Finance Business Partner

Babcock International; Bristol; Hybrid; GBP 100,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading defense contractor in Bristol seeks a Finance Business Partner to support critical defence programmes. The role involves managing financial reports, leading forecasts, and providing key financial insights. Applicants should possess advanced Excel skills and familiarity with governance tasks. This full-time position offers hybrid working arrangements and a generous benefits package.

Benefits

Generous holiday allowance

Matched contribution pension scheme

Access to a Digital GP

Employee share scheme

Holiday Trading benefits

'Be Kind Day' for volunteering

Excellent development opportunities

Qualifications

• Strong analytical abilities and familiarity with ERP systems in large organisations.
• Experience in business-facing roles.
• Comfortable with estimate-to-complete reporting.

Responsibilities

• Support critical programmes within the Mission Systems Effectors business unit.
• Manage invoicing and payment applications across multiple project types.
• Lead monthly rolling forecasts for cost, profit, and cash flow.

Skills

Advanced Excel skills

Governance tasks

Excellent communication skills

Analytical abilities

Forecasting and cash flow management

Education

CIMA desirable

Job description

Job Title: Finance Business Partner

Location: Ashton Vale, Bristol + Hybrid Working Arrangements

Compensation: Competitive Salary + Benefits

Role Type: Full time / Permanent

At Babcock we’re working to create a safe and secure world, together, and if you join us, you can play your part as a Finance Business Partner across our Ashton Vale, Bristol and Babcock Technology Centre, Bristol sites.

The Role

As a Finance Business Partner, you’ll have an important role that supports critical programmes within the Mission Systems Effectors business unit. You’ll be working on a wide range of finance activities from ensuring robust financial controls to delivering project forecasts as well as reviewing projects to ensure strong trading margins and accurate profit opportunities.

Day‑to‑day, you’ll be responsible for a portfolio of contracts providing key financial support, as well as working closely with the Operational team to improve processes and provide robust reporting to enable them to make key decisions.

• Act as the finance subject matter expert within a team of five, supporting the Dreadnought programme – a complex, high‑value defence initiative comprising 17 distinct projects.
• Lead monthly rolling forecasts for cost, profit, and cash flow, consolidating data at programme level and ensuring accuracy for internal governance and external reporting.
• Manage invoicing and payment applications across multiple project types, ensuring timely cash receipt forecasting and alignment with contractual obligations.
• Produce and analyse large volumes of financial data using advanced Excel skills (including pivot tables), transforming insights into clear, actionable reports for internal and external stakeholders.
• Support quarterly governance reporting, cost statement reviews, and compliance, contributing to government financial submissions and long‑term contract accounting.

This role is full time, 37 hours per week and provides hybrid working arrangements with days onsite and days working from home.

Essential Experience of the Finance Business Partner

• Advanced Excel skills (ability to work with large data sets)
• Comfortable with governance tasks like contract reviews and estimate‑to‑complete (ETC) reporting
• Excellent communication skills and experience in business‑facing roles
• Strong analytical abilities and familiarity with ERP systems in large organisations
• Strong skills in forecasting, cash flow management, and contract accounting (IFRS15 knowledge is a plus).

Qualifications for the Finance Business Partner

• CIMA desirable.

Security Clearance

The successful candidate must be a sole UK national who is able to achieve and Security Check (SC) security clearance for this role.

Many of positions within our company are subject to national security clearance and Trade Control restrictions. This means that your eligibility for certain roles may be affected by your place of birth, nationality, current or former citizenship, and any residency you hold or have held. Further details are available at United Kingdom Security Vetting: clearance levels - GOV.UK.

What We Offer

• Generous holiday allowance
• Matched contribution pension scheme, with life assurance
• Access to a Digital GP, annual health check, and nutritional consultations through Aviva DigiCare+
• Employee share scheme
• Employee shopping savings portal
• Payment of Professional Fees
• Reservists in the armed forces receive 10‑days special paid leave
• Holiday Trading is a benefit that allows UK Babcock employees to buy additional leave or to sell up to one working week of annual leave from their annual entitlement. This Window opens February through to March annually
• ‘Be Kind Day’ enables employees to take one working day’s paid leave a year (or equivalent hours) to undertake volunteering work with their chosen organisation or registered charity
• Excellent development opportunities and benefits package including an employee assistance programme supporting physical, mental and financial wellbeing

Babcock International

For over a century Babcock has helped to defend nations, protect communities and build a better world. To continue, we must adapt, advance and be a sustainable business with a shared goal.

We are a disability confident committed employer. If you have a disability or need any reasonable adjustments during the application and selection stages, please email [e-mail] with the subject header ‘Reasonable adjustments requirement’. We’re committed to building an inclusive culture where everyone’s free to thrive. We are happy to talk about flexible working – please ask about alternative patterns of work at interview.

Closing Date: 17/11/2025