Head of Finance

Balfour Beatty plc; Grays; Hybrid; GBP 125,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading infrastructure company is seeking a Head of Finance to join its Highways team for the Lower Thames Crossing project in Grays. The role involves financial management, cost control, and leading a high-performing finance team. Ideal candidates will be qualified accountants with significant experience, strong leadership skills, and a background in construction accounting. The position offers flexibility with remote working and various benefits.

Benefits

Smart working with flexibility

25 days paid annual leave

Family friendly policies

Pension and share incentive plan

Qualifications

• Significant post-qualification experience in finance.
• Experience in leadership roles and finance team development.
• Ability to analyse complex data accurately.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership and direction within the Roads North section.
• Ensure robust financial accounting and reporting processes.
• Manage the preparation of monthly financials.

Skills

Construction accounting

Financial management

Leadership

Communication skills

Analytical skills

IT skills

Education

Qualified accountant

Tools

MS Office

Job description

About The Role

Balfour Beatty has an exciting opportunity for a Head of Finance to join our Highways team supporting the Lower Thames Crossing project based in Thurrock.

Role Purpose

We are seeking a strategic and highly skilled Head of Finance to provide leadership and direction to the Roads North section of the LTC project. You will take overall accountability and ownership for financial management, cost control and reporting, and will build and sustain a best in class financial control function. As a key member of the Senior Leadership Team you will contribute to all aspects of the business, including strategic development and implementation, business planning, decision support, operational performance, and organisational efficiency.

What you’ll be doing

Financial Governance

• Ensure robust financial accounting, controls and reporting processes
• Provide effective cost control, ensuring costs are incurred in accordance with Schedule of Cost Components
• Ensure cost forecasts are accurate and complete, with cost proactively monitored against approved forecast
• Own the cost reporting section of the commercial CVRs, ensuring all figures are robust understood and supportable
• Manage the timely preparation of monthly financials including cash flow reporting, actual results, budgets and forecasts
• Provide reporting to BB Highways in line with BB Group policy and requirements
• Administer effective balance sheet control and cash management
• Manage Project Bank accounts
• Safeguard assets

Leadership

• Lead and develop a high performing finance team, promote a pipeline of talent, and assist with internal training
• Promote and facilitate utilisation of the principles of continuous improvement across the team
• Develop and implement strategy alongside the Senior Leadership Team
• Promote BB and LTC values and behaviours
• Develop a strong relationship with the customer, proactively contributing to solutions and delivering positive outcomes for the customer

Operational

• Work closely with operational leadership and commercial teams to drive performance
• Provide constructive and independent challenge
• Identify and manage risks and opportunities

Health and Safety

• Ensure a relentless focus on Zero Harm
• Accountable for the safety and welfare of employees and supply chain
• Deliver Health and Safety leadership tours

Who we’re looking for

• A qualified accountant with significant post qualification experience
• Experience of construction accounting
• Experience within leadership roles, building and leading finance teams and operating within cross functional Senior Leadership Teams
• A self-starter, highly motivated, energetic and dedicated, with a strong track record of promotion in the organisations that they have worked in
• Strong communication skills and an ability to command respect at all levels of the organisation
• A willingness to drive best practice and innovate
• Independent and objective, but commercially astute
• Customer centric and proactive in delivering positive customer solutions
• Ability to analyse complex data with accuracy
• Strong IT skills especially MS Office, Excel, PowerPoint, Word etc
• Would ideally suit an existing Finance Director / Head of Finance / Senior Finance Manager
• Highways experience a benefit but not essential

Why work for us

Day in, day out, our teams deliver some of the UK’s most ambitious, exciting and meaningful projects; developing, building and maintaining the vital infrastructure that supports national economies and strengthens communities.

Why join us?

Benefits

• Smart working, giving you more flexibility such as staggered start and finish times, with up to 40% remote working, where roles allow.
• 25 days paid annual leave (pro rata)
• Family friendly policies which include 28 weeks full pay for maternity/adoption leave and four weeks full pay for paternity/partners leave
• Pension, share incentive plan, volunteering leave, recognition schemes and much more…

  About Us

  Balfour Beatty’s Highways business delivers major schemes including motorway upgrade programmes, complex national infrastructure projects and regional investment programme works for National Highways. We have a strong orderbook and a positive pipeline of opportunities, we put the road user, at the heart of everything we do. We work safely, reduce carbon emissions and added social value to the communities within which we work.

  Diversity and inclusion

  At Balfour Beatty we believe that diversity and inclusion are essential components of any successful, happy workplace. Through our Value Everyone Diversity and Inclusion Strategy and Action Plan, we are growing our diverse workforce and developing our inclusive culture where everyone is able to thrive and reach their full potential, regardless of their identity or background. To find out how we are making this a reality, visit www.balfourbeatty.com/diversityandinclusion

  Disability confident employer

  As a Disability Confident Employer, we are committed to working with people who have disabilities and long-term health conditions to remove barriers for them in obtaining employment. We are also committed to offering applicants with a disability an interview if they meet the minimum requirements for the role. For more info, visit: https://disabilityconfident.campaign.gov.uk/

  Contact

  If you have any feedback on the process, please share this with us at: [e-mail]