Lead Finance Business Partner

UK Atomic Energy Authority; Culham; On-site; GBP 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Up to 7% corporate performance bonus

Final salary defined benefits pension

25 days annual leave + 2.5 days

Site closure 3 days at Christmas

Flexible working options

Job summary

UKAEA is looking for a Lead Finance Business Partner to provide high‑quality financial planning, analysis, reporting and costing across corporate overheads. You will act as the finance SME, partnering with project managers and senior leaders to ensure accurate, timely information and informed decision making.

The ideal candidate is ACCA or CIMA qualified with extensive experience in management accounting, budgeting, forecasting and consolidated reporting, plus advanced Excel skills.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in finance business partnering and management accounting.
• Strong background in budgeting, forecasting and consolidated reporting.
• Advanced Excel skills and ability to develop complex analysis.

Responsibilities

• Act as SME for corporate overheads and drive financial control improvements.
• Lead new corporate overhead models and monthly performance packs.
• Prepare analyses and presentations for senior leadership comparing actual vs forecast.
• Review performance, provide clear commentary and recommendations to stakeholders.
• Support budgeting and forecasting with robust project and business-unit plans.

Skills

Finance partnering

Management accounting

Financial planning

Forecasting

Excel advanced

Education

ACCA or CIMA (final stage)

Job description

Fusion, the process that powers the sun and stars, is one of the most promising options for generating the cleaner, carbon-free energy that our world badly needs. UKAEA leads the way in realizing fusion energy, partnering with industryand research organisations to achieveground-breaking advancements. Our goal is to bring fusion electricity to the gridby developing the power stations of tomorrow and the skilled workforce to deliver them.

About the job

As Lead Finance Business Partner, you will play a key role in supporting the delivery of UKAEA’s business objectives by providing high-quality financial planning, analysis, reporting and costing expertise. You will act as the Finance subject matter expert for corporate overheads, providing insight and constructive challenge to support effective decision-making and improved financial performance. Working closely with project managers, senior leaders and colleagues across Finance, you will ensure financial information is accurate, timely and clearly understood.

What You’ll be Doing

• Act as the Finance subject matter expert for corporate overheads, strengthening financial controls and driving continuous improvement.
• Lead the implementation of new corporate overhead models as required.
• Consolidate and report corporate overheads across UKAEA, producing monthly performance packs covering financial performance, forecasts, risks and opportunities.
• Prepare financial analysis, reports and presentations for senior leadership, including comparisons of actual and forecast performance against business-planning assumptions.
• Review financial performance and provide clear commentary and recommendations to project managers and business-unit leaders.
• Provide costing information and financial review for proposals, enabling bids and contracts to be issued promptly.
• Prepare and analyse month-end accounts, ensuring expenditure and revenue are recognised accurately and in accordance with UKAEA financial policies.
• Support budgeting and forecasting, building productive relationships with stakeholders to develop robust project and business-unit plans.
• Produce formal financial reports for customers and work with UK and European auditors to support payment for completed work.
• Maintain a robust control environment, including reconciliations for relevant balance-sheet accounts, and work with the Capital Project Accountant to report capital expenditure and explain variances.

What You’ll Bring

• Fully qualified or final-stage ACCA or CIMA
• Significant experience in finance business partnering, management accounting, financial planning and reporting.
• Strong experience of budget setting, forecasting, consolidated reporting and financial performance management.
• Ability to provide insightful analysis, apply professional judgement to complex situations and constructively challenge and influence management-level stakeholders.
• Advanced Excel skills, with experience developing complex analysis, forecasting models, executive reporting and process improvements.
• A sound understanding of revenue recognition, balance-sheet controls and multi-funding requirements, combined with the ability to deliver accurate work to challenging deadlines.

UKAEA is an onsite organisation, and this role requires regular onsite presence (usually between 3-5 days in any given week) in line with business needs. We actively support flexible working arrangements where this is compatible with the role

Our commitment to ED&I

UKAEA's mission is clean energy for all, and we welcome talented people from all backgrounds to help us achieve this goal. We are committed to equality, diversity, inclusion and accessibility, and strive to ensure fair representation across our workforce.

Please email [e-mail] if you have any questions or require adjustments to help you participate fairly in our recruitment process, for example changes to the way we interview or share information. As a Disability Confident Employer, we are committed to providing an inclusive and accessible recruitment experience for all candidates.

We particularly encourage applications from groups currently underrepresented in STEM, including women and people from diverse ethnic backgrounds. All appointments are made on merit and further information can be found here.

We have a generous range of benefits (see the full list here) and highlights include:

• Up to 7% corporate performance bonus
• Final salary defined benefits pension scheme with an equivalent of21.5% employer pension contribution
• 25 days annual leave plus 2.5 privilege days; 8 Bank Holidays
• 3 days of site closure over Christmas break
• Flexible working options plus family-friendly leave provisions