Maritime and coastguard agency
Purchase to Pay Finance Assistant
Job Description
Details
Reference number
Salary
Job grade
Contract type
Length of employment
Business area
Type of role
Administration / Corporate Support
Finance
Working pattern
Number of jobs available
Contents
Location
About the job
Benefits
Things you need to know
Apply and further information
Location
About the job
Job summary
We welcome applications from all communities, and we don’t discriminate against any identity. We’re interested to hear from you, regardless of your background.
Do you have outstanding communication skills?
Can you work under pressure, deliver to deadlines?
Have you got a proactive approach to problem solving?
If so, we have an exciting opportunity for a Purchase to Pay Finance Assistant to join our team at the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), and we would love to hear from you!
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) implements the government’s maritime safety policy in the United Kingdom and works to prevent the loss of life and occurrence of pollution on the coast and at sea.
Safer lives. Safer Ships. Cleaner Seas.
Our vision is to be a world-leading organisation, accelerating the transition to sustainable shipping with non-negotiable safety standards. We put our people, our customers and our planet at the heart of everything we do.
This post is offered on a Fixed Term Appointment (FTA) basis to complete a finite piece of work with a possibility of the position being extended or becoming permanent.
Permanent Civil Servants will be appointed on an inward loan and subject to the terms of the agreed inward loan. You must have your home departments approval to return to them at the end of the loan before you apply. Internal candidates will return to their previous post at the end of the loan period, which will need to be agreed with your line manager in advance. If your home department cannot agree to release you on loan, there is the opportunity for you to move across to the department on a fixed term appointment. In this instance the Department for Transport would become your home department and if there is no role available for you at the end of this appointment, you would be subject to the redeployment and redundancy process.
If you’re employed by a non-departmental public body (NDPB) by moving jobs this will involve a change of employer and you may break the statutory rules on .
Job description
Here at the Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) we are looking for a Purchase to Pay Finance Assistant to work within the Financial Transactions team and support the Purchase to Pay (P2P) Lead.
This role involves providing support to a range of stakeholders to ensure compliance across financial processes, in line with Government requirements. This role will focus on Purchase to Pay responsibilities, including supplier master data verification, purchase order (PO) and invoice processing and queries, expense queries, compliance checks and data cleansing.
As the Purchase to Pay Finance Assistant it will be your responsibility to assist the P2P Lead in ensuring that all transactions are processed in accordance with the MCA’s policies, procedures, and controls. You will support the work of the regions and other business areas whilst liaising with the Shared Services provider Unity Business Services (UBS) as necessary, and help resolve pro-actively any MCA queries with UBS.
This is a fantastic opportunity to become a part of the MCA Team whereby your daily role provides a valuable enabling function for the delivery of a life saving service. It is a fast paced and diverse role where no two days are the same. You will have the opportunity to meet and build lasting relationships with stakeholders at all levels, as well as plenty of development opportunities to either learn or build on your existing finance knowledge.
Full training will be provided to develop you as a Purchase to Pay Finance Assistant. You don’t need any experience to join us, just a willingness to learn and dedication to provide a high-quality service to the public.
This role will be based in the Southampton HQ. MCA supports flexible working and operates a hybrid working model between home and office for this role, with 60% of your time spent in the office, giving you greater flexibility over where and when you work. Details of the arrangement will be discussed further with your line manager.
There may be a requirement for occasional travel on official duty within the UK, which may involve overnight stays.
Responsibilities:
Your responsibilities will include, but not be limited to:
- Input, review and approve Supplier master data within the accounting system in a timely manner, ensuring all fraud checks have been completed.
- Resolve requisition and purchase order queries in support of all Business Areas, to ensure 3-way matching process is accurate and timely, and that prompt payment targets are met.
- Process internal credit/debit, manual and one-off payments to ensure payments are processed and supplier account balances are accurate.
- Support Business Areas with expense queries within the expense platform, develop a working knowledge of MCA policy on UK and Overseas subsistence rates to ensure correct rates are applied.
- Undertake compliance checks at the instruction of the P2P Lead, this may include PO approvals, expense claims, Government Procurement Card transactions.
For further information about the role please see the attached role profile.
Person specification
You will be an excellent communicator with a range of stakeholders, including internal, external and non-financial and will have great customer service as one of your core values.
You will be someone who is thorough with their work and has exceptional attention to detail as accuracy is a key part of this role. You will also have a proactive approach to problem solving with a passion for identifying and resolving issues.
You would be described as a diligent person, happy to concentrate on your work and do a thorough job even when under pressure and can carry out your duties with minimum supervision.
Behaviours
We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Delivering at Pace
- Communicating and Influencing
- Developing Self and Others
- Managing a Quality Service
- Working Together
Benefits
Being part of our brilliant Civil Service means you will have access to a wide range of fantastic benefits. We offer generous annual leave, attractive pension options, flexible working, inclusive working environments and much more to support a healthy work/life balance.
Find out what it’s like to work at the Maritime and Coastguard Agency
Things you need to know
Selection process details
As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV and personal statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
Within your CV and personal statement please demonstrate your knowledge and experience of:
- Working under pressure to deliver to deadlines and work on concurrent tasks.
- Confidently working with MS Office 365 products, specifically Excel.
- Having a proactive approach to problem solving & issue resolution.
Your personal statement will be limited to a maximum of 750 words.
The sift is due to take place from w/c 3rd February
Interviews/assessments are likely to be held from w/c 24th February
This interview will be conducted face to face at our Southampton office. Further details will be provided to you should you be selected for interview.
We will try to meet the dates set out in the advert. There may be occasions when these dates will change. You will be provided with sufficient notice of the confirmed dates.
This vacancy is using Success Profiles. This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, drives up performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.
You’re encouraged to become familiar with the role profile, as you may be assessed against any of the criteria recorded within.
The selection process will be designed specifically for the role. As a result, your assessment could include:
- an interview and an Excel assessment
Please see attached candidate notes for further information about our recruitment process.
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the ‘Contact point for applicants’ section.
For more information about how we hire, and for useful tips on submitting your application for this role, visit the How we hire page of our DfT Careers website.
Before submitting your application, we encourage you to visit our Recruitment in detail page of the DfT Careers website. You will find detailed information about the entire recruitment process and what to expect when applying for a role in the Civil Service.Throughout this job advert there are links to the DfT Careers Website, which provides you further information to support your application. Should you be unable to access the information on our website, please email DRGComms@dft.gov.uk for assistance.
Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.
A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.
Reasonable Adjustments
As a Disability Confident Leader employer, we are committed to ensuring that the recruitment process is fair, accessible and allows all candidates to perform at their best. If a person with a visible or non-visible disability is substantially disadvantaged, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.
Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need during the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at an interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.
If you need a reasonable adjustment so that you can complete your application, you should contact Government Recruitment Service via dftrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
Document Accessibility
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the ‘Contact point for applicants’ section.
This job advert contains links to the DfT Careers website. Our website provides useful guidance and information that can support you during the application process. If you cannot access the information on our website for any reason, please email DRGComms@dft.gov.uk for assistance.
Further Information
For more information about how we hire, and for useful tips on submitting your application for this role, visit the How We Hire page of our DfT Careers website. You can find detailed information about the recruitment process and what to expect when applying for a role.
Pre-employment Checking
Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.
A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5-year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
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 a new window)
Working for the Civil Service
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
Diversity and Inclusion
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
Recruitment team
Further information
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Visit the Civil Service Commission website Here