Finance Assurance Lead

If you’re interested in making a difference to people’s lives, the Treasury can offer you an exciting opportunity to influence decision making that affects the whole of the UK. Working at the heart of government, we collaborate across government to promote responsible public spending and drive strong and sustainable economic growth!

About the Team

HM Treasury’s Group Finance team, within the Corporate Centre Group, comprises approximately 50-60 staff across our London, Darlington and Norwich offices. We provide sound financial management advice and information for internal use, and accurate information for Parliamentary control and public accountability.

Within the wider Finance team, you will join a small team of about five risk, counter fraud and assurance specialists. We provide a counter fraud function for the department, lead on operational risk, and provide strategic oversight of the assurance and controls we must employ over Arms’ Length Bodies in the HMT Group. We are a friendly, encouraging, and inclusive team, and we are committed to actively supporting everyone’s wellbeing and professional development.

About the Job

Key accountabilities:

1. Deliver the Public Bodies Review Programme for HMT Group, planning and scoping each in-depth review, making recommendations, writing reports and briefings, and thus providing valuable assurance to our Accounting Officer and Ministers that our Arms’ Length Bodies remain useful and necessary.

2. Lead on assurance activities for the group, ensuring that we have effective oversight of strategic issues or risks and driving agreed improvements forwards with senior stakeholders.

3. Manage cross-cutting commissions and communications to sponsor teams to streamline work and bring efficiencies to our governance and assurance oversight.

4. Research and publish key related products such as the Accounting Officer System Statement and contribute to our Annual Report on Accounts.

5. Provide papers and briefings as required including to our Assurance and Risk Committee.

6. Develop and maintain positive relationships with key partners including the Cabinet Office, HMT sponsor teams, and colleagues in finance and the Corporate Centre Group. Whilst continuously building your expertise in assurance and sponsorship, proactively knowledge-sharing to improve wider team and departmental capabilities.

About You

We are looking for someone who has the right set of skills to improve our oversight of public bodies that the Treasury has responsibility for. Relevant experience or expertise in areas such as risk or audit is desirable.

You will gain a unique insight into Treasury’s high-profile public bodies and the critical work they do for government! These include the recently established UK Infrastructure Bank, National Savings and Investments, and the Reclaim Fund. Guiding the sponsor teams that have policy responsibility for these bodies, you will use informed judgement to ensure that there are suitable controls in place. This role will be vital in demonstrating that we are delivering value for money and are managing risks optimally.

To succeed as the Finance Assurance Lead, you need to demonstrate a range of skills including effective problem-solving, project delivery, senior stakeholder engagement, and the ability to clearly explain your thinking both in writing and in person. This role will suit someone who is comfortable planning and delivering research independently and producing high-quality reports and briefings. You will enjoy using your initiative to identify and challenge gaps in assurance, representing Treasury’s interests with internal and external senior Partners. You will be responsible for collating evidence, advising on the scope of the reviews, and making recommendations across multiple criteria and for a diverse set of bodies.

Great assurance is an area of increasing interest and importance for government, to help drive efficiencies and improve financial and strategic controls. You will be joining at a time of rapid growth for the risk profession (the Risk Centre of Excellence for government is also based in the department). This is a brilliant opportunity to help build risk and assurance professionalism at the heart of government.

HM Treasury operates an office based working approach across all Treasury sites - Darlington, London, and Norwich, and along with the rest of the Civil Service, has an expectation of a minimum of 60% attendance in the office, along with working remotely. This blended working approach allows you to work collaboratively, meet stakeholders face to face, support others and promotes a healthy work life balance (please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas). Some roles will not be suitable for Hybrid Working. Similarly, Hybrid Working will not suit everyone’s circumstances. Arrangements will be discussed and agreed with the successful candidate(s) and subject to regular review. All our offices have been recently modernised and designed to collaborate and connect with colleagues as well as desk and quiet space to allow a range of ways to work.  

Some of the Benefits our people love!

• 25 days annual leave (rising to 30 days after 5 years), plus 8 public holidays and the King’s birthday (unless you have a legacy arrangement as an existing Civil Servant). Additionally, we operate flexitime systems, allowing you to take up to an additional 2 days off each month.
• Flexible working patterns (part-time, job-share, compressed hours). 
• Generous parental leave and adoption leave packages. 
• A Pension which provides an attractive pension, benefits for dependants and average employer contributions of 27% Access to a cycle-to-work salary sacrifice scheme and season ticket advances.
• A Rental Deposit Advance Scheme to help meet the total costs of deposits for privately rented homes.
• Access to HM Treasury’s benefits portal allowing you access to a range of discount codes for online shopping.
• A range of active staff networks, based around interests (e.g. analysts, music society, sports and social club) and diversity