Chief Financial Officer


Company:	Government Recruitment Service
Salary:	£130,000 to £130,000 a year
Hours:	Full-time
Location:	Glasgow
Job type:	Permanent
Posting date:	2 Sept 2026
Closing date:	28 Sept 2026

Apply for this job

Summary

We are seeking a dynamic and experienced Chief Financial Officer to lead the Cabinet Office Finance directorate during a period of significant change and transformation in the department and as we prepare for a new multi-year Spending Round next year.

This is a fantastic opportunity to get deep experience working at the centre of government, contributing to the leadership and delivery of the Prime Minister’s priorities, as well as the future strategy for the UK Civil Service and Government functions and services.

As Cabinet Office CFO you will work closely with Cat Little in her role as both Permanent Secretary for the Cabinet Office and Chief Operating Officer of the Civil Service. You will be a member of ExCo and the Departmental Board (also attending the Cabinet Office Audit and Risk Committee), as well as representing the Cabinet Office in the Government Finance Function.

As CFO, you will be responsible for supporting the Principal Accounting Officer in managing risk and compliance with Managing Public Money. You will have a pivotal role in the establishment of the Office of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and the creation of the OneGov Agency, which will take effect from 1 April 2027.

Working with the Cabinet Office Chief People Officer, you will play a leading role as part of the Matrix cluster of departments, overseeing Cabinet Office’s migration to a new ERP (shared services platform) and developing strategic opportunities for shared corporate services across the wider Cabinet Office Group.

You will report to Harriet Aldridge, Cabinet Office Chief Operating Officer and work alongside functional leaders in Strategy, HR, Commercial and Digital as a key part of the Cabinet Office Corporate Services Senior Leadership Team. You will lead a team of 4 Deputy Directors (SCS1s) and c120FTE based predominantly in London and Glasgow.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership:

You will provide strong, visionary leadership for all aspects of the Cabinet Office Finance function, including strategic finance, financial controls and operation, compliance, debt and risk.
You will play a key role in the creation of the Office for the Prime Minister and Cabinet (OPMC), and in the establishment of the OneGov Delivery Agency, which will involve the carve out of a number of service delivery areas from the department of state.
Working closely with the Chief People Officer (CPO), you will oversee the Cabinet Office’s migration to the new shared services platform as part of the Matrix cluster, and the strategic opportunities for future corporate services that come from this.

Financial Management and performance:

You will provide the department’s Permanent Secretary, Board and Executive Committee with a clear understanding of our financial performance including budgets, forecasts, risk and opportunities, and choices / trade offs to optimise the use of resources and ensure that the resources authorised by Parliament for use by the Cabinet Office are used for the purposes intended.
You will provide accurate and timely Estimates to Parliament and a robust cash management system.

Strategic financial advice:

You will be responsible for providing the Permanent Secretary (as Principal Accounting Officer) with high-quality advice to ensure the financial and accounting consequences of decisions / options are well understood, and ensuring that the Accounting Officer is appropriately discharging her PAO duties with respect to Regularity, Propriety, Feasibility and Value for Money.

Financial Planning and controls:

You will lead the department’s financial planning process, as part of Business Planning, ensuring the department has a coherent, affordable and effective financial plan that can be delivered within an acceptable risk tolerance. This includes having personal accountability to the Accounting Officer for the economic, efficient and effective use of resources and working closely with other key partners, in particular the Cabinet Office’s Strategy Director, Chief Digital & Information Officer and the Chief People Officer, to secure the resources the department needs to deliver its policies, programmes and operational delivery requirements.
You will be responsible for leading and ensuring compliance with HMT spend controls and overseeing Cabinet Office corporate compliance and assurance, as well as debt management.

Skills and capability:

You will be responsible for developing and continuing to improve the financial management capability of the department and its leaders, through education, control and influence.
You will lead the Government Finance Function within the Cabinet Office to build strong, diverse, effective and high-quality inclusive functions that are respected and collaborative, command credibility at all levels and promote a culture of evidence based and expert decision making, as well as value for money across the organisation.

Governance and performance:

You will be responsible for ensuring the department has clear and effective frameworks for budget management, planning, performance and investment management.

Business Partnering and Stakeholder management:

You will be required to influence and build relationships with senior leaders and stakeholders, including at Board level, with HM Treasury and other government departments; with partners in the Matrix shared services cluster and challenging constructively to ensure alignment with financial and organisational strategy.
You will be responsible for leading and developing a highly expert, respected and user focused business partnering function which operates in a wholly integrated and seamless way with HR, digital and commercial teams.

Apply for this job

Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme

About Disability Confident

Disability Confident is a government scheme. It encourages employers to recruit and retain disabled people and those with long term health conditions.