Army - Audit and Office Manager

The Ministry of Defence employs over 50,000 Civil Servants. Within that, the Army Top Level Budget (TLB) employs around 12,000 MOD Civil Servants located at over 300 locations. Ours is a diverse workforce, with roles ranging from trainers, human resources, teachers, and psychologists to storekeepers, financiers, project and programme managers, and policy secretariat staff.

Are you looking for an exciting opportunity within the Defence College of Support? We have a pivotal role within Defence School of Policing and Security (DSPS) Senior Leadership Team where you could bring your expertise and experience to support the world class Police and Security Training for the Armed Forces. You would be working alongside all aspects for Ministry of Defence; Military, Civil Servants, contractors and external partners.

This is an exciting opportunity to become part of an inclusive team working with Military and Civil Service colleagues who deliver key auditing of Commanding Officer's non-public funds. The work is varied and requires the ability to respond quickly to situations as they arise.

The position is advertised at 37 hours per week on a Monday - Friday basis to provide first line support to the Team and Headquarters.

The role of the Audit and Office Manager is both vital and varied. The role has responsibility for ensuring that all service funds are compliant with policy and the Commanding Officer is conformant to all other scrutiny and external audits. You will lead a diverse Team of Military and Civil Servants across Auditing, Accounting and Military HR. You will be the Data Protection lead for the organisation and lead by example as one of the Civil Service leads for the organisation. You will have excellent communication skills and have an ability to tailor your approach to liaise with internal and external partners on a daily basis. This is a challenging and exciting role for those looking to learn and develop their skills within the business and have the individual proficiency in Microsoft 365 packages and accounting software (Outlook, Word, Excel, MS Teams).

• Internal Auditor for Public and Non-Public accounts.
• Be the point of contact the department lead for all external financial audits.
• Manage the Joint Administrative Office (JAO) in accordance with current policies.
• Manage the timely and effective delivery of unit personnel administration.
• Manage the Quality Assurance of personnel administration procedures.
• Be a proactive member of the Senior Leadership Team.
• Inform the Commanding Officer on the management and maintenance of all Non-Public funds.
• Advise the Commanding Officer of unit on the management and maintenance of All Service (Non-Public) Funds.
• Seek best practice from other departments on good working practices.

The Army prides itself on being a supportive employer and where possible encourages flexible working, helping you to maintain a great work/life balance. Other benefits for Army civil servants include:

• 25 days paid annual leave rising (1 day per year) to 30 days upon completion of 5 years' service
• Highly competitive pension scheme
• Personal and professional development of skills
• Alternative working patterns for many roles
• Access to the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), a free service that assists you with achieving a productive, healthy environment that is conducive to a healthy lifestyle.
• Enhanced parental and adoption leave
• 6 days special leave per year which can be used for volunteering activities
• Learning and Development
• On site Gym
• On site Swimming Pool
• Free on site parking
• On site coffee shops

We believe that everyone has the potential to make a difference and you will be supported to help you learn and advance in your career. This includes working towards membership of a professional body and/or undertaking a modern apprenticeship as part of your role. A modern apprenticeship is a combined package of work and training. Through the schemes available you will gain a professional qualification, practical experience, and the broader skills required to develop in your current role and pave the way for your future career.

The post does not offer relocation expenses. External recruits who join the MOD who are new to the Civil Service will be subject to a six-month probation period. Please Note: Expenses incurred for travel to interviews will not be reimbursed.

Please be advised that the Department is conducting a review of all pay related allowances which could impact on those allowances that the post currently being advertised attracts. Any move to MOD 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/.

The Ministry of Defence is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for its staff which includes educating them on the benefits of not smoking, protecting them from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke and supporting those who want to give up smoking. Under the Smoke-Free Working Environment policy, Smoking and the use of all tobacco products (including combustible and chewing tobacco products) will not be permitted anywhere in the Defence working environment however some exemptions are in place, please refer to local guidance. The policy is Whole Force and includes all Defence personnel, contractors, visitors and other non-MOD personnel.

All applicants seeking, considering, or accepting employment with the Ministry of Defence should be aware of this policy and that it is already in place at a number of Defence Establishments.

Essential skills required:

• Ability to assimilate new information quickly.
• Good communicator both written and orally.
• Computer literate with sound planning and organisational skills.

Desirable skills:

• Experience of working in audit and finance background.
• Ability to prioritise evolving workloads.
• Enjoys working in an ever-changing environment and relish the challenge to respond quickly to emerging issues.

Candidates will be required to provide CV details to include job history; qualification details and previous skills and experience. At application stage, you will be assessed against your CV and the following behaviours: Communicating & Influencing, Making Effective Decisions. Applications will be sifted using the CV and Behaviours that have been chosen for this campaign, but in the event of there being a high number of applications, a sift will be conducted on the lead behaviour 'Making Effective Decisions' only.

When choosing your Behaviour examples, please make sure you use real life scenarios that relate to your own experiences. Whilst technology may help to enhance your written submission, presenting the ideas of others or those generated by technology, could result in your application being rejected.

At interview stage you will be assessed against the following: Behaviours Communicating & Influencing, Making Effective Decisions, Delivering at Pace, Working Together. Application sifting will be scheduled to take place within 7 days of the application closing date. Interview dates are to be confirmed and will be held in person. We endeavour to keep to these time frames, but these are subject to change around business needs.

The Ministry of Defence requires all candidates who are successful at interview to declare any outside interests. These declarations will be discussed with successful candidates following the interview process and before a formal offer of employment is made, as some outside interests may not be compatible with MOD civilian roles. This will not, in the majority of cases, prevent employment in MOD, but it is a measure that must be taken to ensure that appropriate mitigations can be put in place to manage any potential, perceived or actual conflicts of interest from the first day of employment.

The Ministry of Defence adopts a zero-tolerance approach to unacceptable behaviours, which includes bullying, harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination, and victimisation. You will not be eligible and will not be considered for this post if you have been dismissed from a role for such unacceptable behaviours within the last five years. This will also apply if you resign or otherwise leave a role but, because of an adverse decision, would have been dismissed for gross misconduct had you continued in that employment. Pre-employment checks will be carried out.