Senior Process Owner – Project Accounting

Job summary

This is a high-impact role for an experienced finance transformation or project accounting leader who can combine technical credibility with strong change leadership. Sitting within the Finance Change & Transformation Team in Defra group Finance, the postholder will lead the design and adoption of a single, standardised Project Accounting model across Defra and its Arms’ Length Bodies, helping to improve financial control, comparability and decision-making as part of the move to the Synergy ERP platform.

The role is central to modernising how project and programme finance is managed across the group. It will suit someone with a track record of leading end-to-end process design, shaping business change in complex environments, and bringing stakeholders together around a common way of working.

The Finance Change & Transformation Team is leading Defra group Finance’s journey to become a modern, efficient and future-ready service, including preparing for the rollout of the Synergy Enterprise Resource Planning solution from 2028.

Job description

As the Senior Process Owner for Project Accounting, you will own the end-to-end process across all participating organisations, setting the future design for how project and programme costs, budgets, forecasts, income and reporting are managed. You will ensure the model is standardised, practical and fit for a multi-organisation environment, with clear controls, strong data foundations and better insight for decision-makers.

This is an opportunity to shape a critical part of Defra’s finance transformation at scale. You will work across Core Defra and its Arms’ Length Bodies, influencing senior leaders, finance professionals project and delivery teams to move toward a common way of working ahead of ERP implementation. The role combines strategic design, practical problem-solving and visible leadership in a complex and high-profile change programme.

You will lead a small team of around 5–6 subject matter experts and change specialists, working in a collaborative, matrixed way across policy, finance, digital and programme teams. The role is expected to operate with a high degree of autonomy, balancing strategic leadership with hands-on engagement to drive readiness, resolve design issues and maintain delivery momentum.

• Lead the design and implementation of the future Project Accounting model and ERP project ledger, aligning business requirements with system capability.
• Set standards for process, policy, controls, data and coding structures to support consistent financial management and reporting.
• Lead cross-functional design decisions and integration with related processes such as procurement, assets, grants and the general ledger.
• Build and lead strong networks across Defra group to co-design, test and embed the target operating model.
• Drive business readiness, stakeholder engagement and adoption so that the new model is understood, accepted and used consistently.
• Provide senior leadership and clear decision-making on scope, priorities, risks and trade-offs across the process area.
• Oversee risks and dependencies relating to data quality, migration, controls and organisational readiness for ERP go-live.

Person specification

• A track record of leading complex finance process design or transformation, with expertise in project accounting, project ledger, or programme finance in a large and complex organisation, with relevant finance qualification (CIMA, IACEW, CIPFA or equivalent)
• Evidence of translating business requirements into clear process, data and control designs, and working effectively with digital or ERP delivery teams to implement them.
• A track record of influencing senior stakeholders and building alignment across organisational boundaries to drive standardisation, adoption and sustainable change.
• This role requires you to use data, insight and professional judgement to identify risks, resolve trade-offs and improve the quality of financial management and reporting.

Qualifications

CCAB, CIMA, CIPFA or equivalent finance qualification.

Behaviours

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

• Changing and Improving
• Leadership
• Working Together

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £67,730, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs contributes £19,621 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).

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Things you need to know

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, Strengths and Experience.

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV, personal statement

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using Personal Statement. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.

Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.

Interview

If successful at the application stage, you will be invited to interview where you will be assessed on Behaviours and Strengths

Your interview will either be conducted by video via MS Teams.

Location

As part of the pre-employment process for this post, successful candidate(s) will be able to agree a contractual workplace from those locations listed in this advert. The agreed contractual workplace is then the substantive and permanent place of work for the successful candidate(s).

Where the location is ‘National’ the successful appointee should discuss and agree an appropriate contractual location in line with both Defra’s location policy and site capacity, prior to proceeding with pre-employment processes.

The agreed amount of time spent at a workplace for this post will reflect the requirement for Civil Servants to spend at least 60% of their working time in an organisation workplace with the option to work the remaining time flexibly from home. Working time spent at a workplace may include time spent at other organisational locations including field-based operational locations, together with supplier, customer or partner locations. This is a non-contractual agreement which is consistent with common Civil Service expectations.

Travel costs to non-contractual wor