P2P Analyst

Job summary

Defra is the UK government department responsible for safeguarding our natural environment, supporting our world-leading food and farming industry, and sustaining a thriving rural economy. Our broad remit means we play a major role in people's day-to-day life, from the food we eat, and the air we breathe, to the water we drink.

Digital, Data, Technology and Security (DDTS) is the trusted team for digital across the entire Defra Group.

We have around 1000 colleagues across DDTS and our ambition is to make it easier and faster than ever for people to interact with Defra. If you are ready to drive innovation and push boundaries, we want to hear from you. Join us and together we will create a great place for living, and a green and healthy future for all.

Find out more about DDTS:

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Job description

Join the Purchase to Pay Supplier Spend Operations & Governance (P2P SSOG) team and play a critical role in managing and assuring a portion of c.500m of digital delivery spend.

We are looking for a capable P2P Analyst to support billing governance, financial assurance and headroom management across a growing portfolio of contracts. This is a unique opportunity to build specialist knowledge within a key operational function that underpins critical digital services across Defra ensuring suppliers are paid accurately, contractual headroom is managed effectively and financial risks are identified early & mitigated.

This is an excellent opportunity to develop specialist expertise within a growing and collaborative team. You'll gain exposure to a wide range of commercial, financial and operational activities, working with complex contracts, supplier billing arrangements and financial data that directly support the delivery of Defra's digital services.

Unlike a traditional finance or accounts payable role, this position offers the opportunity to develop knowledge across financial assurance, contract governance, supplier spend management and commercial operations. You'll build highly transferable analytical and problem-solving skills while contributing to the effective stewardship of public funds.

As part of a supportive and evolving team, you'll have opportunities to broaden your experience, develop specialist knowledge and contribute to the continuous improvement of processes and controls that support effective contract and supplier management. You'll work alongside finance, commercial and supplier management professionals, gaining experience that can support future career development across multiple professions.

Whether you're looking to build on existing analytical experience or develop a new specialism, this role provides a strong foundation for a career in financial assurance, governance, commercial operations and supplier management.

Person specification

Responsibilities:

• Support the validation and assurance of supplier invoices and billing submissions across a portfolio of digital contracts
• Monitor contract spend, forecasts and available contractual headroom, identifying risks and escalating issues where appropriate
• Analyse financial and operational data to support accurate reporting, assurance and decision-making
• Maintain accurate records, management information and governance documentation
• Investigate and resolve billing discrepancies, data quality issues and supplier queries
• Manage assigned billing and assurance activities across multiple cost models in line with defined processes, controls and monthly delivery timelines
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of processes, controls and reporting that support the effective management of supplier spend

Skills and experience:

• Strong Microsoft Excel capability, including the use of formulas, lookups, data validation and the ability to confidentially handle and interpret datasets accurately
• Good understanding of P2P financial processes, including invoice checking, spend tracking and basic purchase‑to‑pay activities and billing governance (or ability to quickly develop this knowledge)
• Experience working with financial, operational or performance data, including reconciling figures and maintaining accurate records and attention to detail
• Good analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to identify discrepancies, investigate issues and recommend solutions
• Ability to interpret financial and commercial information, such as invoices, rate cards and simple contract and billing terms, and apply it to support assurance, validation and decision-making activities
• Experience maintaining accurate records and producing reliable management information, identifying discrepancies and support issue resolution
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to work effectively with colleagues, customers and suppliers
• Ability to follow established processes and work instructions consistently, managing multiple activities across several cost models while meeting strict monthly deadlines and maintaining high levels of accuracy
• Work collaboratively with stakeholders and suppliers to resolve queries and support smooth delivery of processes and escalate appropriately

Selection process

The Civil Service marks each element of the selection process on a merit basis. You can visit the gov.uk website for further information on the Civil Service rating scale.

Ensure you have tailored your CV and Personal Statement to the 'skills and experience' section of the job advert by providing examples on how you are suitable for the role using the STAR method.

Please ensure you demonstrate clearly, within your personal statement, how you meet these requirements, as the information you provide will form a key part when the panel is scoring your application.

For further information on STAR, you can check out our Hints and Tips document.

Application process

As part of the application process, you will be assessed on your experience. This will be evaluated by looking at your CV and personal statement, so please provide the following and ensure your experience is clearly demonstrated:

A CV
A 500-word Personal Statement: Referring to the 'skills and experience' sections of the job advert, please demonstrate how you are suitable for the role by providing relevant examples.

Further details around what this will entail are