Senior Finance Business Partner - Air Command (RAF)

Location: Frequent attendance at RAF High Wycombe will be required with an expectation of visiting other MOD locations as necessary.
The Air Command Finance Business Partners are trusted partners in Royal Air Force strategic decision making. We use our understanding of the RAF’s strategic goals, plans and objectives to provide appropriate financial advice to enable informed strategic decision making within Defence.
You will be joining a team providing advice and accurate insight on management information for RAF Budget Holders and supporting sound financial management across the RAFs c£8bn annual budget. You will be collaborating across functional boundaries, utilising your understanding of the broader strategic Defence context to ensure that the Royal Air Force is able to deliver the air and space power necessary to protect our nation.
For over a hundred years the Royal Air Force has defended the skies of Britain and projected Britain’s power and influence around the world. We work with our UK and international partners to watch the skies, respond to threats, prevent conflict, and provide assistance in an uncertain world. This is a unique opportunity for a finance professional to be an integral part of that heritage and the RAF’s future.
You will sit as a member of the Air Finance Leadership Team, contributing to the overall management of the Finance Function. This will include maintaining the Function’s focus on a vision that delivers valued Finance services to the RAF and maintaining a culture of continuous improvement., In your role as a Senior Finance Business Partner you will:
+ Lead and provide strategic direction for your team and Air Finance.
+ Actively manage the talent and career paths of all direct reports, providing support for all to be successful in their roles.
+ Be an expert partner to the senior RAF commanders, having a seat at the table in decision making forums to ensure financial implications are considered from the outset.
+ Provide strategic financial support to Budget Holders on their financial position to inform decision making, including through leading monthly financial reviews and supporting holding to account sessions.
+ Support budget holders on strategic, long term 10-year financial planning.
+ Proactively engage with stakeholders to assure business cases, and support Accounting Officer assessments – regularity, propriety, feasibility and value for money.
+ Support budget holders to understand their responsibilities under HM Treasury’s Managing Public Money, including in relation to governance and control.
+ Develop and maintain key stakeholder relationships and act as a point of escalation to resolve any issues.
+ Maintain a flexible approach to work, to ensure team outputs are produced to time and quality.
+ Build and maintain technical knowledge of good practice across Finance and use this knowledge to drive high performance and continuous improvement.
+ Drive a culture of process automation, where possible eliminating manual activities and providing a more effective service to internal and external clients., We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
+ Seeing the Big Picture
+ Leadership
+ Communicating and Influencing, This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.
Please use your CV to set out your career history, highlighting specific responsibilities and achievements that are relevant for this role. These can be found in the ‘key skills and experience required for the role’ section of the advert.
Candidates will be required to provide a statement of suitability. (Word count: 500)
At interview, you will be assessed against the following Success Profiles Behaviours:
+ Leadership
+ Seeing the Big Picture
+ Communicating and Influencing
At interview you will also be required to demonstrate a presentation, details of the presentation question will be issued to candidates with the release of the sift scores.
Please allow sufficient time to complete the full application form; Your application must be completed by 23:55 on the closing date of the vacancy. Late submissions cannot be accepted.
Applicants are strongly advised to structure their responses using the STAR format and demonstrate the behaviours detailed at Grade 7 level in the Civil Service Success Profiles – Civil Service Behaviours booklet. Comprehensive coverage on Success Profiles can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/success-profiles
Expected Timeline (subject to change)
+ Sift dates: w/c 7th Oct
+ Interview dates: from 21st Oct
+ Interview Location: RAF High Wycombe
A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equality of opportunity. There is a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. If you need to advise us that you need additional help or reasonable adjustments for the recruitment process, please contact: DBSCivPers-Resourcingteam3@mod.gov.uk .
As a result of the changes to the UK immigration rules which came into effect on 1 January 2021, the Ministry of Defence will only offer sponsorship for a skilled worker visa under the points based system, where a role has been deemed to be business critical.
The role currently being advertised has not been assessed as business critical and is therefore NOT open to applications from those who will require sponsorship under the points based system. Should you apply for this role and be found to require sponsorship, your application will be rejected and any provisional offer of employment withdrawn.
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 (opens in a new window).See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
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) (opens in a new window)
+ 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 (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service
The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) 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 (opens in a new window).
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.
The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

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 (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

We are looking for an experienced finance professional with an interest in working in Defence, a willingness to work hard and gain knowledge to support the RAF’s senior leaders. You will manage a team of SEOs and you must have a professional accountancy qualification (CCAB, CIMA or equivalent) to complement your substantial finance experience, or have made substantial progress towards a professional accountancy qualification., It is essential for the successful applicant to be able to demonstrate the following:
+ Strong leadership skills with evidence of successfully managing teams.
+ A team player and self-starter with the ability to work in a culture of change, being adaptable and willing to review priorities to meet the current and future needs to the team.
+ Extensive accountancy and financial management experience including a professional accountancy qualification (CCAB, CIMA or equivalent), or substantial progress towards qualification.
+ Strong communication skills with a track record of working successfully with a wide range of senior stakeholders.
You will report to a Grade 6 Lead Finance Business Partner, who in turn reports to the Senior Civil Service 1

• , Air Command Head of Finance.
  
  We offer a friendly and supportive environment to work in, flexible working policies and several subsidies and Civil Service benefits. These include, but are not limited to, generous holiday entitlement, contributory pensions scheme, a subsidised gym and a small shop and café on site. For those who wish to progress there are development opportunities in the wider Ministry of Defence and across the wider Civil Service.

The position is advertised at 37 hours per week., Alongside your salary of £57,670, Ministry of Defence contributes £16,706 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
Benefits include, but are not limited to:
+ Flexible working
+ Training and personal development opportunities
+ A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
+ 25 days paid annual leave rising to 30 days on completion of 5 years’ service
+ In addition to 8 public holidays per year you will also receive leave for HM The King’s birthday
+ A highly competitive Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 28.97%
+ Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption leave
+ Subsidised membership to a fitness suite and lunchtime/evening Military led fitness classes
+ Café and shop on site
Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working. This is a non-contractual arrangement where all office-based employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in office, subject to capacity and any required workplace adjustments. Requirements to attend other locations for official business, or work in another MOD office, will also count towards this level of attendance. Applicants can request further information regarding how this may work in their team from the Vacancy Holder (see advert for contact details). Defence Business Services cannot respond to any questions about working arrangements.
The post does not offer relocation expenses.
External recruits who join the MOD who are new to the Civil Service will be subject to a six-month probation period.
Please Note: Expenses incurred for travel to interviews will not be reimbursed.
Please be advised that the Department is conducting a review of all pay related allowances which could impact on those allowances that the post currently being advertised attracts.
Any move to MOD from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/.
The Ministry of Defence is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for its staff which includes educating them on the benefits of not smoking, protecting them from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke and supporting those who want to give up smoking. Under the Smoke-Free Working Environment policy, Smoking and the use of all tobacco products (including combustible and chewing tobacco products) will not be permitted anywhere in the Defence working environment however some exemptions are in place, please refer to local guidance. The policy is Whole Force and includes all Defence personnel, contractors, visitors and other non-MOD personnel. All applicants seeking, considering, or accepting employment with the Ministry of Defence should be aware of this policy and that it is already in place at a number of Defence Establishments.