Head of Finance Business Partnering

Government Recruitment Service; Sheffield; Hybrid; GBP 100,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

A governmental agency in the UK is seeking a Finance Business Partner to lead financial operations and provide strategic financial insights. This full-time role involves engaging with senior leadership, supporting key business decisions, and ensuring robust financial governance. Candidates should demonstrate an extensive background in financial analysis and budget management. The position requires travel across the UK and offers flexibility in working patterns including job-share options.

Qualifications

• Experience in a senior financial role with strategic influence.
• Proven ability to provide financial insight and governance.
• Strong understanding of budgeting, forecasting, and financial reporting.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Finance Business Partner team and engage with senior leadership.
• Provide financial guidance and oversight within the business area.
• Support strategic business decisions with financial insights.
• Monitor financial risks and propose mitigating actions.

Skills

Financial analysis

Budget management

Strategic planning

Risk management

Stakeholder engagement

Job description

The Home Office works to build a safe, fair and prosperous UK. We achieve this through our work on counter‑terrorism, policing, crime, drugs policy, immigration and passports.

The Chief Operating Officer Group works closely with the Home Office’s policy and operational commands to enable us together to deliver the department’s priorities. The group is comprised of different teams and professional functions, including Commercial, Finance, People, Portfolio and Project Delivery, Security, Estates and Information and Digital, Data and Technology.

The Home Office finance function comprises two Director roles with a Strategic and Operational focus. The Strategic FD focuses on future financial planning and business partnering. The Operational FD is focused on accounts production, system and management accounting.

The Finance Directorate is one of the most dynamic and forward-looking places to work. We provide professional finance advice and challenge which ensures that the Home Office delivers value for money to the taxpayer and protects the Accounting Officers in their responsibilities for regularity, propriety, value for money and feasibility on all spending decisions. We ensure that finance is at the heart of decision making and operate a business partner model to support strategic planning, operational control and by working within challenging budgets through effective financial reporting, management and planning.

Finance Business Partner (FBP) teams work alongside, and have a close understanding of, the businesses they support providing crucial finance guidance and oversight. The main purpose of the teams is to provide support and challenge to Home Office business areas and to ensure that decisions are made with reference to financial information and consequences, putting finance at the heart of decision making.

There are a range of FBP roles available, and the post holder will provide business leaders with financial insight for their area enabling them to achieve the best outcomes for the public and supporting the strategic direction of the Group. The post holder will manage their team and will work closely with other G6 FBPs and Management Accounting Unit (MAU) colleagues to drive forward financial insight and best practise across the wider team.

The work will include influencing and guiding the Director General, Directors and their teams across their area to ensure budgets, forecasts and actuals are clear; maintaining good financial governance; contribute to the Medium-Term Financial Plan (MTFP) and provide support to build and maintain productivity and efficiency measures.

The G6 Finance Business Partner will have a significant span of control and be responsible for complex areas of the business, ensuring that the Senior Finance Business Partner has space to prioritise strategic issues.

Key Responsibilities

• Senior financial lead for their area and Head of the FBP team.
• Engage with Director General/Directors/teams on their activity, reflecting plans through the monthly financial cycle, including forecasting and reporting.
• Build in depth knowledge and understanding of the business, linking in the necessary financial advice.
• Support and influence key strategic business decisions of the business area to discuss and agree productivity and efficiency measures.
• Provide challenge to the business unit to test assumptions and risks. Balance delivery of Home Office-wide objectives with those of the business being supported; resolve opposing priorities. Advise on key business planning assumptions, trade-offs and opportunities.
• Lead relationship with the management accounts team to ensure appropriate split of responsibilities.
• Identify financial risks, monitor risk and propose mitigating actions.
• Deliver to monthly, quarterly and annual planning and reporting cycles, medium term financial planning.

Working Pattern

This role is available on a full-time basis with the option of job-share and compressed hours working. These roles are not suitable for part-time working hours

Travel

Travel around the UK, with occasional overnight stays, may be necessary.