I lead HMRC’s financial shared services team, an internal provider of HMRC’s transactional services. My typical day involves lots of meetings, including project boards, leadership meetings with our chief financial accountant, and business processre-engineering workshops. The work we are doing on stakeholder management is significant, and my days are taken up with ensuring we engage fully and properly with our staff.
We are about to embark on the implementation of a new purchase to pay (P2P) system, SAP Ariba. My financial shared services team will see a huge business change as a result. I liaise closely with the Cabinet office on a regular basis, having helped to roll out some P2P design principles across central government.
Our P2P project is really ground-breaking, but it will mean we need to work in quite different way. There might also need to be organisational changes, and all this is not easy to prepare for as a department. Engagement with senior stakeholders and understanding their own business challenges is quite tricky, but I’m passionate about what our new system will give us, including an e-invoicing solution and the capability to use self-serve ordering.
I liaise closely with the Cabinet office on a regular basis, having helped to roll out some P2P design principles across central government
HMRC is a great place to work and the family friendly policies and work-life balance are excellent. What isn’t so good are the building conditions, particularly here in Worthing. We are housed in a government building built during the war and used as a temporary hospital. This isn’t ideal and the facilities go wrong quite regularly. Looking forward, HMRC has a huge transformation programme to move to regional hubs with 21st-century working conditions and furniture. I’m really looking forward to that.
My advice to people beginning their career – and it’s easier said than done – is to find an employer who supports your accountancy training, and understands the time and effort it will take on your part. The work experience is a huge part of the ACCA Qualification and shouldn’t be underestimated.
My biggest achievement – other than qualifying – is that I was nominated for the Collaboration Award at the Government Finance and Internal Audit Event 2017.