Finance Systems, Data and Technology | Higher Executive Officer

Summary

Role Summary

Finance Systems, Data and Technology HEOs are expected to manage the financial systems controls and user support processes and be experts in specific systems' end-to-end processes. They engage with stakeholders to identify opportunities for continuous improvement, review systems/processes for data specific non-compliance and monitor data quality. They ensure that financial systems' procedures and processes are fully documented and up-to-date, and support the development of financial system technologies, including identifying system requirements for external suppliers.

Typical Role Responsibilities

HEOs are expected to:

Systems:

Maintain financial systems controls and user support processes.

Ensure that systems and process documentation is up to date, including the creation and maintenance of process maps.

Develop and design systems' training materials and initiatives for transactional processes.

Support the development of financial systems including identifying requirements for external suppliers.

Data Management:

Review system for data specific non-compliance and monitor data quality.

Ensure the integrity and accuracy of specific areas of data within financial systems and compliance with legislative and regulatory standards of specific system processes.

Intelligent Customer Function:

Become an expert in specific end to end (E2E) processes.

Engage with stakeholders to identify opportunities for improvement.

Assisting with management of financial system contracts.

Entry Route

May be suitable for staff with the required skills and/or experience from within or outside Finance

Typical Qualifications

Recommended:

Working towards Level 4 qualification with AAT, CCAB, CIMA?or equivalent?

Or hold a relevant qualification in Digital or Project Delivery with significant exposure to Financial / Finance Enterprise Resource Planning Systems dependent on the role/departmental structure

Or?

Extensive relevant financial expertise

Please see desirable criteria on the detailed grade page.?

Responsibilities

Tasks

Providing financial system user support including risk and issue management.
Managing requests on chart of account codes, ensuring valid business requirements and overseeing consistency across all relevant systems use. Leading on maintaining data quality, such as data cleansing.
Overseeing the maintenance of user accounts and permissions, ensuring requests are correctly authorised and adhere to GDPR guidance as issued by Information Assurance specialists in Government Security.
Maintaining adequate financial system controls.
Managing the systems element of month-end tasks, such as open and close periods on the finance system and period-end reconciliations.
Managing specific aspects financial systems implementation and improvement, such as requirement setting with external suppliers
Becoming an expert in specific systems' end to end processes. Ensuring that systems and process documentation is up to date, including the creation and maintenance of process maps.
Development and design of systems' training materials and initiatives for transactional processes.
Using automated processes to deal with repetitive and complex finance tasks; using existing machine learning algorithms and generative AI tools to predict future outcomes and generate insights based on historical data.
Ensuring the integrity and accuracy of specific areas of data within financial systems and compliance with legislative and regulatory standards of specific system processes, utilising modern data analytic tools.
Developing/specifying business intelligence reports and dashboards for the business where appropriate, using advanced and interactive data visualisation and analysis tools such as Microsoft Power BI, Excel, SQL etc.
Summarising data sets and visualising data by advanced data analytic tools to identify patterns, trends and extract meaningful insights to support effective decision making, drive efficiency and effectiveness.
Assisting with management of financial system contracts.
Engaging with stakeholders to provide support and identify opportunities for continuous improvement or transformational change and generating problem statements for assessment.
?

Please note - The above list includes typical tasks at this grade.

To see the role responsibilities, please visit Finance Systems, Data and Technology for more info.

Expectations

Behaviours

For details of Behaviours read the Success Profiles: Civil Service behaviours - GOV.UK

Working together
Managing a quality service
Delivering at pace
Communicating and influencing
Changing and improving

Interpersonal Skills

Good customer service skills and ability to engage with stakeholders effectively
Good communication skills and ability to work with their team effectively to ensure delivery of outputs
Good organisational skills and the ability to deliver and manage competing priorities
Strong attention to detail and excellent record keeping skills

Professional Skills

Key for Levels of Professional skills

A = Awareness

W = Working

P = Practitioner

L2 = Level 2

L3 = Level 3

Subheadings	Professional Skills	Level	Learning Resources
	Numeracy	W/P	"Numeracy"
	Data management and analysis	W/P	"Data management and analysis"
	Excel skills	A/W	"Excel : Intermediate"
	Basic finance skills	A/W	"Finance Foundations"
	Systems testing	W/P
	Technical and IT systems understanding	W/P
	Project and change management	W/P	"https://www.apm.org.uk/qualifications-and-training/project-management-fundamentals/"
	Risk and issue management	W/P	"https://sfia-online.org/en/sfia-8/all-skills-a-z"
	Data Analysis: Proficiency in tools like Excel, SQL, R, Python, and data visualization tools such as Tableau or Power BI for developing AI models and data analysis; SQL for database management and querying	A/W
	Statistical and Quantitative Analysis: Strong understanding of statistical methods and quantitative analysis techniques.	A/W
	Machine Learning:? Understanding machine learning algorithms and techniques, such as supervised and unsupervised learning, neural networks, and deep learning. Familiarity with platforms like TensorFlow, Keras, and Scikit-learn	A/W
Skills for the Information Age (SFIA) Framework	Portfolio, programme and project support PROF	L2	"Portfolio, programme and project support"
	Business analysis BUAN	L3	"Business Analysis"
	Business modelling BSMO	L3	"Business Modelling"
	Requirements definition & management REQM	L3	"Requirements definition and management"
	Data modelling and design DTAN	L2	"Data modelling and design"
	Service level management SLMO	L3	"Service level management"
	Configuration management CFMG	L3	"Configuration management"
	Natural Language Processing (NLP): Understanding NLP techniques to analyse text data from financial reports, news articles, and social media. Familiarity with NLP libraries like NLTK, spaCy, and Apache OpenNLP.	A/W

Qualifications

Recommended:
- Working towards Level 4 qualification with AAT, CCAB, CIMA?or equivalent?
Or
- Or hold a relevant qualification in Digital or Project Delivery with significant exposure to Financial / Finance Enterprise Resource Planning Systems dependent on the role/departmental structure
Or?
- Extensive relevant financial expertise
Desirable:

1. Project Management
- Managing Successful Programmes at Foundation level
Or
- Project Fundamentals Qualification PFQ. | The APM PFQ Course
?

2. Digital, Data and Technology
- ITIL service management
- Agile PM basic
Details of how to gain a finance qualification through an apprenticeship can be found here:
- Apprenticeships on OneFinance
- Apprenticeships on Civil Service Learning

Entry and Progression Routes

Entry Routes

Within Finance

This role may be suitable for Finance Systems, Data and Technology EOs?and other Finance EO/HEO individuals with DDaT skills and experience on finance system administration/support.

This role may also be suitable for HEO/D Finance Fast Streamers.?

For more information on qualification, please visit the?Finance Systems, Data & Technology?main page.

From Outside Finance

This role may be suitable for individuals with the required numeracy, DDaT skills, experience in financial systems processes and who are considering joining the finance profession.

For more information on qualification, please visit the?Finance Systems, Data & Technology?main page.

Progression Routes

Staff in this role typically move into other areas of finance as an HEO/SEO or on promotion to an SEO position within Financial Systems, Data and Technology job family.?