Finance Business Partner

Sheffield City Council HQ; Sheffield; Hybrid; GBP 100,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

A local government authority in Sheffield is seeking a Finance Business Partner to influence strategic financial decisions for public services. This pivotal role will be involved in annual business planning, financial advice, and directly collaborating with senior leaders. The ideal candidate will possess a CCAB or CIMA qualification and have experience in complex finance environments, showcasing leadership and effective communication skills. Flexible working arrangements are available, emphasizing diversity and employee wellbeing.

Benefits

Generous holiday entitlement

Flexible working opportunities

Commitment to wellbeing and inclusion

Qualifications

• Proven and demonstrable accounting skills, including forecasting, budgeting, and planning.
• Experience managing staff in a financial context.
• Ability to inspire confidence from a wide range of stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead the annual business planning and budget setting process.
• Provide financial advice and oversight on key decisions.
• Assist in resolving business problems aligning financial and business strategy.

Skills

Leadership and teamwork skills

Ability to translate complex financial insights into clear messages

Experience in a complex finance environment

Confidence to challenge and influence decisions

High levels of personal effectiveness

Education

Full CCAB or CIMA qualification

Job description

Overview

At Sheffield City Council, finance plays a central role in shaping the future of our city. As a Finance Business Partner, you'll be at the heart of major decisions—guiding services, influencing strategic direction, and helping deliver outcomes that directly improve the lives of Sheffield's residents.

Sheffield City Council is looking for two senior finance professionals to join the Finance, Commercial and Performance Services team. There has never been a more critical time to hold the financial reins in local government, particularly in one of the UK's largest and most vibrant cities. Global financial and economic conditions have made finance in the public sector as challenging as ever and has underlined the importance and value finance professionals add.

The Finance and Commercial Services team are here to enable the delivery of high-quality public services, achieve the best value for public money and ensure we do it in the most efficient and effective way. If you enjoy the challenge of driving business improvement and enabling colleagues to achieve their goals, then this is an excellent opportunity to work in a dynamic and supportive team.

Responsibilities

• leading the annual business planning and budget setting process with services
• providing financial advice, oversight, and challenge on key decisions
• assisting in resolving business problems, ensuring that financial strategy is aligned with business strategy
• building alliances with managers and bringing financial insight to discussions about the business
• 'translating' between finance and services
• interpreting data, and then presenting the findings to the relevant stakeholders in a clear concise manner
• standing over your opinions, have a well-developed sense of ethics and be prepared to stand up for these principles

This is not a transactional role—it's strategic, future-focused, and pivotal to organisational success. You'll work directly with senior leaders to shape outcomes across high-profile services, supporting transformation, financial sustainability, efficiency and improving outcomes for residents.

The Successful Applicants will have

• A passion for making finance a driver of improvement
• Confidence to challenge and influence decisions
• A full CCAB or CIMA qualification
• The ability to translate complex financial insights into clear, compelling messages
• The ability to establish to inspire confidence from a wide range of stakeholders
• Experience of staff management
• Experience in a large, complex finance environment with proven and demonstrable accounting skills, including forecasting, budgeting, and planning
• Leadership and teamwork skills. Evidence of the ability to network across complex organisational structures
• High levels of personal effectiveness, particularly coordination, organisation, and the ability to focus on achieving deadlines, and ensuring that timetables and project plans can be met

Working at Sheffield City Council

Sheffield City Council is a great place to work, with supportive leadership committed to transforming the organisation, a strong peer network, flexible/hybrid working and a commitment to wellbeing, inclusion and continuous improvement.

Application process and inclusion

The interviews for these roles will be conducted as a joint process. Please indicate on your application whether you are applying for the permanent or fixed-term contract role or are interested in both opportunities.

We are investing in our workforce and are promoting opportunities to our under-represented groups. We value equality, diversity and inclusion and are focused on increasing the diversity of our workforce, particularly the number of Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic, Disabled and LGBTQ+ people, so that our teams reflect the communities in the city we serve. We are also supporting staff with unpaid caring responsibilities to work flexibly.

Under the Guaranteed Interview scheme, applicants who are disabled, care leavers, or armed forces veterans will be guaranteed an interview if they meet the essential criteria and indicate their eligibility on the application form.

Working arrangements and salary

Full-time employees work 37 hours for 52 weeks of the year and we offer a generous holiday entitlement. We are open to discussions about a wide range of flexible working opportunities which benefit you and the Council, including reduced hour contracts, working part time or as a job share.

If you are appointed to this role, your starting salary will be at the bottom of the grade. If you provide payslip evidence that your basic pay is greater than the bottom of the grade, we will consider starting you at the point of minimum advantage within the grade.

Safeguarding and equality

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all individuals, ensuring a safe and supportive environment for everyone and where appropriate to the role the successful applicant will be required to undertake relevant safeguarding checks.

Equality of pay is extremely important to us. All roles at Sheffield City Council are going through an evaluation process which may result in changes to some pay arrangements from 2026. Find out more on our New job evaluation process to be introduced at Sheffield City Council | Sheffield City Council