Finance Business Partner - Armed Forces Recruitment Services

Serco Group plc; Bristol; Hybrid; GBP 100,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading public services provider is seeking a Finance Business Partner to deliver financial support for the Armed Forces Recruitment Services contract in Bristol. This role demands professional accounting qualifications, strong financial planning experience, and excellent communication skills. The position is hybrid, offering competitive salary and benefits including a company car, private healthcare, and bonus scheme.

Benefits

Company car / £4200 cash alternative

Private healthcare

Bonus scheme of 10% on target and 20% exceeding targets

Flexible working considered

Pension - 6%

Employee Assistance Programme

Qualifications

• Proven experience in financial planning & analysis in a business partnering role.
• Ability to translate numbers into strategic insight.
• Experience supporting complex, large-scale contracts or mobilisation programmes preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic financial support to the AFRS mobilisation team.
• Act as a trusted advisor to senior leaders across the AFRS programme.
• Prepare financial reports and presentations for internal and external stakeholders.

Skills

Financial planning & analysis

Strong modelling and data interpretation skills

Excellent communication skills

Attention to detail

Commercially astute

Education

Professional accounting qualification (ACCA, CIMA, ACA)

Tools

Excel

Job description

Finance Business Partner - Armed Forces Recruitment Services

Finance Business Partner - Armed Forces Recruitment Services
Hybrid - MOD Abbeywood, Bristol
Full Time, Permanent
Band 2 / Competitive Salary

At Serco, we make a difference every day by delivering essential public services on behalf of government. Now, we are seeking a high-performing Finance Business Partner (FBP) to join us on the landmark Armed Forces Recruitment Services (AFRS) contract - a billion-pound, high-profile defence win with national importance.

Following a successful bid, the contract is now in a two-year mobilisation phase (until March 2027), ahead of full delivery from April 2027. With our customer based at MOD Abbey Wood in Bristol, this role offers exceptional visibility, scale, and challenge - ideal for a motivated FBP ready to help shape the financial and strategic roadmap of this flagship contract.

As Finance Business Partner, you'll provide strategic financial support to the AFRS mobilisation team. This includes working closely with the Finance Director, offshore shared service teams, and operational leads to deliver accurate reporting, robust forecasting, and commercial insight in a fast-paced, milestone-driven environment. You'll play a key role in ensuring the contract's transition from mobilisation to delivery is financially sound, audit-ready, and aligned with Serco's wider business objectives.

As part of this you'll:

• Act as a trusted advisor to senior leaders across the AFRS programme
• Build and manage detailed financial models to support contract planning and scenario analysis
• Collaborate with the offshore shared service centre to ensure accuracy and consistency in financial reporting
• Monitor and analyse performance against budget, highlighting risks and recommending mitigations
• Support mobilisation of core services (including IT delivery and large-scale recruitment operations) through robust financial oversight
• Prepare financial reports and presentations for internal and external stakeholders, including MOD clients and consortium partners
• Ensure compliance with internal controls and open-book contract obligations
• Provide finance training and support to non-finance managers involved in contract delivery

What you'll need to do the role:

• Professional accounting qualification (ACCA, CIMA, ACA)
• Proven experience in financial planning & analysis, ideally in a business partnering role
• Strong modelling and data interpretation skills - Excel proficiency is essential
• Commercially astute, with the ability to translate numbers into strategic insight
• Excellent communication skills and the confidence to challenge, influence, and advise senior stakeholders
• Strong attention to detail and an ability to operate under pressure with competing priorities
• Experience supporting complex, large-scale contracts or mobilisation programmes preferred
• Knowledge of open book accounting and MOD/government contracting advantageous

Why Serco:

Meaningful and vital work: In this position, your work is vital to the business, in terms of decisions and growth. You will gain a world of opportunity working for a globally operating business delivering essential services across 5 vital sectors, personal growth, achievement and development won't be hard to find. You'll also work with great people. You'll find yourself working in a highly motivated, supportive environment where no two days are the same, with experienced colleagues who strive for excellence.

What we offer:

• Company car / £4200 cash alternative
• Private healthcare
• Bonus scheme of 10% on target and 20% exceeding targets
• Flexible working considered
• Pension - 6%
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Chance to contribute to innovation in the public services
• A company passionate about diversity and inclusion

About Serco
At Serco, not only is the nature of the work we do important, everyone has an important role to play, from caring for vulnerable people to managing complex public services. We are a team of 50,000 people responsible for delivering essential public services around the world in areas including defence, transport, justice, immigration, healthcare and citizen services. We are innovators, committed to redesigning and improving public services for the benefit of everyone.

By joining Serco you will have unlimited access to our Global Employee Networks - SercoInspire (Gender), SercoEmbrace (Multicultural), SercoUnlimited (Disability) and In@Serco (LGBT & Networks). Serco Employee Networks, led by colleagues who are passionate about diversity, inclusion and belonging.

Apply
Please click on the apply button to complete your application. Occasionally we receive a large volume of applications for our roles and when that happens we sometimes bring the closing date forward, so please apply promptly to avoid disappointment.

At Serco, we see people first and foremost for their performance and potential. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organisation that supports the needs of all. As such we will make reasonable adjustments at interview through to employment for our candidates and strongly encourage applications from a diverse candidate pool. We are open to discussions around flexibility and flexible working. We operate a hybrid work structure in many of our business areas. We are proudly Disability Confident Leader employers and holder of the Gold Inclusive Employer Standard. Disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the job will be given the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities at an interview. For help with your application please contact 0345 010 4000.

At Serco we support fair access to employment for those with unspent criminal convictions through the 'Ban the Box' pledge (some may be exempt due to the nature of the role and the security clearance required). Please contact our recruitment team directly on 0345 010 4000 to discuss.