Northern Ireland Office Hiring for Finance Officer Job at Belfast, Northern Ireland Full Time

168294

£30,451 – £34,105

Fixed Term

Maternity cover for a period of up to 12 months

Finance

Full-time

1

This position is based at NIO STORMONT HOUSE BELFAST, BT4 3ST

Please refer to the Job Description

We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the wider society that we serve. We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice. We champion diversity, inclusion and wellbeing and aim to create a workplace where everyone feels valued and a sense of belonging. To find out more about how we do this visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity.

Department

Northern Ireland Office

Post Vacant

Band C, Finance Officer

Location

Belfast

Changes are occurring to our Belfast location whereby we are moving from Stormont House to Erskine House in early 2022

Duration

12 months maternity cover

Applications invited from

Existing Home Civil Service staff either at Band C or analogous grades on level transfer or at Band D on promotion. External candidates with comparable skills or experience.

(Salary Scales: £30,451-£34,105)

New entrants to the Civil Service are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band advertised.

Closing Date

7 December 2021

Who we are

Inclusion and diversity

The Northern Ireland Office is committed to being an inclusive employer with a diverse workforce. We encourage applications from people from the widest possible diversity of backgrounds, cultures and experiences.

We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates, as they are under-represented within the NIO at this level.

The Northern Ireland Office strives to be an inclusive employer and is recognised by its staff and externally as being an employer where Diversity and Inclusion are valued.

We hold a Diversity & Inclusion Charter Mark and are an accredited Disability Confident Leader organisation.

In March 2018 we won the award for Best Employer for Diversity & Equality in Northern Ireland (small employer category) in a Gala Award ceremony hosted by Legal-Island, a multi-award winning workplace compliance company based in Northern Ireland.

We have an active D&I network supporting colleagues through D&I Advocates, championed by our Directors.

We want all our people to feel valued for who they are and we are confident that you will find the NIO a warm, welcoming and inclusive place to work.

What we do

Background

The Northern Ireland Office represents Northern Ireland interests at a UK Government level and UK Government interests in Northern Ireland. We have a wide range of responsibilities, including: underpinning political stability in Northern Ireland; overseeing the Northern Ireland devolution settlement; leading on national security policy in Northern Ireland; addressing the legacy of Northern Ireland’s past; delivering elections and constitutional reform in Northern Ireland; playing a key role in rebalancing the NI economy; representing NI interests, including on the border with Ireland, as the UK exits the EU. Our small size and diverse portfolio create a stimulating, fast-paced and challenging working environment, with regular engagement with a range of Ministers and senior officials. We support flexible working and have a modern, flexible IT system which helps enable this.

Key Accountabilities and Responsibilities:

The core responsibilities of the role include but are not limited to the following:

Responsible for the preparation of monthly accounting journals which enables accurate monitoring and reporting

Responsible for monthly reconciliations of ledger balances and making sure discrepancies are resolved in a timely manner.

Responsibility for quarterly VAT returns making sure they are produced accurately to challenging timescales.

To provide support to the finance community in business groups to improve adherence to best reporting practices and understanding of technical issues.

Carry out month end and annual procedures in line with the finance timetable.

Support the Financial Accountant in answering account queries from internal and external auditors and resolving issues as instructed.

Support areas of governance for the team as and when required.

Line management responsibility for support staff.

Essential Criteria:

Accounting Technician qualification (or equivalent)

Dealing with high volume, high value transactions

Demonstrable experience of preparing or auditing financial statements

Excellent Microsoft Office skills, including advanced Excel

Experience of using finance systems e.g. Oracle

Desirable Criteria:

Ability to take initiative and experience of delivering to a high standard against multiple competing priorities in a fast paced environment

Highly numerate with strong financial analysis skills

Experience of building positive and effective working relationships across a wide range of internal and external stakeholders

Ability to consolidate financial and other information to deadlines.

Proven ability to meet tight deadlines within unpredictable and demanding environments whilst delivering high quality products;

Experience of providing professional finance services to stakeholders

Experience of dealing with external auditors

For the essential and desirable criteria please upload a suitability statement of no more than 250 words setting out how you meet the essential/desirable criteria

The selection and interview process will consist of two stages:

Sift

You will be assessed on:

Your suitability statement and the lead behaviour in the event of a large number of applications being received.

Managing a Quality Service (Lead Competence)

Interview

The interview will be conducted remotely and will be of a blended nature consisting of behaviours and experience, utilising the following success profiles behaviours:

Managing a Quality Service

Making Effective Decisions

Changing and Improving

Delivering at Pace

More information on Behaviours and Success Profiles can be found here.

Security Clearance

Security clearance to CTC level will be required for this post.

Eligibility Sift

An eligibility sift will be carried out on the basis of the information contained in the application form. It is therefore important that all applicants demonstrate in their application how and to what extent their behaviours are relevant to the above criteria. Those candidates who do not clearly demonstrate that they meet the experience and behaviours will not be invited to interview.

Pay and Allowances

The successful candidate will adopt the terms and conditions of the NIO for the length of their appointment.

Neither Detached Duty terms nor relocation costs will apply to this post.

Further Information

Further information about the post may be obtained from [email protected]

Applications

You can apply for this post through the Civil Service website at: civilservice.gov.uk. Once logged onto the site go to the civil service jobs page and then search for jobs in the Northern Ireland Office where the application form can be found.

Additional information received after the closing date will not be considered. Failure to provide sufficient information in support of an application prior to the closing date will not be considered as grounds for an appeal if an applicant is not shortlisted for interview.

Home Civil Service applicants who, because of disability, need assistance in completing the application form should contact MoJ Shared Services on 0845 010 3512.

All applications for employment are considered strictly on the basis of merit.

This job description should not be taken as constituting conditions of employment.

Please note that due to the high interest in NIO opportunities, feedback cannot be given if you are unsuccessful at sift stage. Feedback is available on request if unsuccessful following interview.

Additional Information

Further information about us

We are a small and friendly department of approximately 180 staff. Due to our size we are able to offer staff more exposure to ministers and the opportunity to work on a far wider portfolio of responsibilities than might be the case in a larger department. This creates an interesting, though often challenging, work environment.

Other Benefits

The NIO offers a pleasant, modern work environment which allows consideration of a range of flexible working arrangements which support a good work/ life balance. These include flexible/ alternative working patterns, part-time and job-share options.

Benefits include:

interest-free season ticket and bicycle loans

Reward & Recognition scheme

Guaranteed Interview Scheme

The Northern Ireland Office operates the Guaranteed Interview Scheme, details of which are attached to the application form for this post.

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 12 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. Those candidates who do not wish to remain on the reserve list should contact [email protected] to be removed from the reserve list.

Further information on civil service careers can be found at www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. You have the right to complain if you feel a department has breached the requirement of the Recruitment Principles.

Please contact SSCL ([email protected]) in the first instance.

If you are not satisfied with the response, you may bring your complaint to the Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages:

http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/civil-service-recruitment/complaints/

https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/code/

Responsibilities

Please refer to the Job Description

Accounting Technician qualification (or equivalent)

We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Managing a Quality Service
• Making Effective Decisions
• Changing and Improving
• Delivering at Pace