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Finance Business Manager

Hybrid in London·Added today (last checked 10 Nov)

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT)

12 open roles

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Our summary

Salary
£45,740 - £53,970 a year

About £3,040 - £3,490 a month after tax.

Work mode
Hybrid, London
Closing date
Apply by Sunday 22 November
Holiday
25 days holiday
Pension
28.97% employer pension

Skills

Requirements

What we're looking for

  1. Strong financial management experience, with practical experience of month-end, financial reporting and analysis, and exposure to areas such as forecasting, reconciliations and financial controls.
  2. Good understanding of accounting principles and financial control, with the ability to work confidently with financial information, identify discrepancies and maintain accurate financial records and audit trails.
  3. Experience of operational finance processes, including purchase-to-pay, with the ability to work through complex financial issues and see them through to resolution.
  4. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to interrogate financial information, identify risks and issues and draw out meaningful insights.
  5. Proven ability to take ownership and deliver in a fast-moving environment, managing competing priorities while maintaining accuracy and attention to detail.
  6. Strong communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to explain financial information clearly, provide constructive challenge and work effectively with finance and non-finance colleagues.
  7. A continuous improvement mindset, with experience identifying practical ways to strengthen financial reporting, controls, processes or ways of working.

Nice to have

  1. Knowledge of government finance policies, controls and guidance, and the ability to apply them to practical finance issues.
  2. Experience working in a fast-paced, growing or changing organisation, where processes and ways of working are evolving.

Experience using finance systems, digital or automation tools to improve financial reporting, controls or operational processes.

Pay & benefits

What you'll get

£45,740 - £53,970

A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Alongside your salary of £45,740, Department for Science, Innovation & Technology contributes £13,250 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology offers a competitive mix of benefits including:

  • A culture of flexible working, such as job sharing, homeworking and compressed hours.
  • Automatic enrolment into the Civil Service Pension Scheme, with an employer contribution of 28.97%.
  • A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by 1 day per year up to a maximum of 30.
  • An extensive range of learning & professional development opportunities, which all staff are actively encouraged to pursue.
  • Access to a range of retail, travel and lifestyle employee discounts.

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

  • A hybrid office/home based working model where staff will spend a norm of 40-60% of their time in the office (minimum of 40%) over a month with flex dependent on balancing business and individual need.

The role

The AI Security Institute (AISI) is the largest team in a government dedicated to understanding AI capabilities and risks in the world.

Our mission is to equip governments with an empirical understanding of the safety of advanced AI systems. We conduct research to understand the capabilities and impacts of advanced AI, and develop and test risk mitigations. We focus on risks with security implications, including the potential of AI to assist with the development of chemical and biological weapons, how it can be used to carry out cyber-attacks, enable crimes such as fraud, and the possibility of loss of control.

The risks from AI are not sci-fi, they are urgent. By combining the agility of a tech start-up with the expertise and mission-driven focus of government, we're building a unique and innovative organisation to prevent AI's harms from impeding its potential.

Our Finance team is the operational backbone that enables our researchers and policy experts to keep pace with the speed of AI development. This is a rare opportunity to shape how one of the most ambitious organisations in government actually runs its operations and approaches financial challenges.

We are building a high performing finance team that can transform traditional government finance operations into streamlined, efficient processes and provide strong financial management, control and insight to enable us to deliver against our mission. Every purchase AISI makes runs through us, whether that is compute, new hires or research collaborations. To support this at the pace AISI needs, we think carefully about the best-in-class tools we use to do our jobs (e.g. Airtable, Claude Cowork) and find creative ways to maximise the impact of every £ AISI spends.

The Finance Business Manager will play a key role in delivering AISI's operational finance function, taking ownership of financial management across an assigned portfolio of business areas. The postholder will help ensure strong financial control, accurate financial reporting and effective day-to-day finance operations, while contributing to forecasting, budgeting and wider financial analysis.

This role is right for you if you enjoy taking ownership, getting into the detail and solving complex problems. You will work across a broad range of activities, including month-end, financial controls, purchase-to-pay and resolving operational finance issues. As AISI grows and its financial activity becomes more complex, you will also help strengthen our controls, processes and the quality of our financial information.

This is an opportunity for someone who wants to build their experience in Operational Finance while contributing to AISI's mission at the forefront of AI. You'll work at the heart of the organisation, helping ensure AISI has the strong financial foundations it needs to grow and deliver its mission.

What you'll do

  • Take ownership of financial management across an assigned portfolio, ensuring financial information is accurate, risks and issues are identified, and actions are followed through.
  • Deliver core financial management and accounting activities, including month-end, accruals, prepayments, journals and reconciliations, ensuring financial information is reliable and supported by a robust audit trail.
  • Oversee day-to-day operational finance activity, including purchase-to-pay processes, purchase orders, receipting, supplier payments and resolving complex finance queries, ensuring a high-quality and well-controlled service.
  • Contribute to forecasting, budgeting, financial reporting and analysis, providing financial insight and challenge based on accurate and timely financial information.
  • Identify and deliver practical improvements to financial reporting, controls and ways of working, including contributing to finance reporting dashboards and improving how financial information and processes are managed through tools such as Airtable.
  • Work collaboratively across Finance and the wider organisation, working through complex problems and seeing issues through to resolution.
  • Manage the day-to-day finances of your assigned portfolio, including representing Finance in relevant workstream meetings, monitoring expenditure and commitments, providing financial insight and constructive challenge, and following up on emerging issues and actions.
  • Coordinate month-end activity, investigating accounting issues and discrepancies and ensuring transactions are accurately coded, appropriately evidenced and supported by a clear audit trail.
  • Manage purchase-to-pay activity, including purchase orders, receipting, invoices and supplier payments, resolving complex queries and issues as they arise.
  • Support forecasting and budget exercises, investigating movements, identifying emerging risks and providing analysis to support the forecast position.
  • Manage financial reporting and management information activities, ensuring reporting requirements and finance submissions are accurate, timely and supported by appropriate evidence.
  • Develop clear finance guidance and work across AISI and corporate teams to resolve issues and help colleagues understand and follow finance processes and controls.
  • Contribute to the development of finance systems, reporting and ways of working, helping ensure the service continues to meet AISI's evolving needs.

How you'll work

Flexible working, Full-time, Job share, Part-time

Birmingham, Cardiff, London, Manchester

The Department operates a discretionary hybrid working policy, which provides for a combination of working hours from your place of work and from your home in the UK. The current expectation for staff is to attend the office or non-home-based location for 40-60% of the time over the accounting period.

DSIT does not normally offer full home working (i.e. working at home); but we do offer a variety of flexible working options (including occasionally working from home).

Apply before

Apply before 11:55 pm on Sunday 22nd November 2026

Reference number

489207

Job grade

Senior Executive Officer

Contract type

Fixed term
Loan

Length of employment

24 Months

Type of role

Finance

Number of jobs available

2

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

  • Managing a Quality Service
  • Making Effective Decisions
  • Delivering at Pace

Artificial intelligence

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 see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Job contact

  • Name : JoJo Chan
  • Email : jojo.chan@dsit.gov.uk

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Hiring process

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

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.

Please use your personal statement (in no more than 500 words) to explain how your skills best suit this role, referencing the Essential criteria.

Sift will be conducted on CV and personal statement.

Interview 1: Short screening interview to understand your experience and motivations to join AISI

Interview 2: Presentation task as well as behavioural competency questions.

Interview 3: Senior interview panel

Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.

About Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT)

Industry
Government Administration

In their own words

About the company & team

DSIT - Emerging Technology and AI

  • Email : dsitresourcing.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Additional information

We are proud to be a disability confident leader and we welcome applications from disabled candidates and candidates with long-term conditions.

Information about the Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) and some examples of adjustments that we offer to disabled candidates and candidates with long-term health conditions during our recruitment process can be found in our DSIT Candidate Guidance. A DSIT Plain Text Version of the guidance is also available.

We encourage candidates to discuss their adjustment needs by emailing the job contact which can be found under the contact point for applicants' section.

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

Former DSIT recruitment campaigns are continuing as usual, but candidates should be aware that following the Government's announcement on the changes to some civil service departments, roles will be subject to the machinery of government moves and will ultimately be in one of the new departments. We will provide more information if you are selected for a role. This work remains of high importance to the civil service, and we thank you for your continued interest.

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.

A location-based reserve list of successful candidates will be kept for 12 months. Should another role become available within that period you may be offered this position.

Candidates who meet the minimum benchmark may be placed on a Reserve List for consideration for similar roles, including those at a lower grade. Candidates who narrowly miss the benchmark and are not placed on the Reserve List may still be considered for an offer in a similar role at a lower grade.

Please note terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.

Any move to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology 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; for further information visit the Childcare Choices website.

DSIT cannot offer Visa sponsorship to candidates through this campaign.

DSIT holds a Visa sponsorship licence but this can only be used for certain roles and this campaign does not qualify.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

Please be aware the levels of national security clearance are changing which may impact on the level needed for this role by the time of appointment. All efforts will be made to keep candidates informed of any changes and what that will mean in terms of vetting criteria. For more information please See our vetting charter

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the Demystifying Vetting website.

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.

Existing Civil Servants and applicants from accredited NDPBs are eligible to apply,and can be considered on loan basis (Civil Servants) or secondment (accredited NDPBs). Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return.

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

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) criminal record check.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).

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

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)

The Civil Service Code (opens in a 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 a 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.

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 (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

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

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles. If you feel that your application has not been treated in accordance with the recruitment principles, and wish to make a complaint, then you should contact in the first instance DSITrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response that you receive, then you can contact the Civil Service Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages: Click here to visit Civil Service Commission/Complaints.

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