Head of Finance Business Partners (9-Month Fixed-Term Contract)

Digital Science; United Kingdom; On-site; GBP 100,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

A pioneering technology company in the UK seeks a Head of Finance Business Partners for a 9-month fixed-term contract. The role involves leading a team to shape financial strategy and support business goals. Candidates should have strong financial and commercial acumen, with experience in strategic business partnering necessary. Competitive salary starting from £62,000 with an attractive benefits package.

Benefits

Benefits package designed to support wellbeing

Qualifications

• Proven track record in leading finance teams with focus on strategic business partnering.
• Strong influencing skills across C-suite and functional leadership.
• Experience ideally in a SaaS or recurring revenue environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead and grow a high-performing team of Finance Business Partners.
• Shape strategic direction of business partnering function.
• Guide team in aligning financial strategies with business outcomes.

Skills

Leadership

Financial acumen

Commercial understanding

Data analysis

Influencing skills

Job description

Head of Finance Business Partners (9-Month Fixed-Term Contract)

Head of Finance Business Partners (9-Month Fixed-Term Contract)

Department: Finance

Employment Type: Temporary

Location: UK

Description

About us

We are Digital Science and we are advancing the research ecosystem.

We are a pioneering technology company, and our vision is of a future where a trusted and collaborative research ecosystem drives progress for all. We believe in better, open, collaborative and inclusive research. In creating the next generation of tools and working in partnership with the community we tackle some of the biggest challenges to research. In order to achieve our vision, we need innovative, inspiring and dynamic people to join our team. Want to join us?

Your new roleAs the Head of Financial Business Partners, you will lead and evolve a high-performing team of Finance Business Partners (FBPs), each aligned to a key vertical of the business. You will shape the strategic direction of the business partnering function, ensuring Finance plays an active, consistent, and value-driven role across the organisation.

Reporting directly to the CFO, you will be a critical member of the Finance leadership team, influencing company-wide financial decisions and acting as a key bridge between financial strategy and business execution.

Please note that this position is a 9-month maternity cover contract.

Please be aware that we may close this position early if we receive a high volume of applications, so we encourage you to apply promptly.

What you'll be doing

Leadership & Organisational Impact

• Set the vision and direction for the Finance Business Partnering function, aligned to the company's strategic and financial goals.
• Lead, mentor, and grow a team of FBPs to become trusted, commercially savvy advisors to their business units.
• Embed a culture of performance, proactivity, and continuous improvement across the team.
• Represent the Finance function in cross-functional leadership forums, supporting enterprise-level initiatives and transformation efforts.

Strategic Business Partnering

• Ensure FBPs deliver forward-looking, insight-led financial support that enables each vertical to achieve its commercial objectives.
• Partner with horizontal functions (Product, Technology, Sales, Marketing, and Customer) to support integrated planning and investment decisions.
• Guide the team in aligning financial strategies with business outcomes, focusing on long-term value creation.

Consistency, Best Practice & Standards

• Define and implement a consistent operating model, toolkit, and cadence across the Business Partnering function.
• Champion financial best practices in forecasting, reporting, resource allocation, and decision support.
• Ensure financial messages are coherent and aligned across the organisation, driving clarity in performance storytelling.

Insight & Executive Decision Support

• Elevate the quality and influence of financial insights delivered to the Executive Team.
• Support enterprise-wide initiatives with scenario planning, investment evaluation, and strategic modelling.
• Ensure full alignment between key performance indicators (e.g., revenue, sales, ARR) and their implications across verticals and functions.

Operational Excellence & Continuous Improvement

• Oversee the execution of monthly performance reporting, variance analysis, and financial commentary across all business areas.
• Lead budgeting, reforecasting, and long-range planning efforts with a focus on accuracy, insight, and cross-functional alignment.
• Continuously improve systems, tools, and processes that support the agility and impact of the Finance BP function.

What you'll bring to the role

• Proven track record in leading finance teams with a focus on strategic business partnering.
• Deep financial acumen and strong commercial understanding, ideally in a SaaS or recurring revenue environment.
• Skilled at driving consistency, embedding structure, and aligning teams around a shared vision.
• Strong influencing skills with the ability to partner effectively across C-suite and functional leadership.
• Adept at turning data into insight, and insight into action.
• Passionate about developing talent and building future finance leaders

Not sure you meet all qualifications? Let us decide! Research shows that women and members of other under-represented groups tend to not apply to jobs when they think they may not meet every qualification, when in fact, they often do! We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment and strongly encourage you to apply.

Our vision and values

We invest in, nurture and support innovative businesses and technologies that make all parts of the research process more open, efficient and effective.

The talent we secure is fundamental to us achieving our vision and our growth plans. The values we live by are:

We are brave in the pursuit of better

We are collaborative and inclusive

We are always open-minded

We are from and for the community

We're an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, colour, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.

• From £62,000, plus a benefits package designed to support your wellbeing and reward your impact
• From £62,000, plus a benefits package designed to support your wellbeing and reward your impact