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If those don't work please email the Resourcing Hub at recruitment@levellingup.gov.uk with your application and/or CV before the submission deadline. Any applications received after the deadline may not be considered.

Short Summary

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities is an exciting and varied place to work. The finance teams work closely with policy making teams on issues ranging from the government’s Levelling Up agenda, the responses to Covid-19 and Ukraine, building more homes across the country, and tackling homelessness and rough sleeping.

Job Description

The role is based in Finance Shared Services Division (FSSD) within DLUHC finance; FSSD provides transactional finance services to DLUHC, the Planning Inspectorate (PINS), and the Valuation Tribunal Service (VTS). FSSD consists of a number of cross-functional teams who deliver finance transactions and support to a customer base of 4000+ SAP Finance users.

We are friendly teams with a focus on development, supportive line management, and wellbeing. We are constantly seeking to improve how we work and welcome new ideas to shape this.

The successful candidate will be responsible for the reliable and consistent provision of quality transactional Shared Service delivery via focussed teams managing Accounts Payable/Receivable, Cash/\Debt Management, General Ledger/Budgeting/Supplier and Customer Master Data, Centralised Invoice Processing, and the SAP (Finance) Helpdesk. They will have proven, strong leadership skills plus operational delivery and customer service experience, with knowledge of reporting to the scope of service level agreements and against key performance indicators. Attention to detail will be key, as will the demonstrable capability to work effectively with remote colleagues and management, managing your deadlines and priorities.

Responsibilities

• Actively lead and manage the teams responsible for transactional delivery (18 people), promoting clear goals and expectations. Direct line manager for 3 HEOs.

• Work closely with the FSSD Customer Account Manager on service delivery; maintain quality Key Performance Indicators, management information, and exception/error reporting.

• Promote and embed LEAN techniques to manage and prioritise tasks and resources – ensure the teams are fully conversant and using LEAN by default.

• Support the Head of FSSD and senior divisional managers in strategic operational delivery planning, including contributing to future shared service cluster activities.

• Promote excellence in service delivery; champion upskilling and building team capability.

• Work closely with the FSSD Continuous Improvement lead and senior divisional colleagues to drive continuous improvement and innovation, document existing processes, embed and document new processes, challenge technical solutions, and support progress against divisional Business Plan objectives.

• Build relationships with divisional colleagues, and those responsible for technical delivery, in the wider Finance community, and across the Department.

Person Specification

• Strong leadership, team building and management skills with the ability to motivate, lead by example and develop a large team, ensuring resources are organised appropriately and effectively.

• Strong interpersonal skills with proven ability to establish positive working relationships and influence and persuade at all levels.

• Experience of working in an environment where processes and outcomes are being reviewed to surface further improvement opportunities.
Strong sense of customer service, demonstrating an understanding of extant service level agreements, keeping service recipients in mind when taking actions or making decisions. Ensuring that processes are efficient and streamlined; mindful of impacts on finance and wider business colleagues. The ability to deliver results within agreed timescales and to work within tight deadlines. Experience of defining and reporting progress against targets, providing highlights as necessary and taking actions to resolve exceptions and/or escalate.

• The ability to make effective, risk-based decisions at pace, identifying stakeholders and understanding options.

Desirable skills:

• Previous experience working within a Government finance team

• Previous experience using the SAP

Selection process details

We are for everyone

At DLUHC we value diversity and inclusion and actively encourage and welcome applications from everyone, including those that are underrepresented in our workforce. We promote equality of opportunity in all aspects of employment and a working environment free from discrimination, harassment, bullying and victimisation.

We would strongly recommend that applicants get in touch with the vacancy manager to find out more information about this role.

We are for everyone

DLUHC want to bring in a diverse workforce at all levels.

Our application system is designed to remove as much bias as possible from the recruitment system – this means that a hiring manager does not know your name, your details, see your whole application in one go (or have your CV at review stage unless stated otherwise).

Your answers are randomised and chunked up. This means that each assessor views sets of responses to questions for example all candidates’ responses to ‘Seeing the Big Picture’ rather than seeing a candidate’s full application. The science behind this is that recruitment can be subject to ordering and fatigue effects and we want to reduce this as much as possible.

Most of our campaigns utilise multiple assessors and so it is possible that each of your answers would be viewed by different assessors.

When writing your application, remember:

The assessor won’t be reading your answers sequentially.

Do not assume that the same assessors will have read all of your answers.

If talking about something in your first answer, make sure that you write the second answer as if you had not written the first (and so on!)

At sift, we will be assessing:

Behaviours:

- Managing a Quality Service

- Leadership

- Changing and Improving

Experience (Lead Criteria):

- Please explain using examples how you meet the person specification- skills, experience and behaviours.

There is a 250 word limit per question.

In the event that we receive a large number of applications, we may conduct an initial sift based on the lead criteria.

The interview will be of a blended nature consisting of behaviour and strength based questions as listed in the advert. The strength based questions will require natural responses from the candidates.

In full the campaign will test the below Success Profile Elements:

Behaviours: Leadership, Changing and Improving, Making Effective Decisions, Managing a Quality Service

Experience: Yes

Strengths: Yes

We do not consider direct CV applications to our Recruitment mailbox – you must apply for this role via the application link on Civil Service Jobs

Please note that near miss offers may be made at the lower grade to candidates who do not meet the grade criteria for this campaign

SEO salary

The salary for this role is £39,598.

For existing civil servants, the usual policy on level transfer and promotion will apply and is non-negotiable.

BENEFITS:

Transfers across the Civil Service on or after 4 October 2018:

Any move to DLUHC 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.

For further information about the benefits available to DLUHC employees, please see the attached Candidate Pack.

GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION:

- Hemel Hempstead

Please Note: Occasional travel to Norwich where the Election Claims unit are based will be required.

There may be opportunities for candidates to work flexibly depending on the business needs. This will be discussed with the vacancy manager on a case-by-case basis if you are successful for the role.

SIFT AND INTERVIEW DATES:

Sifting is envisaged to take place from 30/06/22 with interview dates to be confirmed. All interviews are currently being held remotely via videocall.

RESERVE LIST:

In the event that we identify more appointable candidates than we currently have posts available, we will hold applicant details on a reserve list for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made. This may include roles at a lower grade. Candidates placed on a reserve list will be informed of this. Due to the length of time CTC checks can take, our HR Shared Services team will contact reserve list candidates for London based roles to commence CTC checks. Those candidates who do not wish to remain on the reserve list should contact recruitment@levellingup.gov.uk to be removed from the reserve list.

SC (Security Check):

Important note

Successful candidates for roles based in our 2 Marsham Street building must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is Security Check and the process can take up to 8 weeks to complete. 

Please note that successful candidates will need to pass the Security Check – this requires you to have been resident in the UK for the past 5 years. Please refer to the DLUHC Notes on Security Clearance section of our Candidate Pack for further information on Security Check (SC).  

Candidates should also note that with effect from 1st August 2018 the department will also check all applicants who are successful at interview, against the Internal Fraud Database (IFD) held by the Cabinet Office. In accordance with the Civil Service Internal Fraud Policy, any applicant who is included on the IFD will be refused employment by DLUHC. Please see the Candidate Pack for further information on the Internal Fraud Database. 

Candidate Pack Information

Please see attached Candidate pack for further information.

Internal Fraud Database

The Internal Fraud function of the Fraud, Error, Debt and Grants Function at the Cabinet Office processes details of civil servants who have been dismissed for committing internal fraud, or who would have been dismissed had they not resigned. The Cabinet Office receives the details from participating government organisations of civil servants who have been dismissed, or who would have been dismissed had they not resigned, for internal fraud. In instances such as this, civil servants are then banned for 5 years from further employment in the civil service. The Cabinet Office then processes this data and discloses a limited dataset back to DLUHC as a participating government organisations. DLUHC then carry out the pre employment checks so as to detect instances where known fraudsters are attempting to reapply for roles in the civil service. In this way, the policy is ensured and the repetition of internal fraud is prevented.

For more information please see- Internal Fraud Register

Contact details

• Name: Claire Cusack

• Email: Claire.Cusack@levellingup.gov.uk

Recruitment team:

• Email: recruitment@communities.gov.uk