Tara Smith
Biography
Tara Smith is the Chief Operating Officer at the Home Office.
Prior to joining the Home Office Tara served as Chief Operating Officer at the Department for Business and Trade from May 2023 until 27 April 2026.
Tara has also worked as the Director of People and Resources at the Food Standards Agency and as the Strategic Finance Director at the Department for Work and Pensions.
She is a chartered accountant and started her career with PwC. She worked in Ireland, Canada and the UK for more than 10 years before joining the civil service in 2006.
Joint-Head of the Government Finance Function
The Joint-Head of the Government Finance Function (GFF) co-leads and develops the community of finance professionals across government, to help to maintain the highest standards of financial management and ensures that public money is spent efficiently and effectively.
Key responsibilities include:
- setting and delivering a GFF strategy for the development of the Government Finance Function
- overseeing the professional development and performance of the GFF, including the Government Finance Academy curriculum and the annual continuing professional development plan
- supporting departments’ talent management, succession planning and recruitment for the most senior financial roles in government
The Joint-Head of the GFF is accountable to Parliamentary select committees, including the Public Accounts Committee, for the continuing improvement of financial management standards, skills and expertise in government.
Chief Operating Officer, Chief Operating Officer Group
The Chief Operating Officer Group brings together the key functions required to help the business deliver and includes:
- commercial
- digital, data and technology
- finance
- human resources
- portfolio and project delivery
- security, estates, and information
- strategy
Previous roles in government
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Chief Operating Officer