Business Accountant

Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru; Germany; Hybrid; EUR 50,000 - 66,000; Full time

Job summary

Cyfoeth Naturiol Cymru (Natural Resources Wales) is seeking a qualified finance professional to provide expert financial advice and strategic planning support. The role emphasizes working with Heads of Business to optimise resource use, manage budgets, and deliver environmental and corporate objectives.

You will advise on budgeting, resource allocation, and medium-term planning, supporting informed decisions and robust financial stewardship across NRW.

Qualifications

• Qualified CCAB approved qualification or qualified by experience.
• Experience working within Finance environment at a professional level.
• Knowledge of 'Managing Welsh Public Money' Principles & HMT's 'Classification of Receipts'.
• Understand a wide range of our business and environmental activities.
• Understand, interpret and provide advice and solutions on technical and complex financial matters and communicate the results to non-finance staff in an understandable and engaging way.
• Knowledge and understanding of our Finance Scheme of Delegation with an ability to advise others.

Responsibilities

• Deliver effective and efficient finance advice to Heads of Business/Service on management, planning and allocation of resources by Funding Stream/Activity to Directorates and financial performance.
• Provide advice on 5-year medium term plans by Funding Stream/Activity, avoiding cross-subsidisation and considering upcoming changes and priorities.
• Support Heads of Business in prioritisation and distribution of resources to deliver corporate objectives and monitor financial performance.
• Assist in interpretation of re-forecasts and re-allocation of budgets in line with NRW policies.
• Provide expert financial guidance on workforce planning, income, activities and funding streams; support external groups and Boards.
• Advocate compliance with Financial Scheme of Delegation, referring issues to specialists when needed.
• Undertake health and safety duties appropriate to the post.
• Support NRW Equal Opportunities and Diversity Policy and personal development plans.
• Perform any other reasonable duties commensurate with the grade.

Skills

CCAB qualified

Finance experience

Welsh Public Money

Environmental/related knowledge

Communicating complex finance

Finance Scheme of Delegation

Job description

This is an exciting opportunity for a qualified finance professional who enjoys combining technical expertise with relationship-building, problem-solving, and strategic thinking.

As a Business Accountant you will play a key role in helping Natural Resources Wales make the best use of its resources to deliver its environmental, operational and corporate objectives. This is an opportunity to apply your financial expertise while working closely with Heads of Business and Service to support informed decision making and strong financial stewardship.

You will be a trusted advisor, providing expert advice on budgeting, resource allocation, financial performance, and medium-term financial planning. Working across a range of business areas, you will help leaders balance competing priorities, understand financial risks and opportunities, and make difficult decisions that deliver the greatest value and impact for the people and environment of Wales.

You will work collaboratively with colleagues across NRW and with external partners, contributing specialist financial expertise to projects, programmes and governance groups. You will also help ensure that decisions are aligned with NRW's Financial Scheme of Delegation and wider public sector financial principles.

This post is fixed term until 30/09/2027 with the possibility of extension or permanency.

As an organisation we support flexible working. You will be contracted to the nearest NRW office to your home and a suitable hybrid working pattern will be agreed on appointment. Any regular face to face meetings or training will be planned in advance.

What you will do

• Deliver effective and efficient finance advice to Heads of Business/Service on management, planning and allocation of resources by Funding Stream/Activity to Directorates and financial performance, aligning it to operational performance, identifying and recommending actions on areas of financial risk and efficiencies.
• Responsible for providing advice to Heads of Business on 5-year medium term plans (by Funding Stream/Activity), avoiding cross-subsidisation and taking account of upcoming changes, corporate priorities and unfunded pressures.
• Support Heads of Business and Service in the prioritisation and distribution of resources to deliver corporate objectives in their short-term business plans. Support the Head of Business/Service in the monitoring of its financial performance, aligning it to operational performance and identify areas of risk/opportunities and provide expert advice on decision making.
• Support Heads of Business in the interpretation of the re-forecast of the current year position and advise on the re-allocation of budgets in line with NRW policies.
• Provide expert financial advice and guidance on technically complex areas such as workforce planning, income, activities and funding streams and also external facing support to groups and Boards such as the Flood Risk Management Advisory Board and IDDs.
• Advocate compliance with our Financial Scheme of Delegation, identifying and then either resolving or referring issues to the specialists for resolution.
• Undertake health and safety duties and responsibilities appropriate to the post
• Be committed to Natural Resources Wales Equal Opportunities and Diversity Policy , together with an understanding of how it operates within the responsibilities of the post
• Be committed to your own development through the effective use of your personal development plan (known as Sgwrs).
• Any other reasonable duties requested commensurate with the grade of this role.

The role

This is an exciting opportunity for a qualified finance professional who enjoys combining technical expertise with relationship-building, problem-solving, and strategic thinking.

As a Business Accountant you will play a key role in helping Natural Resources Wales make the best use of its resources to deliver its environmental, operational and corporate objectives. This is an opportunity to apply your financial expertise while working closely with Heads of Business and Service to support informed decision making and strong financial stewardship.

You will be a trusted advisor, providing expert advice on budgeting, resource allocation, financial performance, and medium-term financial planning. Working across a range of business areas, you will help leaders balance competing priorities, understand financial risks and opportunities, and make difficult decisions that deliver the greatest value and impact for the people and environment of Wales.

You will work collaboratively with colleagues across NRW and with external partners, contributing specialist financial expertise to projects, programmes and governance groups. You will also help ensure that decisions are aligned with NRW's Financial Scheme of Delegation and wider public sector financial principles.

This post is fixed term until 30/09/2027 with the possibility of extension or permanency.

As an organisation we support flexible working. You will be contracted to the nearest NRW office to your home and a suitable hybrid working pattern will be agreed on appointment. Any regular face to face meetings or training will be planned in advance.

About us

This is an exciting opportunity to join a talented and highly motivated team within a Finance function that is evolving and making a real impact across the organisation. The team supports a budget of around £320m for 2026 to 2027, working across six directorates to help deliver the priorities set out in our Well-being Objectives, Corporate Plan and Annual Business Plan.

Working in close partnership with Heads of Business and Service, as well as the Corporate Services Leadership Team, the team plays an important role in helping the organisation make informed financial decisions and deliver its ambitions with confidence.

Finance is moving forward with a clear sense of purpose through the implementation of its new strategy. We are embracing new technologies and tools to strengthen the insight, quality and value of the financial management advice we provide. As a result, this is a particularly exciting time to join the service and help shape how Finance supports the organisation, both now and in the future.

Your qualifications, experience, knowledge and skills

In your application and interview you will be asked to demonstrate the following skills and experience using the STAR method.

• Qualified CCAB approved qualification or qualified by experience.
• Experience working within Finance environment at a professional level.
• Knowledge of 'Managing Welsh Public Money' Principles & HMT's 'Classification of Receipts'.
• Understand a wide range of our business and environmental activities.
• Understand, interpret and provide advice and solutions on technical and complex financial matters and communicate the results to non-finance staff in an understandable and engaging way.
• Knowledge and understanding of our Finance Scheme of Delegation with an ability to advise others.

Welsh Language level requirements

• Essential: Level A1 - Entry level

Welsh language levels

Please note if you do not meet the A1 requirement i.e., ability to understand basic phrases and ability to pronounce Welsh names correctly, then NRW offers a variety of learning options and staff support to help you meet these minimal requirements during the course of your employment with us.

Additional Information

Successful applicants will be subject to a satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service Check (DBS) check. Appointments are normally made within 4 to 8 weeks of the closing date.

Natural Resources Wales is unable to offer visa sponsorship for this position. Although we hold a Skilled Worker visa sponsorship licence, it applies only to specific roles that meet both the eligibility criteria and salary requirements set out by the UK Government under the Skilled Worker visa route.

Benefits

This role will offer a range of benefits, including:

• Civil Service Pension Scheme offering employer contributions of 28.97% (successful internal staff will remain in their current pension scheme)
• 28 days annual leave, rising to 33 days
• generous leave entitlements for all your life needs
• commitment to professional development
• health and wellbeing benefits and support
• weekly wellbeing hour to use as you choose

See full details for all the employee benefits you will receive.

Please keep reading

We're passionate about creating a diverse workforce and positively encourage applications from under-represented communities. We embrace equality of opportunity irrespective of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.

We are committed to equal opportunities, and we guarantee interviews for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

We want to attract and retain talented and highly skilled staff, so we make sure that our pay scales remain competitive. We advertise the full pay scale on our job descriptions. Appointed candidates start at the first point of the pay scale and annual increments are paid each year.

We want our staff to grow professionally and personally. From leadership development to access to further and higher education courses, our staff have opportunities to expand their knowledge on variety of topics, stay current in their field and continue to learn as their career progresses.

We are a Bilingual organisation which complies with the Welsh Language Standards. Welsh language skills are considered an asset to NRW, and we encourage and support staff to learn, develop and use their Welsh language skills.

You are welcome to apply for any vacancy in Welsh or English, and any application submitted will be treated equally. Applications are welcome from individuals who want to work full-time, part-time, or job share.

Please note that we reserve the right to close this vacancy before the advertised closing date if we receive a high volume of applications. We encourage candidates to submit their application as early as possible and not wait until the closing date to apply.