Claims Officer

We are MHCLG

This is a decision-making role that forms a key part of the Election Claims Unit which has responsibility for analysing, processing, and actioning payments for reimbursement of expenses necessarily incurred by Returning Officers for the conduct of UK parliamentary, Police and Crime Commissioner elections, as well as recall petitions, all of which are directly funded via the Consolidated Fund.

The role involves extensive financial analysis of expenses incurred and would best fit someone that can work independently and can apply a logic-based approach to decision-making. The post holder is responsible for ensuring that only legitimate, reasonable, and necessary expenditure is reimbursed from the Consolidated Fund, thus safeguarding the public purse. This requires examining financial data from previous election claims, identifying trends in expenditure and any other changes in the approach taken by Returning Officers. The work undertaken by the analysts is crucial in helping to accurately forecast the cost of future elections.

In addition to the above, the analysts provide direct support to the Head of ECU (Elections Claims Unit) and the Head of Elections Funding and work closely with Electoral Service Managers and Returning Officers.

• Examining expense accounts submitted by Returning Officers (RO’s) in relation to UK Parliamentary and PCC elections, as well as recall petitions.
• Ensuring adherence to policy, legislation, and considering value for money to the taxpayer.
• Liaising with senior stakeholders to request additional information / evidence to support expenditure claimed where the accounts are either incomplete, or otherwise non-compliant with the legislation and/or guidance.
• Work directly with the Returning Officers and Electoral Service Managers on amendments to accounts, along with agreeing final reimbursement amounts.
• Thoroughly analyse claims that are overspent against the funding allocation and write detailed analysis submissions, including recommendations of funding amounts to be reviewed by the Head of Elections Funding.
• Work directly with the Head of ECU, the ECU Finance Manager, and the Elections Funding team to escalate issues / problems, as necessary.
• Become a subject matter expert on analysing financial data submitted by Returning Officers by having a thorough understanding of the guidance and legislation underpinning the process.
• Highlight fraud and error cases, taking appropriate escalation action.

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Application and Selection

The application process will be split into 2 stages, testing the following Success Profiles:

Behaviours , Strengths

Stage 1: Sift

• Behaviour: Managing a quality service (Lead Behaviour)
• Behaviour: Delivering at pace
• Behaviour: Working together
• Behaviour: Making effective decisions

There is a 250-word limit per question.

When writing your application, remember:

• the assessor won’t be reading your answers sequentially
• do not assume that the same assessors will have read all of your answers
• if talking about something in your first answer, make sure that you write the second answer as if you had not written the first (and so on!)

Most of our campaigns utilise multiple assessors and so it is possible that each of your answers would be viewed by different assessors.

In the event that we receive a large number of applications, we may conduct an initial sift using the lead behaviour listed in the advert. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to interview.

If you run into any technical problems when applying through Be Applied (for example, trouble logging in or submitting your application), their support team can help. Please contact them at hello@beapplied.com.

Stage 2: Interview

• Behaviours: Managing a quality service, Delivering at pace, Working together, Making effective decisions
• Strengths: The strength-based questions will require natural responses from the candidates.

Sift and Interview Dates

Sifting is envisaged to take place the week commencing 23/11/2026.

Interviews are currently being held remotely via videocall. This could be subject to change.

Disability Confident Scheme (DCS)

We are a Disability Confident employer.

We apply a fair and proportionate interview process for all candidates. In line with our commitment to the Disability Confident Scheme (DCS), we aim to progress candidates who apply under the Disability Confident Scheme and meet the required minimum selection criteria.

However, where high application volumes are received, progression to interview may be limited to those who best meet the role criteria. In these circumstances, the benchmark required to proceed to interview may be raised for all candidates.

How We Recruit

Find out more about our recruitment processes here.

• Applying
• Sifting
• Interview
• Interview Results & Feedback
• Reserve List
• Near Miss
• Civil Service Grades
• We are a Disability Confident Scheme, Redeployment Interview scheme & Great Place to Work for Veterans employer
• Reasonable Adjustments

How to Apply

Find out everything you need to know before applying here.

You must review the following information from the MHCLG Career's Site before submitting your application. This step is essential to ensure your eligibility for the role and that your application is completed correctly.

• Security Clearance Requirements
• Civil Service Nationality Requirements
• Right to Work
• Civil Service Code and Recruitment Principles
• CV Declaration
• Sponsorships
• Salary and Grade
• Existing Civil Servants
• Conflict of Interest
• Location and Flexible Working
• Internal Fraud Database
• Appeals and Complaints
• Fixed Term Appointments for:
• External Candidates
• Existing Civil Servants (Including Loans)
• Secondments
• MHCLG employees

Security Clearance Requirements

National Office: BPSS

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.