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1. Deputy Director – Financial Controller, Department for Education.
Business Area: Strategy and Resources Directorate
Number of Vacancies: 1
Location: Any DfE site, but a preference for Sheffield or Manchester. Some
travel to London will be required.
Grade: SCS Payband 1
Salary Minimum: £75,000 p.a.
Salary Maximum: £95,000 p.a.
Type of Contract: Permanent. This job is available on a full-time, part-time
(minimum 4 days a week) and job-share basis.
Closing date: 12 noon on Monday 4 April 2016
The Role
This is a new role, which is being established to strengthen financial reporting
and control across the department and its executive agencies, which are
responsible for around £60bn of spending.
The key responsibilities will be to:
 Lead on the design and delivery of the overall risk and control environment
of the DfE group, including:
o our overall approach to risk management
o the financial policies for the department – driven by Managing Public
Money, the Consolidated Budgetting guidance, and our Treasury
delegation letter,
o advice on specific technical issues that arise, and the finance
guidance on the intranet
o the department’s delegation framework, covering non-financial as
well as financial issues
o Building and effective and proportionate risk and control culture within
the department
o the control regime for our transactional services, working closely with
colleagues who manage our relationship with SSCL, to ensure systems
and processes are slick and effective, that compliance is effectively
monitored, and that areas of non-compliance are dealt with
o effective and secure cash management and Treasury reporting
systems
o the overall governance and decision making framework for the
department
o the assurance regime to support the delegation framework, working
closely with internal audit and other assurance providers
o work to monitor and combat fraud and error, and to manage debts

2. due to the department
 Lead on the financial accounting and reporting strategy for the DfE group.
We have now demonstrated that our current approach of consolidating the
accounts of academy schools into the DfE group is unworkable and
unsustainable. We will do this one last time – covering 2015-16 – and then
move to a new approach from 2016-17 involving the production of a new
sector account covering academy schools (to an end-August date) and
simplifying the Education Funding Agency (EFA) and DfE accounts to focus
on grants paid. The postholder will:
o own this overall strategy, working with a number of colleagues to
deliver the individual elements;
o Lead on the preparation of the accounts for the core department, the
Teachers Pension Scheme, and (working with relevant finance
business partners) our two smaller executive agencies; and liaise with
the EFA on the production of their accounts. In doing this you will work
closely with the National Audit Office, support all the Accounting
Officers, and report to the Audit and Risk Committee.
o Lead the production of our returns for Whole of Government
Accounts
Particular challenges for the postholder will be:
 Creating a new team, getting the right mix of financially qualified staff, some
with deep technical skills; those with experience in CI and process redesign;
and those with programme and project management skills.
 Ensuring that the new team works closely with others in the central finance
team and in the rest of the department to deliver effective controls, and
produce the annual report and good quality accounts on time and with a clean
audit opinion.
 Engaging in a proportionate way with the financial management reform
programme across department, for example proposals to build centres of
excellence on technical accounting issues.
 As a senior leader in Strategy and Resources Directorate, working flexibly,
jointly and collaboratively with colleagues to deliver an end to end customer
focussed set of corporate functions. The assurance framework will be one
example of this – it needs to provide assurance across a wider range of
corporate functions.
The post-holder will need to demonstrate:
 Excellent leadership and communication skills coupled with the ability to make
an impact at the highest levels across the organisation – Management
Committee, Ministers and NEDs

3.  Understanding of central government financial policy and practice and the
capacity to provide professional support and advice to senior leaders and
stakeholders
 Excellent technical skills across a range of management and financial
accounting disciplines
 A sound understanding of financial systems and data management issues
 The ability to work at pace, in often fast moving environments, and where it is
often not possible to satisfy all our internal and external stakeholders.
 Experience in developing strategy, and then business planning, particularly
focused on improving performance and financial outcomes. Although the key
elements of the new division are clear, there is more to be done to work out
how it should interface with other parts of the current finance function, and
then to develop a transition plan to get there safely over the next six months.
 Desirable: experience of managing commercial relationships
Competencies required
Setting Direction
Seeing the Big Picture
 Shape strategies and plans which help put into practice and support the
Department’s vision and long-term direction, including those shared with other
departments
 Create joined up strategies and plans that have positive impact and add value
for stakeholders
Engaging people
Leading and Communicating
 Lead from the front, ensuring visibility and communicating in a straightforward,
truthful and candid way
 Inspire staff and delivery partners to engage fully with long term vision and purpose
of the Department, supporting them to make sense of change
 Actively promote diversity and equality of opportunity inside and outside the Civil
Service, valuing difference and external experience
Collaborating and Partnering
 Build and maintain a strong network of collaborative relationships and partnerships
across the Department and externally
 Encourage and establish principles of working effectively across boundaries to
support the business
Delivering Results

4. Managing a quality service
 Clarify and articulate the diverse requirements of customers and delivery
partners to support delivery of professional excellence and expertise
 Use customer insight to determine and drive customer service outcomes and
quality throughout your own area, in particular in the development of our
planning systems
Delivering at pace
 Translate strategic priorities into clear outcome-focused objectives for
managers and provide the energy and drive in achievement of these
objectives
 Maintain a strong focus on priorities and drive a performance culture, injecting
energy and enthusiasm to achieve results
 Promote resilience and responsiveness in the face of challenges and
unexpected developments
Professional skills:-
 A CCAB financial qualification is essential for this post, with significant post
qualification experience
How to apply
To apply for this post, please submit the following:
 A CV;
 A two page statement of suitability for the post, including evidence against the
competencies;
 a one page endorsement of your suitability for the role from your line
manager, including their contact details.
 A completed Equality Monitoring Form (Annex A - attached). All monitoring
data will be treated in the strictest confidence and will not affect your
application in any way;
 If you wish to apply under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme, the form
included at Annex B;
You can email your application to SCS.RECRUITMENT@education.gsi.gov.uk.
Applications should arrive not later than 12 noon on Monday 4 April 2016. Late
applications will not be accepted.
Any questions with regards to the role please contact the Finance and Commercial
Director, Simon Judge on simon.judge@education.gsi.gov.uk or 020 7340 7502.

5. Attachments
Equality and Diversity Form Opens in new window (docx, 55kB)
Guaranteed Interview Scheme Opens in new window (docx, 46kB)
Nationality and Immigration Form Opens in new window (doc, 132kB)
Timetable
Closing Date: 12 noon on Monday 4 April
Sift: c. Wednesday 6 April
Interview with Occupational Psychologist: 8-21 April
Panel Interviews: 22 April or w/c 25 April
Panel Members:
Richard Calvert, DG Strategy and Resources, DfE
Simon Judge, Finance and Commercial Director, DfE
Vanessa Howlinson, Department for Transport