Overview
Financial Control & Assurance Lead – Leeds Regional Centre – Wellington Place
About the job
Job summary
Discover a career in your hands at HMRC. Whether you’re seeking purpose, growth, or a workplace that gives you a true sense of belonging, hear from some of our employees as they share their story about what it’s really like to work at HMRC.
Visit our YouTube channel to watch the full series and come and discover your potential.
The role offers significant opportunities for professional development within HMRC’s commitment to career advancement, providing exposure to cutting-edge digital initiatives and the chance to shape the future of financial controls in a dynamic, technology-driven environment that values diversity, inclusion, and work-life balance.
HMRC is seeking a proactive and collaborative Finance Control & Assurance Lead to join its Financial Control and Assurance Team (FCAT) – a multi-disciplinary group of experts driving financial control, risk management, and assurance across the department. This permanent role sits within the Chief Finance Officer Group, specifically in the Risk Control and Financial Accounting Directorate.
As part of HMRC’s transformation journey, the team is embedding advanced data science capabilities into its financial control and assurance functions. The department is also undergoing a major upgrade of its core financial systems, presenting both challenges and opportunities that demand a forward-thinking, adaptable finance function.
The successful candidate will report to the Financial Control and Assurance Manager and work alongside colleagues based across several UK locations. Occasional travel may be required to support collaboration and delivery across the team.
Job description
This role sits within the Financial Control and Assurance Team (FCAT), a multi-disciplinary team with subject matter expertise in financial control across HMRC. The team’s remit spans HMRC and therefore requires strong stakeholder collaboration, seeing the bigger picture and driving influence at all levels. As trusted experts, the team drives improvements in financial control, risk management, and assurance, ensuring that HMRC’s financial control environment is robust, future-ready, and aligned with strategic priorities.
The successful candidate will:
- Support the delivery of robust financial control and assurance processes across HMRC.
- Contribute to the development and implementation of second line assurance activities.
- Support the team’s work to strengthen financial governance and control across business groups.
- Work with colleagues across the directorate, business groups finance teams to ensure assurance processes are embedded effectively and aligned with HMRC’s risk management strategy.
- Contribute to the development of HMRC’s Finance Control Strategy, helping to improve reporting, drive efficiencies, and support joined up working across risk, control, and assurance functions.
Person specification
You will:
- Support second line assurance activity across the accounting landscape, reviewing outputs from first- and third-line assurance and contributing to recommendations.
- Assist in building and embedding second line assurance processes across business groups, promoting consistency and good practice.
- Help align assurance processes with HMRC’s wider risk management framework to support effective oversight and strengthen departmental risk maturity.
- Work collaboratively with colleagues in the Financial Accounting Team and across business groups to support improvements in financial control.
- Liaise with the central risk team in CFO to ensure assurance activity complements broader risk and control frameworks.
- Contribute to the development of papers and reports that clearly communicate assurance findings and recommended actions.
- Support the integration of financial control and assurance requirements into the Unity ERP Programme.
- Assist in the development of HMRC’s Finance Control Strategy, contributing ideas and insight to improve control, efficiency, and reporting.
- Embrace new technologies and ways of working to support continuous improvement in financial control and assurance.
- Lead on HMRC Controls and Assurance activity in line with the team and business needs.
Essential Criteria
To be successful in this role, you will need to demonstrate the following essential criteria:
- Actively studying towards a CCAB, CIMA or equivalent qualification, or AAT qualified.
- Good understanding of accounting principles and experience supporting the production of statutory accounts or balance sheet analysis.
- Experience working in or alongside audit or assurance functions.
- Awareness of financial systems, processes, and controls within large organisations.
- Ability to support the development and implementation of financial control frameworks and assurance processes.
- Experience working collaboratively with colleagues across different teams or functions.
- Ability to communicate clearly and effectively, both in writing and verbally, to support decision-making and share insight.
- Willingness to adopt new technologies and contribute to improvements in financial control and reporting.
- Awareness of ERP systems (e.g. Oracle, SAP) and their role in financial control.
- Ability to manage time effectively, prioritise tasks, and deliver high-quality work to deadlines.
Qualifications
- Qualified / part qualified CCAB or Equivalent (CIMA) Professional qualification.
Desirable Criteria
- Experience supporting change initiatives.
- Understanding of HMRC’s transformation agenda.
- IRM qualification or risk management experience.
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £45,544, HM Revenue and Customs contributes £13,194 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
HMRC operates both Flexible and Hybrid Working policies, allowing you to balance your work and personal commitments. We welcome applications from those who need to work a more flexible arrangement and will agree to requests where possible, considering our operational and customer service needs.
We offer a generous leave allowance, starting at 25 days and increasing by a day for every year of qualifying service up to a maximum of 30 days.
- Pension – We make contributions to our colleagues’ Alpha pension equal to at least 28.97% of their salary.
- Family friendly policies.
- Personal support.
- Coaching and development.
To find out more about HMRC benefits and find out what it’s really like to work for HMRC hear from our insiders or visit Thinking of joining the Civil Service
Things you need to know
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Strengths and Experience.
How to Apply
As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide the following:
- A name-blind CV including your job history and previous experiences detailing your employment history, your responsibilities, skills, accomplishments, relevant qualifications and training.
- Your Personal Statement must show how you meet the Essential Criteria in no more than 1250-words and why you want to work for HMRC.
Please evidence any Desirable Criteria where applicable (up to 250 words max). This is not essential for the role but may be considered by the vacancy holder where candidates have the same score at interview.
Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
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 for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
Sift
In the event of a large number of applications being received, an initial sift may be held on your CV.
At full sift your CV and your Personal Statement will be assessed, with the successful candidates being invited to interview.
We may also raise the score required at any stage of the process if we receive a high number of applications.
Interview
During the panel interview, your Experience will be assessed by way of a presentation, details of which will be sent prior to the interview.
The panel will also ask strength-based questions to explore what you enjoy and your motivations relevant to the job role.
This is an example of a strengths-based question:
“It is often said that the customer’s needs should come first. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?”
There is no expectation or requirement for you to prepare for the strengths-based questions in advance of the interview, though you may find it helpful to spend some time reflecting on what you enjoy doing and what you do well.
Interviews will take place virtually video link.
Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.
Eligibility
Please take extra care to tick the correct boxes in the eligibility sections of your application form. We understand mistakes sometimes happen but if you contact us later than two working days(Monday-Friday) before the vacancy closes, we will not be able to reopen your application for you. If you do make a mistake with your eligibility form, please contact us via: unitybusinessservicesrecruitmentresults@hmrc.gov.uk – Use the subject line to insert appropriate wording for example – ‘Please re-open my application – [insert vacancy ref] & vacancy closing date [insert date]’.
To check that you are eligible to apply for this role, please review the eligibility information before submitting your application.
Reserve List
A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made for the same or similar roles – if this applies to you, we’ll let you know via your Civil Service Jobs account.
Merit List
After interview, merit lists will be created for each location advertised within the vacancy. If you are successful at interview, you will be placed on the merit list for any locations you have expressed an interest for. Appointments from each merit list will be made in strict merit order.
Criminal Record Check
Applications received from candidates with a criminal record are considered fairly in accordance with the DBS Code of Practice and the Recruitment of ex-offenders Policy.
Reasonable Adjustments
We want to make sure no one is put at a disadvantage during our recruitment process. To assist you with this, we will reduce or remove any barriers where possible and provide additional support where appropriate.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
Contact the UBS Recruitment team via unitybusinessservicesrecruitmentresults@hmrc.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page 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.
Additional Security Information
Please note in addition to the standard pre-employment checks for appointment into the Civil Service, all candidates must also obtain National Security Vetting at Counter Terrorist Check (CTC) clearance level for this vacancy. You will normally need to meet the minimum UK residency period as determined by the level of vetting being undertaken, which for CTC is 3 years UK residency prior to your vetting application. If you have any questions about this residency requirement, please speak to the vacancy holder for this post.
Important information for existing HMRC contractual homeworkers
This role may be suitable for existing HMRC employees who are contractual homeworkers. Occasional attendance to the office will be required where there is a business need. Please consider the advertised office locations for this role when applying and only select locations from the ‘location preferences’ section that you can travel to.
Terms and Conditions
Customer facing roles in HMRC require the ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English and/or Welsh where required. Where this is an essential requirement, this will be tested as part of the selection process.
HMRC has a presence in every region of the UK. For more information on where you might be working, review this information on our locations (opens in a new window).
The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. The evidence you provide in your application must relate to your own experiences.
Any instances of plagiarism or other forms of cheating will be investigated and, if proven, the relevant application(s) will be withdrawn from the process.
Recording of interviews is prohibited unless explicit agreement is sought in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulations.
Questions relating to an individual application must be emailed as detailed later in this advert.
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.
New entrants will join on the minimum of the pay band.
Please note that, if you are applying for roles on a part-time basis, the salary agreed will be pro-rata, reflective of the working hours agreed within your contract.
If you experience accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the ‘Contact point for applicants’ section.
For more Information for people applying for, or thinking of applying for, roles at HM Revenue and Customs, please see link: Working for HMRC: information for applicants – GOV.UK.
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 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.
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).
IMPORTANT: Before applying for this role, please make sure you have the right to work in the country where the role is based. Unless it clearly stipulates within in the job advert above that the hiring company is looking to or able to sponsor applicants it is deemed that the hiring employer will only consider applications from those able to comply with and work in the country where the role is based.
