Operational Finance Trainee

Job summary

The Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) is a new arm’s-length body set up, at unprecedented pace, to administer compensation to people whose lives have been impacted by the infected blood scandal.

IBCA will ensure payment is made in recognition of the wrongs experienced by those who have been infected by HIV, Hepatitis B or C, as well as those who love and care for them. They have been frustrated and distressed by the delays in achieving proper recognition, and we must help put this right.

We are committed to putting the infected and affected blood community at the centre of every decision we make and every step we take to build our organisation to deliver compensation payments.

IBCA employees will be public servants. If successful in this role you will be appointed directly into IBCA, on IBCA terms and conditions as a public servant.

Successful applicants will join the Civil Service Pension Scheme.

Please note that the mission of IBCA means that it is likely to be fully operational for a period of approximately up to 5 years, after which IBCA will become a smaller residual service. When IBCA’s work begins to wind down, IBCA employees will receive support and practical guidance to find a new role, whether in the Civil Service, another Arm's Length Body (ALB), or an external employer.

Job description

The Operational Finance trainee will play a vital role in ensuring the efficient and accurate processing of IBCA's financial transactions. You will adopt and promote the culture of WE CARE which is central to our ethos at IBCA (Wellbeing, Exceptional, Collaborative, Advocate, Respectful, Empathetic), ensuring that IBCA is a great place to work and one where we take the wellbeing of our people as seriously as we take that of our customers.

You will be expected to be in the office a minimum of 60% of your working week.

Person specification

Operational finance processes - we have key processes where we need to make payments to support progression of our service at IBCA, or support key meetings and events.

Examples of tasks are:

GP Payments: Handling payments to GPs to support the service we provide to people making a claim.

Reimbursing costs: For specific authorised events, such as “drop in events” arranged with our community, there are circumstances where we need to reimburse community members for the costs that they have incurred.

Our operational processes support checking the application for reimbursement and progressing the transaction with the community member.

Banking: We support the payment of compensation for domestic and international compensation payments, and the payment of suppliers. Examples of tasks are:
Reconciliations: these could be of payments, accounts or statements

Reports: Creating and providing reports to understand what was expected to be paid and the reconciliation with the amount paid, compared to plans, budgets or forecasts depending on the spend type.
General tasks within the team

Handling difficult situations appropriately to deliver effective outcomes for colleagues and customers to ensure our WE CARE principles are followed.
Partner with business areas and other stakeholders to help them follow processes accurately

Place specific effort and resource to fix issues and respond to Service Level Agreements

Accurately record transactional / process level data and support an appropriate level of evidence collection

Essential skills criteria

• Numerical & Analytical: Ability to work accurately with numbers, analyse financial data, and spot discrepancies.
• Technical Proficiency: Good working knowledge of core software, particularly Microsoft Excel / Google sheets.
• Attention to Detail: High level of accuracy in work for financial tasks e.g. data entry, balancing ledgers.
• Communication: Clear verbal and written skills to collaborate with team members and explain basic financial concepts to clients or colleagues.
• Time Management: Ability to balance full-time work duties with rigorous professional study schedules.
• Secondary Education: GCSE passes (grade 4/C or above) in Mathematics and English Language.
• Commitment to work towards qualification with CCAB, CIMA or equivalent

Desirable Criteria

• Level 4 qualification with AAT, CCAB or CIMA

Additional information:

A minimum 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace. Although requirements to attend other locations for official business will also count towards this level of attendance.

Behaviours

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

• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £31,704, Infected Blood Compensation Authority contributes £9,184 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).

• Premium allowance paid monthly after probation
• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service Pension which provides an attractive pension, benefits for dependants and employer contributions of 28.97%
• 32.5 days of paid annual leave plus 8 bank holidays
• Family friendly policies to support you and your everyday responsibilities
• Enhanced maternity and paternity leave, up to 12 months shared parental leave

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 and Experience.

Application information

As part of your application, you will be asked to complete an anonymised CV, which should include your career history, skills, experience and qualifications.

You will also be asked to complete a Personal Statement, of no more than 500 words, that demonstrates how you meet the Essential skills criteria for the role.

At sift, you will be assessed on your CV & Personal Statement.

Should you be successful at sift, you will be invited to attend an interview where you will be assessed on experience & behaviours.

Expected timeline (subject to change)

Expected sift date – w/c 14 September 2026

Expected interview date/s – w/c 21 September 2026

Interview location - Your interview will either be conducted face to face or by video. You will be notified of the location if you are selected for interview.

Reasonable Adjustments<