Senior Commercial Finance Analyst

Tell me more about the position

As a senior finance professional, you are a trusted, and expert voice on all things Commercial Finance. You will provide specialist and strategic commercial finance advice to senior decision makers and ministerial advisors.

Our team supports over £11bn of public sector contracts. We help our customers in designing payment methodologies for new procurement activities, driving financial evaluation strategies, and leading procurement dialogue and contract negotiations.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is a vast organisation with a complex stakeholder network. You will collaborate with and support senior stakeholders within the Commercial, Operational and Policy communities. Acting as a trusted business partner, you will provide analytical insight and data-driven recommendations, with the commercial acumen to challenge when necessary, and help develop and implement our broader approach to commercial finance.

Career Development & Learning

Our team is composed of colleagues from diverse backgrounds, sectors, and specialisms, all of whom enjoy the exposure and growth opportunities this team provides.

Your journey of learning, development, and career growth begins when you join DWP. Everyone at DWP is guaranteed five days of learning per year to expand their accounting skills, and the reality is you will have access to as much learning as you want.

DWP Finance plays a significant role in implementing the Government’s welfare and economic growth initiatives, providing ample opportunities for career progression.

We foster a highly supportive and collaborative finance and commercial community. You will have the chance to tap into this expertise through coaching and mentoring programs, as well as the collaborative nature of your work.

The roles and responsibilities for this position include, but are not restricted to:

Financial Modelling

You will lead a small team of modellers and accountants, standardising the approach to commercial finance modelling activities across DWP’s major programmes. This includes:

• Should Cost Models: These models support decisions on whether to deliver a service in-house or outsource it. In instances of outsourcing, this model estimates the expected cost of procuring from an external supplier.
• Pricing/Cost Models: These models capture bidders' price offers, which are complex and involve the creation of large datasets.
• Payment Methodology and Design: You will work with operational colleagues to design robust and fair payment mechanisms that maximise successful outcomes, manage risk, and achieve value for money for the taxpayer.
• Model Testing Regimes: Some of our models will be in the public domain and subject to external scrutiny. It is essential to design and operate a comprehensive testing regime to ensure our models are the best they can be.

Analysis

We evaluate the financial health of our suppliers both before and during contracts to ensure the best value for money in our programmes while minimising the risk of disruption to citizen critical services.

You will manage and deliver financial analysis to support provider financial dialogue during major procurement activities and post contract negotiations. Your role will involve providing critical financial insights to deliver ministerial intent and influence senior stakeholders.

Our work feeds into contract award decisions and impacts departmental funding requirements.

You will:

• Exhibit a high level of analytical curiosity and enthusiasm to investigate and deliver insightful analysis.
• Support bid evaluations by building databases which can contain millions of data items, enabling rapid analysis within short timeframes to support the financial evaluation process.
• Design and run what-if scenarios to identify the impact of contractual changes, supplier profitability and regulatory changes.
• Confidently present your analysis to stakeholders, going beyond the numbers to deliver a compelling narrative that informs board level decisions.
• Apply analytical insights to programs, making evidence-based and data-driven recommendations.