Job Description

Details

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Reference number

411347
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Salary

58,918 - 70,450
Please note, the starting salary will normally be offered at the minimum of the pay band.
A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
GBP
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Job grade

Other
Level 3 'Head of' equivalent to Grade 7###

Contract type

Permanent###

Type of role

Finance###

Working pattern

Flexible working, Full-time, Part-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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Aberystwyth, Cardiff, Llandudno Junction, Merthyr Tydfil, Swansea

About the job

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Job summary

About Us

We are a new arm's length body of the Welsh Government, responsible for the strategy, funding and oversight of:

further education including colleges and school sixth-forms; higher education including research and innovation; adult education and adult community learning; and apprenticeships and training.

Operational since 1 August 2024, we work in close collaboration with our partners to enable a tertiary education and research system which is centred around the needs of learners; society; and economy with excellence, equality and engagement at its heart.


Our values really matter to us, they help shape the culture of our organisation:

Dysgu

(to learn; to teach; to educate) - learning is at the heart of everything we do. We believe curiosity fuels innovation and helps expand our horizons.

Cydweithio

(to work together; to collaborate; to co-operate) - we can achieve far more together than we ever could alone.

Cynnwys Pawb

(to include everyone; to involve everyone) - we are passionate about inclusion, seeking to create the right conditions for everyone to achieve their full potential.

Rhagori

(to exceed; to excel) - we have high aspirations for tertiary education and research in Wales and always set high standards for ourselves to be the best we can be.

Location

Our headquarters is a newly refurbished office in Capital Quarter, Cardiff, specifically designed to meet our needs. We expect this to be the place that most colleagues will use to collaborate, both with each other and with stakeholders.


As we operate across Wales, we also have collaboration and limited office space in Welsh Government offices in Llandudno Junction, Aberystwyth, Swansea and Merthyr Tydfil.

Main Purpose of the Job

Working closely with the Chief Finance Officer, Medr are looking for an individual to lead our financial operations and manage over 900m of budget and payments annually.


You will provide strategic direction, financial expertise, and leadership to drive financial performance and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and accounting standards in accordance with Managing Welsh Public Money.


As a strategic leader and a key member of Medr's leadership team you will embrace and lead change; live our values and develop others to be their best selves.

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Job description

What you'll be doing

Provide strategic leadership to your team, guiding, inspiring, and empowering them. Manage the team's budget and people resource to enable them to deliver a high-quality service to internal and external stakeholders. Lead a change programme to develop and implement continuous improvement of Finance's D365 systems, financial processes, and financial procedures to increase efficiency and effectiveness. Oversee production of Medr's annual accounts, ensuring compliance with financial reporting manual (FReM) and International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). Monitor and manage the effective allocation of budgets. Working with funding policy teams to ensure deployment of funds align with Medr's Strategic Plan. Manage the budget and provide financial analysis, forecasts, and recommendations to inform strategic decision-making. Identify and assess financial risks and opportunities, developing strategies to mitigate risks and capitalise on opportunities. Implement effective internal controls and policies to safeguard the organisation's resources and assets, while maintaining operational efficiency. Oversee Medr's cash position and the reconciliation process to ensure sufficient cash is available for Medr operations, and within limits set by Welsh Government. Build and maintain positive relationships with stakeholders, particularly the Welsh Government and Audit Wales Prepare business cases and provide advice to Medr's Senior Leadership Team to ensure public funds are used properly, in a transparent, responsible, and consistent fashion. Support the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) alongside the head of Procurement, provide leadership to the wider Team, taking responsibility for helping to manage cross-Team strategies on risk management and team development.

Key challenges

Medr is responsible for an annual budget of over 900million of public money which funds the tertiary education sector in Wales. You will set the highest standards of financial management, operating in a challenging financial climate with competing pressures and demands.


Leading an established team whilst developing and supporting them to reach their potential.


Securing credibility and trust with a range of partners including our senior leadership team, key internal customers, and suppliers.

About your team

You will lead the Finance Team, comprising five finance specialists (one senior accountant, two finance managers and two finance officers). The Finance Team is part of the Procurement, Payroll, and Finance Team.


Our team's philosophy is to help and support our colleagues, believing in excellence, integrity, and dedication. We apply our professionalism to build strong and efficient policies and processes, enabling Medr to operate as a highly effective organisation. We uphold the highest standards in the stewardship of public funds, ensuring Medr meets its contractual and statutory obligations.

Your line manager

Giles Cutler is passionate about contributing to public life - delivering value for money for public funds and making things better through embracing best practices. He is always learning and find new ways to grow. He believes in fostering a supportive environment where every team member can thrive. His goal is to provide a culture where all team members feel safe, challenged and supported.


Giles Cutler serves as the Chief Financial Officer of Medr, leading the Procurement, Payroll and Finance Teams.

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Person specification

What you will bring

Attributes

Agile

- You challenge the status quo and champion change initiatives, creating a culture where innovation and adaptation are valued and encouraged.

Motivating

- You inspire and empower others to achieve their full potential. Cultivating a culture of collaboration and excellence through effective communication, recognition of achievements, and providing opportunities for development.

Drive

- You lead high-impact initiatives and deliver real results.

Humility

- You acknowledge the contributions of every team member and create an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and supported.

Act with integrity

- You uphold the organisation's values and principles in all actions, taking responsibility for your decisions.

Experience

Knowledge of financial regulations and accounting standards with the ability to interpret and apply them effectively. Considerable experience of financial planning, budgeting, and forecasting in a complex organisational environment.

Welsh language requirements

For this post the Welsh language requirements are:

Desirable

Welsh desirable means that whilst having Welsh language skills is useful for the role, it is not an assessment criterion, so it won't disadvantage you during recruitment if you don't currently possess these skills.

Reading Spoken Understanding Written ###

Qualifications

You will hold a recognised professional accountancy qualification, such as ACA, ACCA, CIPFA, CIMA.

Benefits

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Alongside your salary of 58,918, Medr contributes 17,068 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Your Perks and Benefits

We recognise the importance of looking after ourselves in work and in life. Your wellbeing is fundamental to you being your best self so in recognition of this we provide:

33 days annual leave a year (pro rata) to give you time to reboot; top up your energy banks and spend time doing the activities you love. An environment that embraces work life balance. A culture that celebrates diversity and welcomes everyone. Dedicated wellbeing time to all our people each week. A Cycle to Work Scheme to make owning a bicycle more affordable.

Additional Support when you need it

We know that sometimes you may face challenges or life events that mean you need additional support.

We provide a comprehensive employee assistance programme with remote access to resources and in person support whenever required. We have a special leave policy ensuring everyone in the organisation receives the support they need during difficult times.

More than just a workplace

We have an active sport, social and wellbeing committee who offer a range of activities for our people to come together outside the work setting. You can participate as much or as little as you want. You will be entitled to take 5 days paid leave per year to undertake voluntary work to support the communities we serve. We know that the bonds we make in work sometimes go beyond the working day and lead to networks that last for life. We will encourage you to grow your networks across Wales, the UK and internationally.

Personal and professional development

Once you're offered a post, we will get to know you and work with you to develop a personalised onboarding plan which considers your experience, skills, learning style and knowledge. We'll help you shape your development plans with personalised career conversations and objectives, taking account of delivery goals alongside your career aspirations and helping you own your career. We support all our staff to learn or improve their Welsh language skills.

Things you need to know

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Selection process details

We are really interested in you as an individual and what you will bring to our organisation.


Our blended assessment process is designed to help us get to know you better enabling us to appoint someone who will thrive in the role and who shares our organisational values.


If you are interested in working with us, please send us your application through Civil Service Jobs.


You will need to include a personal statement demonstrating how you meet the essential requirements for the post.


To be fair to everyone who applies, we won't accept:

Late applications Applications with missing or incomplete information Personal statements over 1,250 words

The deadline for application submission is

Thursday

3 July

.


There will be two assessment stages for this recruitment campaign. A sift and an interview, which will include a presentation.


The following attributes will be assessed at sift and interview stage:

Agile

- You challenge the status quo and champion change initiatives, creating a culture where innovation and adaptation are valued and encouraged.

Motivating

- You inspire and empower others to achieve their full potential. Cultivating a culture of collaboration and excellence through effective communication, recognition of achievements, and providing opportunities for development.

Act with integrity

- You uphold the organisation's values and principles in all actions, taking responsibility for your decisions.

And the following essential requirements:

Experience

Knowledge of financial regulations and accounting standards with the ability to interpret and apply them effectively. Considerable experience of financial planning, budgeting, and forecasting in a complex organisational environment.

Qualification

A recognised professional accountancy qualification, such as ACA, ACCA, CIPFA, CIMA.

The initial sift will take place on

Thursday 17 July

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Candidates who successfully navigate the sift stage will be required to complete an online exercise to enable us to determine their behavioural and personality preferences. Immediately on completion you will be given a report which highlights your strengths plus some development tips to help you prepare for interview. Candidates should note that the online exercise is not intended to eliminate anyone from consideration. Instead, it serves as a tool to aid in the decision-making process.


Following this, you will be required to participate in an interview and a presentation, both of which will be conducted on

Friday 25 July

.


The following attributes will also be assessed at interview:

Drive

- You lead high-impact initiatives and deliver real results.

Humility

- You acknowledge the contributions of every team member and create an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and supported.

We strive for a diverse and inclusive workplace and we want to help you demonstrate your full potential whatever type of assessment is used. We are happy to discuss any person-centred adjustments required to the recruitment process. Please contact swyddi@medr.cymru


We're looking forward to meeting everyone invited to interview at our new headquarters in Capital Quarter, Cardiff. We don't usually pay travel expenses, but if this presents a real barrier to your attendance in person or if you require a reasonable adjustment, please let us know

in advance

by emailing swyddi@medr.cymru so we can discuss and agree arrangements prior to your interview.


Following interview we are committed to offering constructive and actionable feedback to support you on your future career journey.

Next Steps

Interested
? Want to find out more?


We know how important it is for you to find out more about us so we will be holding a

virtual information session

for candidates on

Monday 23 June

at

1pm

on Microsoft Teams.


This will be an opportunity for you to hear more about our organisation; the role and how we invest in our people.


If you would like to attend, register by emailing swyddi@medr.cymru.



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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
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
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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 .
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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The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.###

Contact point for applicants

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Job contact :

Name : People and Culture Team Email : swyddi@medr.cymru
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Recruitment team

* Email : swyddi@medr.cymru