About the job Job summary The Ministry of Defence employs over 50,000 Civil Servants. Within that, the Army Top Level Budget (TLB) employs around 7,000 MOD Civil Servants located at over 300 locations. Ours is a diverse workforce, with roles ranging from trainers, human resources, teachers, and psychologists to storekeepers, financiers, project and programme managers, and policy secretariat staff. There are many different functions and professions delivering key outputs for the Army. As such using data to aid understanding of our workforce is vital. The Armys Director Resources is responsible for planning and leading the Army Top Level Budget TLB and ensuring that decisions at the highest level of the Army are taken with full understanding of their financial implications. This is an exciting opportunity to lead the Army Scrutiny and Approvals Team (ASAT) based at HQ Army Andover. ASAT supports the Director Resources in the scrutiny and approval of Army-funded investment decisions, both equipment and non-equipment, from project inception to final approval. ASAT are responsible for improving the quality of Investment Appraisals and Business Cases across the Army TLB as well as being responsible for providing an independent non-advocate scrutiny function within the TLB. The team are also responsible for the underpinning process and policy guidance and aim to provide advice, assistance and share best practice to projects of any value. The post will lead a high-performing, diverse team of five, reporting to the Army Strategic Finance Manager. We will provide you with an exciting and worthwhile career supporting the Armed Services and will actively encourage and support further training and development. This position is advertised at 37 hours per week. You will be required to work at Army HQ, Andover office a minimum of 3 days per week, being flexible to support the business needs. Job description This is a challenging leadership position that will play a key role in the Armys ambitious modernisation programme. The main responsibilities will include: Providing services as a Scrutiny and Approvals Subject Matter Expert: Provide advice and guidance to business areas across the Army on the construction of Business Cases and Investment Appraisals. Undertaking the financial scrutiny of complex or high value Business Cases and Investment Appraisals, in support of the Finance Leadership Team and investment approvals committees. Understanding future requirements, anticipating, and planning for peaks in activity or changes in requirements, considering and adopting the appropriate mitigations. Clearly explaining the rationale for processes, ensuring that complex aspects are understood by all stakeholders and that benefits are highlighted to support compliance and meet the required standards. Stakeholder engagement and collaboration: Providing support to the Army Director Resources, as chair of the Army Investment Committee, ensuring key financial aspects are highlighted where required in advance of committees being held. Providing secretariat support to the Army Investment Committee, ensuring the required information is available in a timely manner and disseminating the outcome from the committee. Engaging and collaboratively working with Army Finance Business Partners, communicating on key aspects of financial scrutiny and approval activity in support of their area(s) of responsibility. Building and maintaining effective working relationships with the specialists within other MOD organisations and Strategic Finance Investment Appraisals (SFIA) in MOD Head Office. Ensuring timely and complete submissions to approvals committees whilst remaining aligned on specified content, formatting, and guidance. Continuous improvement: Dedicating time to sharing best practice and lessons learnt, encouraging your team to collaborate across MOD to solve common issues, ensuring adherence to MOD standards. Seeking feedback on the services provided, testing, and evaluating their effectiveness, whilst assessing the level of effort to deliver against the benefit received. Continuously striving to improve the service provision, promptly addressing issues and ensuring that processes or ways of working are adapted, and customers are informed where there is an impact. Managing the input and support to wider Army and MOD change programmes. Leading the ASAT team: Management of team members, empowering, motivating and coaching to enable effective delivery. Supporting individuals personal development, careers and developing leadership skills within their team. Being open to challenge and new ideas, sharing of knowledge and experience, encouraging others through building a supportive team environment. Developing and embedding the use of standardised processes to deliver a consistent output to customers. Provide direction on contentious issues within ASATs area of responsibility, referring upwards where decisions relate to significant issues of policy, resource allocation or management of work area. Person specification Essential Criteria: Strong leadership skills with the ability to motivate and develop a high-performing team. Promoting consistent excellence in the team's output whilst balancing working at pace to manage a full workload with conflicting short and long-term priorities. Experience of building and maintaining effective relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, including senior staff, both within the organisation and across boundaries. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to simplify and articulate complex information to a broad base of recipients. Ability to analyse and accurately interpret data from various sources to support decisions. Present reasonable conclusions from a wide range of complex and sometimes incomplete evidence. Desirable Criteria Given the high profile and challenging nature of this post it is desirable that the applicant has previous relevant experience of scrutiny and approvals. Qualified with CCAB, CIMA or equivalent or working towards qualification and experience in relevant finance roles. Behaviours We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process: Making Effective Decisions Leadership Communicating and Influencing Working Together Managing a Quality Service We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form: Leadership Managing a Quality Service Benefits Alongside your salary of 59,690, Ministry of Defence contributes 17,292 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% 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. MOD Recruitment Satisfaction Survey We may contact you regarding your experience to help us improve our customer satisfaction. The survey is voluntary and anonymous. You may however be given the opportunity to provide additional information to help us improve our service which includes the collection of some personal data as defined by the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). The MOD Privacy Policy Notice sets out how we will use your personal data and your rights. Things you need to know Selection process details This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience. At application you will be assessed against: CV, with full job history 750 word personal statement outlining why you feel you're most suited to the role and how you meet the essential criteria in the advert. Behaviours: Leadership and Managing a Quality Service When choosing your Behaviour examples, please make sure you use real life scenarios that relate to your own experiences. Whilst technology may help to enhance your written submission, presenting the ideas of others or those generated by technology, could result in your application being rejected. At interview you will be assessed against the following behaviours: Making Effective Decisions Leadership Communicating and Influencing Working Together Managing a Quality Service Application sifting will be scheduled to take placewithin 7 days of the application closing date. Interview dates are to be confirmed. These will be held in person. We endeavour to stick to these time frames, but these are subject to change around business needs 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-Resourcingteam3mod.gov.uk. As a result of the changes to the UK immigration rules which came in to 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. This role does not meet that category and we will not sponsor a visa. It 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 theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window). Apply and further information This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative. 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 Job contact : Name : Stuart Jones Email : stuart.jones705mod.gov.uk Recruitment team Email : DBSCivPers-Resourcingteam3mod.gov.uk Further information Please ensure you read the attached candidate information document prior to completing your application. If you are dissatisfied with the service you have received from DBS, or believe that DBS has failed to follow the recruitment process in line with the Civil Service Commission principles of selection for appointment on merit on the basis of Fair and Open competition, you can raise a formal complaint by writing to DBS at the following address: Defence Business Services, Scanning Hub, Room 6124, Tomlinson House, Norcross Lane, Blackpool, FY5 3WP. If after raising your complaint with DBS you remain dissatisfied you can complain directly to the Civil Service Commission at the following address: Civil Service commission, Room G/8, 1 Horse Guards Road, London, SW1A 2HQ Or by email: infocsc.gov.uk.