Finance Business Partner

UK Ministry of Defence; Abingdon; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 54,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary £51,317

Performance bonus up to 7%

Pension scheme 21.5%

25 days annual leave + 2.5 days

Site closure 3 days

Flexible working options

Job summary

UKAEA is seeking a Senior Finance Business Partner to provide strategic financial support across a major programme portfolio worth over £50 million. You will work closely with senior leaders to deliver clear financial insight, robust planning and effective control.

The role requires onsite presence (usually 3 days per week) with flexible working where possible, and a focus on forecasting, governance and financial leadership across projects.

Qualifications

• Qualified accountant with a professional qualification (ACA/ACCA/CIMA) or equivalent.
• Strong experience as a finance business partner supporting senior leaders.
• Proven ability to manage finances of multimillion-pound programmes with costings and forecasting.
• Solid knowledge of project controls, revenue recognition and grant accounting.
• Experience with audits and multi-source funding reporting.
• Advanced Excel skills including pivot tables and lookups.

Responsibilities

• Act as the main finance contact for the programme, advising senior leaders.
• Analyse performance and produce reports, forecasts and commentary.
• Lead budgeting and forecasting at project and portfolio levels.
• Provide financial reports for major grants within agreed timescales.
• Ensure correct recognition of expenditure and revenue per policy.
• Maintain financial controls and balance-sheet reconciliations.
• Coordinate audits and respond to audit requirements.
• Provide financial leadership and coaching to project teams.
• Lead and develop finance colleagues where applicable.
• Support improvements to financial processes and reporting systems.

Skills

ACCA/ACA/CIMA

Finance partner

Forecasting

Advanced Excel

Job description

About us

Fusion, the process that powers the sun and stars, is one of the most promising options for generating the cleaner, carbon-free energy that our world badly needs. UKAEA leads the way in realizing fusion energy, partnering with industry and research organisations to achieve ground-breaking advancements. Our goal is to bring fusion electricity to the grid by developing the power stations of tomorrow and the skilled workforce to deliver them.

About the job

As Senior Finance Business Partner, you'll provide strategic financial support to a major programme or business unit. Working closely with senior leaders, you'll deliver clear financial insight, robust planning and effective control across a portfolio of projects worth more than £50 million. You'll help improve financial performance while supporting informed decision-making and successful programme delivery.

What You'll be Doing

• Act as the main finance contact for your programme or business unit, providing advice and constructive challenge to senior leaders.
• Analyse financial performance and produce management reports, commentary and forecasts covering profitability, variances, risks and opportunities.
• Lead financial input into strategic planning, budgeting and forecasting at project and consolidated business-unit level.
• Provide accurate financial reports and supporting information for major grants within agreed timescales.
• Ensure expenditure and revenue are recognised accurately and in line with financial policies.
• Maintain effective financial controls, including reconciliations for relevant balance-sheet accounts and supporting audit documentation.
• Coordinate programme audits, respond to audit requirements and ensure agreed actions are completed.
• Provide financial leadership and coaching to project teams, particularly in forecasting, monitoring and control.
• Lead and develop finance colleagues where applicable, including training, supervision and performance management.
• Support improvements to financial processes, reporting systems and the wider capability of the Finance team.

What You'll Bring

• A recognised accountancy qualification such as ACA, ACCA or CIMA, or an equivalent level of professional expertise.
• A strong track record of working with senior leaders and teams in a finance business partnering role.
• Demonstrable success in managing the finances of multimillion-pound government or commercial projects, including costing and forecasting.
• Sound knowledge of project controls, revenue recognition and accounting for grant funding.
• Previous responsibility for major contract or grant audits and financial reporting across multiple funding sources.
• Advanced Excel skills, including pivot tables, lookups and SUMIF formulas.

UKAEA is an onsite organisation, and this role requires regular onsite presence (usually 3 days per week) in line with business needs. We actively support flexible working arrangements where this is compatible with the role.

Benefits

We have a generous range of benefits (see the full list here) and highlights include:

• A salary of £51317
• Up to 7% corporate performance bonus
• Final salary defined benefits pension scheme with an equivalent of 21.5% employer pension contribution
• 25 days annual leave plus 2.5 'privilege' days; 8 Bank Holidays
• Additional 3 days of site closure over Christmas break
• Flexible working options plus family-friendly leave provisions

Our commitment to ED&I

UKAEA's mission is clean energy for all, and we welcome talented people from all backgrounds to help us achieve this goal. We are committed to equality, diversity, inclusion and accessibility, and strive to ensure fair representation across our workforce. Please email [e-mail] if you have any questions or require adjustments to help you participate fairly in our recruitment process, for example changes to the way we interview or share information. As a Disability Confident Employer, we are committed to providing an inclusive and accessible recruitment experience for all candidates. We particularly encourage applications from groups currently underrepresented in STEM, including women and people from diverse ethnic backgrounds. All appointments are made on merit and further information can be found here.