Financial Cost Modeller

Job summary

The Home Office works to build a safe, fair and prosperous UK. We achieve this through our work on counter-terrorism, policing, fire, crime, drugs policy, immigration and passports.

The Public Safety Group’s role is to keep the public safe by cutting crime, disrupting the highest harm criminals, protecting the vulnerable and ensuring that our police, fire and rescue services are as efficient and effective as they can be in delivering front line public services. We work with our partners in other government departments, local government and the voluntary sector to develop and implement policy, provide funding, and deliver legislation.

The Home Office is leading a pan departmental, cross government programme to deliver the new Emergency Services Network (ESN) critical communications system. This will replace the current Airwave service used by the emergency services in Great Britain. The strategic aim of the Emergency Services Mobile Communications Programme (ESMCP) is to deliver a much better voice and data service to emergency services replacing the reliable but limited and ageing Airwave system.

Job description

The cost modelling team are part of the Programme Finance team and own the financial cost model that underpins the Programme Business Case (which has a whole life cost of £19.1bn) and the financial performance of key commercial contracts. This role is critical to maintaining the financial model and in supporting key procurement activity pre and post award of contracts along with running scenarios of potential outcomes. The successful candidate will work with key stakeholders to understand cost drivers for the model and provide financial briefings to stakeholders.

The successful candidate will need to be an experienced modeller with a background in estimating, finance, economics or operational research used to working in a complex environment with multiple stakeholders.

Person specification

Key Responsibilities

Cost Modeller will:

• Assist in maintaining and updating the Programme Business Case (PBC) financial model to provide a clear view of costs and benefits under different scenarios.
• Support the preparation of PBC updates for governance submissions.
• Provide stakeholders, including Funding Sponsor Bodies (FSB), with a clear understanding of the financial assumptions, basis of preparation and projected financial and economic impact of each option and requested financial analysis for the Programme.

Development of the Programme cost models for key procurement activity.

• Contribute to the development of Should Cost Models for the programme procurements.
• Review third party supplier models against their robustness, completeness and whether they are fit for purpose in providing a true reflection of procurement costs to the programme.

Maintain the Programme Cost Model

• Advise the team with relevant in-year and medium-term forecasting data and information to the reporting function in the Finance Team.
• Support identification and modelling for financial risk analysis, optimism bias, Quantitative Cost and Schedule Risk Assessments.

Ad-Hoc Financial Analysis Services

• Provide other financial modelling and financial analysis services as requested, such option appraisals, forecast estimations , commercial evaluations and benchmark reviews. This may include supporting other projects or programmes within the Major Law Enforcement portfolio.

Preparation of Financial Briefings to Key Stakeholders

• Provide financial analysis and briefings to enable, prepare and present to internal ESMCP stakeholders and external programme stakeholders, such as governance forums, Funding Sponsor Bodies (FSBs), users, other government departments, Cabinet Office and HM Treasury.

Maintain Audit Trail

• Document the evolution of the PBC, including successive versions of the financial model, book of assumptions and the key discussions and decisions

Training

• Support training initiatives to improve financial awareness across the programme team.

Working Pattern

Due to the business requirements of this role, it is only available on a full-time basis. However, compressed hours are available. The Home Office expects all employees to have 60% office attendance.

Travel

Due to the nature of the role, the successful candidate will be required to occasionally travel to other Home Office sites for meetings. This could involve overnight stays.

Essential Criteria

• Experience of cost or economic modelling within a programme or organisational setting.
• Awareness of risk analysis and scenario analysis techniques.
• Strong Excel skills and familiarity with MS Office tools (Outlook, SharePoint, PowerPoint, Teams).
• Experience of internal and external reporting, including board reporting.
• Stakeholder management skills, and capacity to work collaboratively within a multi-stakeholder environment, developing successful relationships between own team and other areas.

Desirable Criteria

• Hold or be working towards a professional finance qualification awarded by a CCAB recognised accounting body (e.g. ACCA, CIPFA, ICAEW) or CIMA Finance Qualified.
• Knowledge of HM Treasury’s Green Book; Aqua Book; Managing Public Money; Consolidated Budgeting Guidance; Government Financial Reporting Manual (FReM), Cabinet Office Estimating and Should Cost Modelling guidance and International Financial Reporting Standards.
• Experience of using Visual Basic for Applications (VBA)

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Behaviours

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

• Changing and Improving
• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions
• Working Together

Benefits

In addition to your salary, a career with the Home Office offers a range of benefits, including:

• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%.
• In-year reward scheme for one-off or sustained exceptional personal or team achievements.
• 25 days annual leave on appointment, rising with service to 30 days.
• Eight days of public holidays, plus one additional privilege day.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

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