Head of the Child Maintenance Client Fund Accounting Team

at  Department for Work and Pensions

JOB SUMMARY

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) - We are committed to creating a great place to work for all our colleagues; an inclusive and respectful environment that reflects the diversity of the society we serve.
We want to maximise the potential of everyone who chooses to work for us, and we offer a range of flexible working patterns and support to make a fulfilling career at DWP accessible to you.
Diverse perspectives and experiences are critical to our success, and we welcome applications from all people from all backgrounds with the experience and skills needed to perform this role.
The Department provides a Child Maintenance Service (CMS) that supports separated parents to work together to set up family-based child maintenance arrangements. Where this is not possible, it provides access to an effective and efficient service to ensure separated parents contribute towards the upkeep of their children.
This is a challenging and high-profile post at the centre of the Department’s Finance Group, to lead the team that provide accounting and other financial services to the CMS.

The purpose of the CFAT Team (15 FTE, based in the North East) is to ensure financial control is maintained over child maintenance collected under the statutory child maintenance schemes managed by the Child Maintenance Service (CMS). This is achieved through:

• Regular reconciliation activities, ensuring all receipts and payments flowing through the CMS Bank Accounts are correctly recorded.
• Authorising non-standard payments including compensation and refunds and intervening to resolve complex payment related issues.
• Engaging with system suppliers to ensure systems function and record transactions correctly and assure system changes that impact on accounting and banking records.

The team also prepares internal management information for relevant stakeholders and prepares and publishes the Annual Client Fund Accounts, which are subject to independent audit by NAO (National Audit Office). The latest publications can be found here.

JOB DESCRIPTION

You will lead the Client Fund Accounting Team (CFAT) to ensure and improve the financial control of client funds handled by the Department in its delivery of the Child Maintenance Service.

Specifically you will:

• Be responsible for the effective and efficient operation of the Financial Investigations & Control, Bank Reconciliation and Financial reporting teams.
• Be responsible for the timely laying of high-quality Client Funds Accounts ensuring compliance with HM Treasury directions and accounting standards, including an effective engagement with the NAO during the audit process.
• Lead - and implement findings of - a review of;
• All team processes to identify opportunities for enhancing efficiency through automation

or use of data.

• The client funds accounts systems and digital platforms to ensure they are modern and

fit for purpose.

• The current “two account” framework to identify any opportunities for streamlining and

optimising account production.

• Collaborate and build relationships with partners within the Child Maintenance Service and internal stakeholders including Analysts, Digital, Data and Policy colleagues.

Important Information
You must hold a full chartered level professional qualification awarded by a UK-recognised accountancy body: CIMA, ICAEW, ACCA, CIPFA, ICAS and Chartered Accountants Ireland. In addition we accept applications from candidates with a chartered level international qualification where a reciprocal agreement exists with the ICAEW or where the criteria of the ICAEW Pathways programme are met. More information on ICAEW membership agreements can be found here Members of other bodies a z , ICAEW. Your membership of one of these institutes must be up to date and active. Please note that membership of AAT or other technician level qualifications does not satisfy the qualification criteria. If you are unsure whether you meet the qualification criteria you should confirm with our recruitment team before proceeding with your application. If you are invited to interview, you will be asked to provide evidence of both your qualification status and live membership.

QUALIFICATIONS

You must hold a full chartered level professional qualification awarded by a UK-recognised accountancy body: CIMA, ICAEW, ACCA, CIPFA, ICAS and Chartered Accountants Ireland. In addition we accept applications from candidates with a chartered level international qualification where a reciprocal agreement exists with the ICAEW or where the criteria of the ICAEW Pathways programme are met. More information on ICAEW membership agreements can be found here Members of other bodies a z , ICAEW. Your membership of one of these institutes must be up to date and active.
Please note that membership of AAT or other technician level qualifications does not satisfy the qualification criteria. If you are unsure whether you meet the qualification criteria you should confirm with our recruitment team before proceeding with your application.
If you are invited to interview, you will be asked to provide evidence of both your qualification status and live membership.

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)

The purpose of the CFAT Team (15 FTE, based in the North East) is to ensure financial control is maintained over child maintenance collected under the statutory child maintenance schemes managed by the Child Maintenance Service (CMS). This is achieved through:

• Regular reconciliation activities, ensuring all receipts and payments flowing through the CMS Bank Accounts are correctly recorded.
• Authorising non-standard payments including compensation and refunds and intervening to resolve complex payment related issues.
• Engaging with system suppliers to ensure systems function and record transactions correctly and assure system changes that impact on accounting and banking records

fit for purpose.

• The current “two account” framework to identify any opportunities for streamlining an

The roles available will be based in

• Birmingham 3 Arena Central, Bridge Street, Birmingham B1 2AX
• Blackpool Peel Park, Brunel Way, Blackpool FY4 5ES
• Leeds – Quarry House, Quarry Hill, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS2 7UA.
• Manchester – 2 St Peter’s Square, Manchester, M2 3AA.
• Newcastle – Benton Park View, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE98 1BA.
• Sheffield – Hartshead Square, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S1 2FD