At DSIT we’re all about improving people’s lives by maximising the potential of science & technology.
We accelerate innovation, investment and productivity through world-class science, research and development.
We use technology for good by ensuring new and existing technologies are safely developed and deployed across the UK, with the benefits more widely shared.
We are driving forward a modern digital government which gives citizens a more satisfying experience and their time back.
We do all this to enable the Government’s 5 national missions: kickstarting economic growth, making Britain a clean energy superpower, taking back our streets, breaking down barriers to opportunity and building an NHS fit for the future.
Above all, we focus on improving people’s lives. Whether it’s researching new treatments for disease, developing better batteries, reducing burdens through better public services, keeping children safe online, and much more, outcomes for citizens are at the heart of what we do.
Our Inclusive Environment
We offer flexible working benefits, employee well-being support and a great pension. We are enormously proud to be a Disability Confident Leader employer. We support candidates with adjustments throughout our recruitment process. Information about disability confidence and just some examples of the adjustments that you can request can be found in the reasonable adjustment section below.
Find Out More
We regularly run events where you can find out more about the department and tips for the application and interview process. You can sign up for upcoming events here: https://forms.office.com/e/Jae3B4w7xm.
You can also follow our LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/dsitcareers/.
Job overview
The UK Space Agency (UKSA) is a directorate within the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT) and provides technical advice on the government’s space strategy, supporting the UK space sector to deliver the government’s vision.
Space is a part of everyday life. Satellites underpin our national economy, from agriculture and banking to aviation and shipping, and support our national security. Space science provides critical data to understand and address global challenges such as climate change, while missions to explore our solar system unite nations and advance humanity’s horizons.
We support a thriving space sector in the UK, which generates an annual income of £16.5 billion and employs 47,000 people across the country.
Through our portfolio of programmes and projects, we encourage the development of national space capabilities and are an early-stage investor in space research and development. We also promote the UK space sector’s interests and achievements; make connections to join up industry and academia; and represent the UK in international space programmes
We have a powerful global voice, partnering with institutions across the world, including the European Space Agency.
The integration of the UK Space Agency (UKSA) into the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) represents a significant organisational transformation aimed at strengthening strategic alignment, improving efficiency, and enhancing ministerial accountability for the UK’s space ambitions.
As a result, UKSA need a robust financial planning and analysis function to help support and shape the direction of UKSA in the future. We’re working towards a vision of being Trusted Experts at the heart of the agency’s decision making; catalysing delivery, not just keeping score.
Within the portfolio division, the role holder will support the UKSA’s financial planning activity including maintaining the Agency’s long term financial model to support delivery of the UKSA portfolio. They will deliver IPA and aqua book compliant financial models to support the Agency’s larger business cases and provide guidance and advice to standardise financial modelling for smaller cases.
Person specification
Key Responsibilities
Maintaining a long-term financial plan across the portfolio, including refresh of data, mapping and assumptions, which contribute to Spending review and corporate plans.
Providing analysis on financial impact, performance and risk to senior stakeholders, contributing to the strategic direction of the Department.
Preparing accurate multi-year financial forecasts and plans, including portfolio whole life costs.
Building strong relationships with relevant functional stakeholders across the Agency and wider HMG, to encourage alignment and cooperation, and the most efficient use of public finance.
Supporting on fiscal events and other negotiations with the department, coordinating bid development across UKSA.
Supporting effective relationships within the Department’s Finance team, including co-ordination of DSIT, HMT and CO commissions.
Contributing to the drafting on UKSA financial matters for briefing to seniors (Senior Civil Servants) and Ministers.
Developing Should Cost Model and Cost Estimating, working closely with programme teams to consider a wide range of data sets and assumptions.
Supporting briefing packs for the UK input into the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Administrative & Finance Committee meetings.
Contributing to UKSA’s centre of expertise on ESA, including delivering training across the Department.
Essential Criteria
- Ability to develop analysis and insights for stakeholders, including financial modelling;
- Excellent verbal and written communication, particularly drafting formal communications and papers;
- Excellent data and analysis interpretation skills;
- Excellent influencing skills across internal and external stakeholders;
- Evidence of proactive problem resolution;
- Experience using 5-case model business cases (or equivalent) and understanding of HMT Green Book standards;
- Experience providing modelling for projects and programmes;
- Experience utilising complex financial and non-financial datasets to produce models;
- Ability to understand cost drivers and evidence of financial risk development;
- Experience utilising financial and non-financial datasets;
- Experience in identifying and implementing process improvements.
Desirable Criteria
- Experience in public sector organisations and understanding of Accounting Officer Responsibilities under Managing Public Money;
- Experience working in a portfolio environment, including Lean management/Sixth sigma experience;
- Experience producing should cost models and cost estimation, for a Government Major Projects Portfolio programme or equivalent;
- Experience in data management and visualisations on Power platforms (e.g. Power Query, Power BI).
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Communicating and Influencing
- Working Together
- Managing a Quality Service
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- Competency: Financial Planning
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £44,620, Department for Science, Innovation & Technology contributes £12,926 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
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.
Office attendance
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.
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.
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.
As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV, behavioural statements and technical statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
In the event of a large number of applicants, applications will be sifted on the CV only.
Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.
The interview will consist of behaviour and technical questions.
Sift and interview dates
Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.
Further Information
Reasonable Adjustments
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.
If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.
New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
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 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).
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 /Disclosure Scotland 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 [email protected] stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email [email protected].
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.
Feedback
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security 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.
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
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.
Diversity and Inclusion
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).
Apply and further information
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.
The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.
Contact point for applicants
Job contact
Recruitment team
Further information
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 [email protected].
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.
Attachments
DSIT T&Cs v1.2 - Opens in new window (docx, 179kB)
