Finance Business Partner

Network Rail; Camden Town; On-site; GBP 44,000 - 52,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Privileged staff travel

Rail season ticket subsidy

Pension schemes

Hybrid working

Flexible leave

Armed Forces leave

Job summary

Network Rail in London is seeking a finance professional to provide high‑quality accounting and financial advisory support to senior leaders. You will lead budgeting, governance, and reporting to enable informed decision making and safer, more efficient rail operations.

You will apply strong accounting knowledge, manage risk, and influence leaders across the organisation while ensuring compliance with financial regulations.

Qualifications

• Strong understanding of business needs and accounting standards.
• Experience creating and maintaining accounts and annual budget.
• Membership of accounting body or working towards one.
• Significant experience in finance disciplines.
• Excellent Excel and data manipulation skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead and provide financial advice to senior budget holders.
• Advise on accounting results and forecasts for budget holders.
• Manage governance across cost centres to protect the business.
• Deliver accurate business reviews and highlight significant issues.
• Influence senior team members to improve performance.
• Develop detailed plans to manage budgets and governance.
• Identify and manage commercial risks with customers or suppliers.
• Manage central accounting functions for efficient service.
• Collate and make recommendations for investment appraisals.
• Model cost base and drive efficiencies to meet targets.

Skills

Excel

Communication

Accounting interpretation

Accounting standards

Finance experience

Influencing

Financial control

Finance knowledge

Safety awareness

Education

Degree in finance/accounting or business management

CIMA/ACCA membership or equivalent

Tools

Oracle

Job description

At Network Rail, we're part of a large family serving millions of passengers and freight users throughout the UK every day. Our service impacts millions of people and we strive to become more efficient as we enhance, maintain and operate our network. Now is a fantastic time and join our team in Wales and Western region as we finalise the reforms to our maintenance organisation which will deliver:

• A safer and more reliable and punctual service for passengers and employees - quicker fault fixes by more agile multi-disciplined response teams.
• Individual rostering - enabling us to send the right number or people to fix a fault.
• Multi-skilling - investing in the knowledge and skills of our people so they are better equipped to fix the most common faults themselves.
• Accelerated and improved technology deployment - we have a raft of labour and life-saving technology ready to be rolled out.

Our passengers and freight users are at the heart of everything we do. We help connect people to their friends and families and get goods to their destination safely and efficiently. We're an organisation where people matter. When your part of our team, you matter to us and you matter to millions. Watch our video to find out more!

About our people and the recruitment process - We're an inclusive employer of choice and we welcome applications from everyone! We look for opportunities to offer great opportunities to learn and grow through personal and professional development. And, if you make the grade then you can look forward to a rewarding and fulfilling career with a company that joined the top 50 in the Glassdoor's 2021 Best Places to Work.

To work collaboratively with the business leadership team, under the direction of the Senior Finance Business Partner, to deliver high-quality professional finance and accounting advice. Provide proactive, value-added financial support to business leaders across the function enabling them to make informed decision-making.

Your Main Responsibilities will be to

• Lead and provide financial advice and guidance to senior budget holders in understanding the impact of the period results and forecasts against budges so they can understand their business better.
• Be the expert in the function on accounting practices and advise on financial results and forecasts for budget holders, including preparing period accruals, transfers and adjustments to validate accounts are reflective, relevant.
• Manage corporate governance throughout the cost centres they manage, conducting deep dives and reviewing compliance with financial regulations to protect the business from legal or negative consequences.
• Deliver expert and accurate business review information and reporting, and highlight any significant issues with financial and other business results to enable informed decision making by the business area.
• Engage and influence senior members of the team to help them understand their financial position and use professional expertise to guide in initiatives to improve business performance
• Build bottom up, detailed plans to manage and develop the production of business plans and budgets to enable good corporate governance and value add analysis for senior leaders
• Identify and proactively manage commercial risks, including the financial suitability of new customers or suppliers reducing the potential risk impact on the business area and influencing decision makers.
• Manage the performance of central accounting functions to deliver for the cost centre area to enable an efficiently and effective accounting service.
• Collate, investigate and make recommendation for investment appraisals and business case analysis to aid business decisions.
• Model and analyse cost base and identify and drive opportunities and efficiencies to achieve area targets.

Pay and Rewards

Salary: This role is a 4.C £43,588 - £51,719per annum

As a Network Rail employee, you will enjoy a wide range of benefits!

• Privileged staff travel - Leisure travel discount of 75% on all leisure travel and includes family members.
• A subsidy of up to 75% on rail and underground season tickets if you travel to work on the train.
• GWR ticket alliance, Heavily discounted all day passes for you and up to 3 friends and family to use across the GWR network (48 passes per year)
• Benefits package including healthcare offers, a cycle to work scheme, discounted healthcare club membership, and a discounted offers and benefits including childcare, healthcare and online shopping site.
• A range of Pension schemes to choose from
• Effectively manage work-life balance with a 35hrsper week contract,hybrid working, flexible working, flexible leave,and enhanced family friendly support.
• 2 weeks paid reserve leave for the Armed Forces community.
• In Wales and Western region, you will have the opportunity to join PROUD, our reward and recognition scheme where you can say thanks and recognise colleagues across the region who have demonstrated outstanding values and behaviours.

More about the role and your application

Closing date: 18th November 2026 Late applications will not be accepted. This vacancy is also being advertised externally

This role requires working in the office for a least 60% of the working week

We want to ensure everyone has an equal opportunity. Therefore, should you require any reasonable adjustments/modifications, please do let us know by including within your application.

Your experience and skills

You will ideally have

• Demonstrate strong understanding of business needs and relevant application of accounting standards
• Membership (Or working towards a membership) of a relevant accounting body (CIMA/ACCA) or equivalent experience
• Expert knowledge and experience of creating and maintaining accounts and annual budget
• Significant experience within relevant finance disciplines
• Strong excel skills and use of data manipulation
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills
• Ability to interpret technical accounting regulations into everyday language
• Demonstrable effective influencing skills at a senior level
• Significant understanding of financial control and risk
• Excellent technical finance and accounting knowledge
• Keeping people safe on the railway is at the heart of everything we do. Safe behaviour is therefore a requirement of working for Network Rail.You should demonstrate your personal dedication to safety within your application.

What could set you apart

• Understanding of project management principles and experience of managing complex projects
• Membership of a relevant accounting body
• Extensive experience of Oracle based systems

Degree or equivalent qualification in finance and accounting or business management or experience

. Some of these criteria may be learnt in role. Therefore, if you do not meet all the criteria, please submit your application. We will screen your application against these criteria to assess the best match.

Key Information

Number of Positions:

1

Contract Type:

Permanent

Hours:

Full Time

Location:

London Enterprise House, London

Geographical Area:

London (Inside M25)

Closing Date:

18-NOV-2026

Job Category:

Finance

Function:

Organisation:

EI Western Route Finance Director (338315) G5