Chief Financial Officer Full Time

Thank you for your interest in the Chief Finance Officer (Maritime) role at DE&S.

We are currently seeking to appoint the Chief Finance Officer (Maritime). This is a key senior role in our organisation, leading on the financial management and reporting of the Royal Navy-facing elements of the DE&S portfolio, typically some £3 billion per annum. Internally, this role has the overall finance lead for the DE&S Maritime and Power, Propulsion and Auxiliaries teams.

The CFO (Maritime) is accountable to the Finance Director, and also has key stakeholder relationships with the Royal Navy’s Finance Director, and with senior project delivery leaders in DE&S. The CFO (Maritime) is a key member of the Finance Senior Leadership Team and shares responsibility for collective leadership of some 800 Finance staff in DE&S.

To be successful you will need to have experience of operating at a strategic level in a large and complex organisation and working effectively as part of a multidisciplinary leadership team, often managing competing priorities across a range of internal and external stakeholders. You will be a key player in the business, and your actions will make a real difference to DE&S’s ability to deliver for its mission partners. Continuous improvement is a critical facet of the role, and your success will depend on your ability to support (and in some cases, to lead) internal change initiatives, whilst continuing to deliver business-as-usual activity.

Defence Equipment and Support delivers and sustains capability for His Majesty’s Armed Forces. We also play a major role in the prosperity of the UK by spending £8 billion every year on UK contracts, supporting more than 88,000 jobs.

As a leader in the business, you will also have a pivotal role in creating a diverse and inclusive environment where everyone can flourish, supporting transformation of the business, and specifically the finance organisation.

This is an exciting time for DE&S, and we look forward to discussing with you how you might become part of our journey during the recruitment process.

Job description

The Chief Finance Officer has the following areas of responsibility:

• Act as trusted adviser to decision makers & budget holders, which include DE&S and Royal Navy’s Finance Directors.
• Drive a high standard of financial management, including accurate short and long-term forecasting, and enable the best use of resources for maximum effect.
• Ensure that all expenditure in the Maritime and Power, Propulsion and Auxiliaries teams is correctly accounted for, supporting the delivery of high-quality Ministry of Defence and DE&S accounts.
• Support the Finance Director to ensure the efficient and effective use of the DE&S operating budget, particularly in relation to the use of professional services within the Maritime and Power, Propulsion and Auxiliaries teams.
• Contribute to the collective leadership of the Finance Profession in DE&S and foster an ethos of continuous improvement.

Person specification

To be successful with your application, you’ll need to be able to demonstrate the following essential criteria:

• A proven track record of values-based leadership, including a proactive commitment to diversity & inclusion with demonstrable experience of maintaining a psychologically safe, positive and inclusive environment.
• Confident in leading people, challenging cultures and leading change.
• Demonstrable experience of senior stakeholder engagement, including with non-finance decision makers, and understanding of the importance of partnering, constructive challenge and accountability.
• Experience of managing and reporting on large budgets, navigating savings challenges & reprioritisation exercises, and delivering outturns within budget and on forecast.
• Experience of the management and financial accounting challenges associated with long-term capital projects and support arrangements, understanding and managing complexity, risk and uncertainty.

Qualifications required:

• Qualified Accountant with letters of registration
• Finance Level 7 CCAB or another recognised equivalent

Benefits
Alongside your salary of £100,350, Ministry of Defence contributes £29,071 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%

Things you need to know

Selection process details

To apply for this post, you will need to submit the following documents via the ‘apply now’ button, by 23:55 on Sunday 13th October 2024.

• A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps.
• A Supporting Statement (of no more than two pages) outlining how you consider your personal skills, leadership attributes, qualities and experience match the essential criteria – Please see candidate pack attached.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

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