Head of Finance BBSRC

UK Research and Innovation; Swindon; On-site; GBP 69,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in the UK is seeking a Head of Finance for BBSRC to provide strategic financial leadership and oversee a substantial budget. This role involves guiding financial planning and fostering collaboration across teams, making it crucial for the organization’s success. Ideal candidates will possess strong accounting qualifications and significant experience in senior financial management.

Benefits

Outstanding defined benefit pension scheme

30 days’ annual leave plus public holidays

Employee discounts on retail and leisure

Employee assistance programme

Flexible working options

Qualifications

• Demonstrable experience in senior finance roles.
• High level understanding of accounting and finance.
• Strong experience in month-end and year-end processes.

Responsibilities

• Lead the BBSRC Finance Business Partnering Team.
• Oversee BBSRC’s £490m+ budget.
• Develop monthly and quarterly finance reports.

Skills

Exceptional Excel skills

Financial management

Stakeholder consultation

Education

Qualified Accountant (ACA/CIMA/ACCA/CIPFA)

Tools

MS Word

MS Excel

MS PowerPoint

MS Access

Job description

Head of Finance BBSRC

£68,525 per annum

UKRI Band G

Full Time

Polaris House, Swindon, Wiltshire

Open Ended

Closing date: 4th August 2025

Job Overview

Lead the BBSRC Finance Business Partnering (FBP) Team, providing strategic financial leadership across BBSRC’s programmes, institutes, and capital investments. The role is responsible for delivering accurate, risk-informed financial forecasts, ensuring robust stewardship of public funds, and aligning financial planning with BBSRC’s strategic goals. Working closely with UKRI central finance and other council FBP teams, the postholder plays a key role in strengthening financial insight, governance, and decision-making across the bioscience portfolio.

Responsibilities

Leadership / teamwork

§Lead, develop, and motivate the BBSRC FBP Team to provide high-quality business partnering and strategic finance advice.

§Build strong relationships with the BBSRC Executive Leadership Team (ELT), Senior Leadership, and staff across BBSRC and UKRI Finance.

§Act as a senior advisor to the BBSRC ELT on financial risks, opportunities, and investment trade-offs, helping shape decisions at the highest level.

Delivery / programmes / projects / process

§Oversee BBSRC’s £490m+ budget, ensuring plans are affordable, risk-adjusted, and deliverable.

§Lead the financial planning, forecasting, and reporting cycles, providing timely and accurate insight for BBSRC ELT decision-making.

§Develop monthly and quarterly finance reports, identifying the in-year and projected outturn position, highlighting risks and opportunities, and supporting corrective action.

Other

§Support cross-functional working across BBSRC and UKRI, helping to embed integrated planning and delivery approaches.

§Promote the role of the finance function in achieving public value, sustainability, and evidence-based decision-making.

§Actively participate in UKRI finance leadership forums, contributing to shared improvement priorities and development of the finance profession.

About you

Essential skills, qualifications and experience

(S) – Assessed at shortlisting

(I) – Assessed at interview

(S&I) – Assessed at both shortlisting and interview

Qualifications:

§Qualified Accountant (ACA/CIMA/ACCA/CIPFA) (S)

Experience and knowledge:

§High level understanding of accounting and finance and demonstrable experience of working in senior finance roles and delivering effective financial management (S)

§High level competency of IT systems and applications including MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access, with focus on exceptional Excel skills (I)

§Strong experience of month and year-end processes - accruals and prepayment calculation, variance analysis etc (S&I)

§Highly numerate with the ability to provide insightful analysis on complex issues, communicating the key elements to effectively deliver projects and influence decision making at a strategic level (I)

§Experience of working strategically to balance the conflicting demands of multiple stakeholders whilst protecting the integrity and ownership of financial processes (I)

§Strong experience of working as part of a wider-business, consulting with senior stakeholders and effectively ‘partnering’ with stakeholders to meet organisational and financial objectives (I)

To view the full job description please click apply and visit our careers page

Benefits

We recognise and value our employees as individuals and aim to provide a favourable pay and rewards package! We are committed to supporting employees’ development and promote a culture of continuous learning! A list of benefits below;

• An outstanding defined benefit pension scheme
• 30 days’ annual leave in addition to 10.5 public and privilege days (full time equivalent)
• Employee discounts and offers on retail and leisure activities
• Employee assistance programme, providing confidential help and advice
• Flexible working options

Please click here for more details on theBenefits of working for UKRI – UKRI

How to Apply

Applicants are required to provide an up-to-date CV and a cover letter outlining their suitability for the role. Further information on how to apply is listed on our careers page