Business Partner

Necsu; North East; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

NECS (NHS North of England Commissioning Support Unit) is seeking an experienced Business Partner to support the BSA Finance function. The role combines financial partnering with strategic planning and risk management across hybrid work locations.

The successful candidate will provide expert financial advice to service leads and budget holders, lead budgeting, forecasting and costing activities, and maintain robust financial controls while developing finance colleagues.

Qualifications

• Significant experience of financial management and working at a senior level.
• Experience of managing and developing staff.
• Experience of liaising with senior staff within and external to the organisation.
• In-depth knowledge of the NHS finance regime.
• Experience of working in the private or 3rd sector.
• A thorough knowledge of financial management processes and reporting requirements.
• Theoretical and practical knowledge in financial accounting, financial/other legislation and NHS financial policies.
• Ability to analyse and solve complex problems.
• Advanced Excel.
• Able to interpret national complex guidance and communicate this simply to non‑financial personnel.
• Ability to produce formal reports to a professional standard.

Responsibilities

• Provide high-quality financial advice and business partnering support to senior managers and budget holders.
• Lead and support financial planning, budget setting, forecasting and costing activities.
• Produce and present financial performance reports, including analysis and commentary on variances.
• Develop effective relationships with budget holders and provide professional challenge where appropriate.
• Identify and manage financial risks and support appropriate mitigating actions.
• Support service developments, business cases, efficiency initiatives and cost improvement plans.
• Maintain robust financial controls, systems and processes.
• Line manage and develop finance colleagues.

Skills

Advanced Excel

Financial analysis

Budgeting

Governance & controls

Stakeholder management

Job description

Go back NHS North Of England Commissioning Support Unit

Business Partner

The closing date is 18 November 2026

Are you an experienced, customer-focused and commercially minded finance professional looking for an exciting opportunity to make a real difference in an influential role?

We are looking for an experienced Business Partner to support the BSA Finance function. The Business Partner is a key role in ensuring effective financial management, supporting the achievement of financial targets and the effective use of financial resources. Working closely with service leads and budget holders, the postholder will provide expert financial advice, support financial planning and help identify and manage financial risk.

This is a hybrid working role, with the successful candidate working across a mixture of home and office locations.

This vacancy is restricted to employees currently working within a Commissioning Support Unit (CSU). The role is being recruited to support services moving to NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA). The successful applicant may therefore potentially transfer to NHSBSA as part of the relevant service transfer arrangements. Further information will be provided as part of the recruitment and transfer process.

This role will close Wednesday 18th November and interviews/selection are expected to take place during the week commencing 23rd November.

For an informal discussion, please contact Dave Welch at [e-mail].

Main duties of the job

This role will be responsible for:

• Provide high-quality financial advice and business partnering support to senior managers and budget holders.
• Lead and support financial planning, budget setting, forecasting and costing activities.
• Produce and present financial performance reports, including analysis and commentary on variances.
• Develop effective relationships with budget holders and provide professional challenge where appropriate.
• Identify and manage financial risks and support appropriate mitigating actions.
• Support service developments, business cases, efficiency initiatives and cost improvement plans.
• Maintain robust financial controls, systems and processes.
• Line manage and develop finance colleagues.

About us

At NECS we are very proud to be part of the NHS England family. We are one of the very few truly customer-owned entities within the NHS. We have grown from our roots in the North East to be an NHS business with customers the length and breadth of the UK and further abroad. Our customer base has diversified significantly over this period, and we are now very pleased to be serving NHS providers as well as commissioners, NHSE regions, Local Authorities, General Practices and national NHSE Directorates.

NECS combines specialist skills and expertise with scale and resilience to achieve required results. We combine core NHS values with a sharp focus on customer care and a relentless pursuit of continuous improvement. We very much see ourselves as a key partner in the future success of the healthcare system and we take our share of the responsibility for shaping effective delivery.

Our people are the heart of our organisation. We strive to ensure they feel trusted, valued and empowered. Were passionate about nurturing and developing people. When you join us, we want you to grow, and we offer many opportunities for you to do that as well as an excellent benefits package including generous holidays and pension plus free car parking and access to NHS discounts.

• generous holidays and pension plus free car parking and access to NHS discounts

Job responsibilities

The Senior Finance Business Partner will play a key role in ensuring that the financial management of the CSU is effective. The post holder will be pivotal in ensuring that the CSU meets its financial targets in terms of both income and margin generation. The role will be responsible for ensuring the effective use of financial resources by working with service leads and budget holders in order to manage financial risk. The post holder will also be expected to provide financial advice and support to non-finance managers, discuss highly complex, contentious and / or sensitive issues with budget holders, managers and other senior officers within the CSU together with other stakeholders as appropriate.

Key Responsibilities

CSU Financial Management and Control

• Ensure an efficient finance function and to contribute to its day to day management.
• Provision of financial advice on the CSUs financial position, including responsibility for financial planning, budget setting, forecasting and costing activities for agreed areas of responsibility.
• Review and maintain the integrity CSU general ledger in relation to all financial management aspects.
• Support the development of short, medium and long term financial plans.
• Generation and maintenance of standard operating procedures and ensuring their adherence to.
• Production of internal and external reports on financial performance incorporating commentary on variances to plans and forecasts.
• Develop strong and effective relationships with budget holders/Board members to report on respective financial performance and to develop outturn forecast data using professional knowledge to influence and negotiate the financial position, providing professional integrity and challenge when needed.
• Responsible for ensuring accurate sales invoicing and reviewing the status of the sales ledger.
• Completion of NHS England statutory returns on a periodical basis including the preparation of accurate working papers.
• Line management of the Finance Analyst including all aspects of staff management.

CSU Development Plans

• Support the development and monitor the implementation of cost improvement plans without compromising financial management and control.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives to improve processes and systems, including greater automation, duplication elimination, consolidation and standardisation.
• Assist with scenario planning and quantitative and qualitative financial analysis.
• Produce financial plans and costings for procurements, service development proposals and skill mix changes for designated budget holders. Provide financial analysis and advise for new and existing Service Level Agreements.
• Support the development of a financial and commercial training to non finance staff.

Other

• Help ensure that financial and other systems are fit for purpose and to generate reliable and accurate reports to allow stakeholders to make appropriate financial decisions and to assess financial risks.
• To ensure effective internal control is maintained, advising the Head of CSU Finance of any weaknesses and to help to correct any problems.

Person Specification

Experience

• Significant experience of financial management and working at a senior level.
• Experience of managing and developing staff.
• Experience of liaising with senior staff within and external to the organisation.
• In-depth knowledge of the NHS finance regime.
• Experience of working in the private or 3rd sector.
• A thorough knowledge of financial management processes and reporting requirements.
• Theoretical and practical knowledge in financial accounting, financial/other legislation and NHS financial policies.
• Ability to analyse and solve complex problems.
• Advanced Excel.
• Able to interpret national complex guidance and the ability to communicate this simply to non‑financial personnel.
• Ability to produce formal reports to a professional standard.

Personal Qualities

• Excellent analytical/numerical skills.
• Excellent communication and inter personal skills.
• Strong organisational skills able to plan the work of self and others.

NHS North Of England Commissioning Support Unit