nationalarchives

Finance Systems Officer

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As the living, growing home of our national story, The National Archives is a special place to work. We’re an institution nearly 200 years old with a collection spanning 1,000 years of history.


We’ve set ourselves the challenge of becoming the 21st Century national archive - a different kind of cultural and heritage institution: Inclusive, Entrepreneurial, Disruptive. We won’t become this overnight. It will take time, focus, effort and daring.


That’s where you come in. Because we can’t do this without you.

Job Overview

Salary: £37,893 - £42,002 per annum

Contract type: Permanent

Band: E / HEO

Closing date: Thursday 16th July at midnight

This exciting new role within the Finance and Performance Team is responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of financial systems, ensuring the accuracy and integrity of financial data and providing technical support across the organisation.

Reporting to the Head of Financial Systems you will have the opportunity to work across all areas throughout the whole organisation and with various systems, looking to improve their value and impact to the end user.

This position requires a detail-oriented individual with excellent analytical, organisational, and communication skills.

This is a full time post. However, requests for part-time working, flexible working and job share will be considered, taking into account at all times the operational needs of the Department. A combination of onsite and home working is available and applicants should be able to regularly travel to our Kew site for a minimum of 60% of their work time.

Application Process:

• Interview: there will be a two stage interview process for this role. First stage interviews will be held via Microsoft Teams, and second stage interviews will be held on-site

• Personal Statement: We ask all applicants to submit work history details and a personal statement, not exceeding 1000 words

Selection for interview will be based on the 4 ‘essential’ requirements below so please ensure that your statement demonstrates in detail how you meet these requirements.

Essential criteria for application:

1. Substantial experience in maintaining and improving Financial Information Systems including a high level of understanding of data structures and financial processes
2. Excellent IT skills including Microsoft Excel
3. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
4. Attention to detail and strong data accuracy skills when applied to maintaining Financial System Structures

In the event of a high volume of applications we will conduct an initial sift based on the following essential criteria:

- Substantial experience in maintaining and improving Financial Information Systems including a high level of understanding of data structures and financial processes

During the interview, candidates will be assessed on all of the essential criteria shown in the job description below.

Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please visit the Civil Service Careers website where you can find further information on the use of AI in the application guidance section.

We are unable to offer sponsorship for this role.

Job Description

Job Purpose

The Finance Systems Officer will support the finance department by ensuring the upkeep and maintenance of financial systems, spreadsheets, and related documentation. This is an evolving role providing the role holder with the autonomy and opportunity to shape its impact and value. The role involves providing technical support, data management, and ensuring the accuracy and integrity of financial information that is used across the organisation including updates to the Executive Team. This position requires a detail-oriented individual with excellent analytical, organisational, and communication skills.

Role and Responsibilities

  • This role can shape the road map to develop workday financials being responsible for how workday is configured to ensure that policies are reflected in the workflows.

  • Works with colleagues across The National Archives to establish user requirements and ensure that Workday delivers on these wherever possible.

  • Maintenance of Financial Systems: regularly update and maintain financial systems to ensure they are functioning efficiently and accurately, including Workday and Adaptive Planning.

  • Using automated processes to deal with repetitive and complex finance tasks; using existing machine learning algorithms and generative AI tools to predict future outcomes and generate insights based on historical data.

  • Applies knowledge and experience to solve complex problems resulting in change.

  • Accountability for Spreadsheet Management: create, manage, and update spreadsheets to track financial data and ensure data integrity.

  • Managing requests on chart of account codes, cost centres, reporting groups etc. ensuring that the requests make sense across the different teams.

  • Develop action plans, project plans and milestones; ownership of their workload prioritising a range of often competing alternatives to delivering outcomes.

  • Provide the first line Technical Support to finance staff regarding system issues and help troubleshoot problems.

  • Work with external suppliers to resolve issues and oversee the delivery of projects managed by third-party providers.

  • Reporting: generate financial reports and summaries as required by the finance department for use across the organisation.

  • Forecast and Budget Templates: maintenance of spreadsheets and uploading of data onto Workday.

  • Documentation: maintain thorough documentation of financial processes, system changes, and updates.

  • Collaboration: work closely with finance team members and other departments to ensure seamless integration and operation of financial systems.

  • Compliance: ensure all financial systems and processes comply with relevant regulations and standards.

  • Training staff on the use and functionality of financial systems, developing user guides and training materials.

Working Conditions

  • Normal office environment

  • Display screen equipment user

Person Specification

Essential criteria:

  • Substantial experience in maintaining and improving Financial Information Systems including a high level of understanding of data structures and financial processes

  • Excellent IT skills including Microsoft Excel

  • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills

  • Excellent organisational and time management abilities

  • Attention to detail and strong data accuracy skills when applied to maintaining Financial System Structures

  • Effective communication and interpersonal skills

  • Ability to work independently and as part of a team

Desirable Criteria:

  • Experience in a government or public sector finance environment.

  • Ability to use and update macros and VBA within Microsoft Excel.

Other Requirements

  • A combination of onsite and home working is available, applicants should be able to regularly travel to our Kew site.

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is
found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service
D&I Strategy.

Benefits

Generous benefits package, including pension, sports and social club facilities, onsite gym, discounted rates at our on-site cafe and opportunities for training and development. Annual leave entitlement of 22 days per calendar year (rising to 25 after the first year, and incrementally to 30 days after six years) and 10½ days public and privilege holidays per annum.

Any move to The National Archives 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/ (opens in new window)

Reasonable adjustments

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

  • Contact The National Archives via careers@nationalarchives.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs

  • Complete the ‘Reasonable Adjustments’ section of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional

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

Security

Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check.

People working with government assets must complete basic personnel security standard checks (opens in new window)

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 new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in 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 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.

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative. (opens in new window)

Contact point for applicants:

  • Name: The National Archives Recruitment Team

  • Email: careers@nationalarchives.gov.uk

Further information

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact The National Archives via email: careers@nationalarchives.gov.uk If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission at https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/recruitment/recruitment-complaints/ (opens in new window)