is intended to provide a broad outline of the main duties and responsibilities only.


The post holder will need to be flexible in developing the role in conjunction with their line manager.


The post holder may be asked to carry out any other delegated duty or task that is in line with the post.

Job description

Leadership

Be an active member of the UKRI Financial planning & Management Centre of Excellence and OpEx Centre of Excellence. Develop and maintain the critical relationships with the UKRI Finance Planning & Reporting team. Actively support, manage and act as the key liaison point for managing completion of any Government Internal Audit Agency (GIAA) recommendations to NERC HO and centres. Ensuring alignment to NERC's financial risk management framework. Lead on the Finance Induction Training & continuous improvement workshops for NERC head office colleagues.

Budget and outturn management

Ensure budget holders and other stakeholders are informed of, and comply with, accounting rules and internal controls. Provide financial support and challenge to NERC corporate Budget Managers (including lead finance support and challenge to Non-Core R&D budget holders). The objective is for an outturn of less than 0.3% on all budgets. Lead on the production of ongoing and future phases of the Building a Green Future (BaGF) Strategic Theme across NERC and within UKRI, working with other Councils and stakeholders, ensuring they are in line with UKRI allocations and NERC strategic priorities. Lead on NERC's annual Operational Expenditure (OpEx), working closely with NERC's Mangers and HR Business Partners regarding staff cost forecasting and vacancy affordability assessments; affordability assessments and input into UKRI led workforce planning. Provide financial support and challenge to NERC Estate and sustainability team delivering NERC's carbon transformation for NetZero. Lead on the production on requests from UKRI for data and information for NERC E.g., Funding Assurance reporting. Commitment reporting Lead on the production on requests from NERC for data and information for Corporate Plan, Parliamentary Briefs and queries e.g., PQs, select committee hearings.

Reporting

Ensure that budget holders and other stakeholders are trained to use the new HR, Finance, and procurement system (SHARP); Simpler and Better Funding implementation, and are encouraged to make use of, and interpret the data available. Produce monthly reports for the NERC Executives summarising of any material changes to spending profiles within non-Core portfolio.

Person specification

Essential skills, qualifications & experience

(S) - Assessed at shortlisting

(I) - Assessed at interview

(S&I) - Assessed at both shortlisting and interview



Qualifications:

Qualified Accountant (ACA/CIMA/ACCA/CIPFA), actively working towards qualification, or equivalent experience (QBE) (S)

Experience & knowledge:

Strong understanding of accounting and finance and demonstrable experience of working in delivering effective financial management & reporting (S&I)

Very good IT skills, including good knowledge of Microsoft Office, in particular Excel (I) Experience of financial modelling & controls (S&I) Demonstrable experience of month and year-end processes - accruals and prepayment calculations, variance analyses etc. (S&I) Demonstrable experience of working as part of a wider-business, consulting with senior stakeholders, utilising an in-depth understanding of business priorities and effectively working with partners to meet organisational and financial objectives (S&I) Experience in provision of high quality written and oral advice suitable for senior level decision makers (S&I) Proven experience in the preparation of complex budgets, forecasts and financial plans (S&I) Understanding of the role of governance, risk management and assurance in project delivery (I)

Skills & abilities:

Ability to build relationships with senior partners and influence them with impact and professional credibility Strong experience of developing effective working partnerships and offering challenges where necessary to senior decision-making groups Line management and leadership skills Excellent written and oral communication skills Personal resilience and a confident approach, willing to apply good judgement to solve issues and find solutions independently Highly developed team working skills, able to form effective working relationships quickly Ability to respond calmly under pressure and to make impartial and well-considered judgments in complex situations Good organisational skills, able to manage and prioritise own and others' workloads and meet deadlines in a very timely manner

Benefits

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Alongside your salary of 45,272, UK Research and Innovation contributes 13,115 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.Learning and development tailored to your role An environment with flexible working options A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Things you need to know

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Selection process details

1st Interview incl presentation.


Interviews will either take place remotely via Teams or in person face to face.



Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check .



See our vetting charter .
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:


UK nationals nationals of the Republic of Ireland nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020 Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Further information on nationality requirements

Working for the Civil Service

Please note this Post is NOT regulated by the Civil Service Commission.
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and 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 Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy .

Apply and further information

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Contact point for applicants

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Job contact :

Name : Recruitment Team Email : recruitment@ukri.org
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Recruitment team

* Email : recruitment@ukri.org