Ddat - Senior Business Support Manager

The first duty of the government is to keep citizens safe and the country secure. The Home Office has been at the front line of this effort since 1782. As such, we play a fundamental role in maintaining the security and economic prosperity of the UK. The Home Office leads on immigration and passports, refugee protection, counterterrorism, policing, fire services, and crime and drugs policy.

Digital Data and Technology (DDaT) enables the Home Office to keep the UK safe and secure. We design and build the services that help people apply for visas or passports; support policing and counter-terrorism operations; and protect the UK’s borders.

Home Office DDaT End User Collaboration delivers Collaboration tools, such as Microsoft Teams to the Home Office, providing directorates with the essential technology they need for modern ways of working.

Our DDaT vision for Business Management is that it, “leads the day-to-day running of the function, providing support and guidance to colleagues. Ensuring that the business operations are running as effectively, efficiently and safely as possible. With skilled professionals supporting DDaT’s delivery, and team members through enabling the delivery of resourcing, workforce and people led activities.

Business Management activities within DDaT have been defined as: Resourcing; Workforce Planning: Recruitment Planning; Team Engagement; People Activities; Information Management; Learning and Development; Delivery Centre Management; Business Continuity; Risk Management; Finance, and Commercial.

As the Senior Business Manager your role will be responsible for leading the provision of Business Support activity and will typically include stakeholder engagement across the Portfolio /Function. You will support resource management and workforce planning, support communications, planning and scheduling, monitoring and reporting, governance, overseeing financial processes and business continuity within your Portfolio/Function (as applicable).

Note: An employee may be required to carry out other duties within the scope of the grade and within the limits of their skill, competence and training.

• Managing a team of Business Management professionals, providing leadership and governance with robust processes to meet the requirements of the Portfolio /Function and wider department. Escalating issues to Senior Managers as required.

• Managing finance processes in accordance with Home Office policies and financial accounting principles, actively managing budgets and supporting budget holders in delivering their budget responsibilities.

• Working with a range of stakeholders to ensure that business continuity processes are fit for purpose across the Portfolio/Function and remain sustainable, identifying potential opportunities for refinement.

• Supporting people initiatives, including diversity and inclusion, talent management, and learning and development. Developing and maintaining a stakeholder network across the Portfolio / Function, championing standardisation of data management and ensuring activities align to wider departmental objectives.

• Managing and coordinating the end-to end Civil Servant recruitment process for brigaded and singular campaigns, including tailoring the role specification, seeking budgetary approval to recruit and for marketing purposes.

• Advocating first line risk management activities within business Portfolio / Function, supporting the Portfolio / Function and relevant stakeholders in achieving and maintaining a minimum of level 3 of the Home Office Risk Management Maturity Model and providing continuous risk maturity direction.

Resource Management and Workforce Planning

• Overseeing the Home Office end to end contractor onboarding procedures and processes. Including process time frames, restrictions and criteria, becoming the expert in the field, providing specialist support.

• Embedding standards, guidelines and processes that promote best practice and consistent ways of working, ensuring quality service delivery of Workforce Planning and Resource Management.

• Maintain accurate workforce plan data and support the production on analysis to support strategic planning, ensuring alignment with financial plans/budget and accuracy of pay forecasting.

• Ensuring current and future resourcing needs for Workforce Planning and Resource Management across DDaT are met, by upskilling, hiring new talent and allocating resources as required, supporting hiring managers with the end-to-end recruitment process.

Finance

• Supporting the Portfolio/Function, driving forward value for money and effective financial management processes.

• Undertaking regular budget management and monitoring in liaison with management accounts, if applicable.

• Initiating and be responsible for remedial action to ensure financial reports are accurate and that any under/overspends are highlighted and that mitigating actions are in place wherever possible.

• Analysing monthly reports and cross-checking payroll with position reports on Metis to ensure staff are moved to their correct positions outside the department.

• Working closely with colleagues to ensure accuracy of financial information and forecasting.

• Work with colleagues in commercial to ensure adherence to procurement policy and that value for money is achieved.

• Management of the agreed recharge process, if applicable.

Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working. Where this is the case, employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in the office. Applicants can discuss any specific questions with the Vacancy Holder.