Senior Finance Business Partner

Gi Group UK; West of England; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Gi Group UK on behalf of a leading utilities client is recruiting a Senior Finance Business Partner in Bristol. The role acts as the primary Finance contact for the Scotland and London regional leadership teams, focusing on planning, forecasting and business partnering across the regions.

You will own month-end close, management reporting and performance analysis, delivering insightful commentary and KPI dashboards.

Qualifications

• Qualified accountant (ACA/ACCA/CIMA or equivalent).
• Significant post-qualified FP&A / management accounting experience.
• Experience using SAP R/3 for finance reporting and data extraction.
• Strong reporting quality improvement and forecast accuracy.

Responsibilities

• Lead the business plan and forecasting cycles for Scotland and London regions.
• Deliver monthly reporting for gross margin, opex, capex and KPIs.
• Own regional month-end close activities and accounting adjustments.
• Develop KPI dashboards with clear RAG status and narrative.
• Support ERP transformation and data migration activities.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Advanced Excel

Financial analysis

Forecasting & budgeting

Month-end close

Education

ACA / ACCA / CIMA

Tools

SAP R/3

Job description

Senior Finance Business Partner (Operational / Transactional) (12-month Contract, Inside IR35) - Bristol (Hybrid)

Gi Group is advertising on behalf of our prestigious utilities client for a Senior Finance Business Partner to act as the primary Finance contact for the Scotland and London regional leadership teams.

The role: what you'll be doing

Planning, Forecasting & Business Partnering

• Lead the business plan and periodic forecasting cycles for the Scotland and London regions, ensuring submissions are timely, evidence-based and aligned to operational plans.
• Improve forecast accuracy by developing assumptions, tools and processes with budget holders.
• Partner with Regional Directors to understand material variances, agree corrective actions and track delivery.
• Provide clear financial insight and constructive challenge to support decision-making and accountability.

Month-End Close, Management Reporting & Performance Analysis

• Deliver accurate monthly reporting for Scotland and London covering gross margin, opex, capex, profitability, cash flow and key operational KPIs.
• Own regional month-end close activities, including review of accruals, prepayments and accounting adjustments to agreed timetables.
• Strengthen variance analysis, commentary and performance driver insight (budget/forecast/prior periods).
• Develop consistent KPI dashboards and reporting packs with clear RAG status and actionable narrative.

Legal Entity Reporting, Audit & Financial Governance

• Produce legal entity and board reporting packs for the London and Scotland entities, highlighting performance, forecast outlook, risks and opportunities.
• Support statutory audit delivery by preparing schedules, responding to queries and coordinating with Finance colleagues and relevant support functions.
• Maintain strong governance and compliance with accounting policies, delegated authorities and audit requirements.

Transformation & ERP Support

• Support transformation activity linked to TSA exit and defining future-state finance processes for the regions.
• Act as a Finance representative for ERP implementation (requirements, reporting outputs, process design).
• Support data migration activities (cleansing, mapping, validation, reconciliation, testing and sign-off) and assist with UAT, cutover and go-live stabilisation.

What we're looking for

Essential

• Qualified accountant (ACA / ACCA / CIMA or equivalent).
• Strong hands-on experience using SAP R/3 in a finance environment (extracting, analysing, reconciling data and supporting month-end reporting).
• Significant post-qualified experience in finance business partnering / FP&A / management accounting (or similar commercially focused role).
• Strong reporting and analytical skills, with experience improving reporting quality and forecast accuracy.
• Solid month-end close knowledge (accruals, prepayments, reconciliations) and financial controls mindset.
• Advanced Excel skills and confidence working with large datasets.
• Strong stakeholder management skills; able to influence, challenge and support senior leaders.

Desirable

• Experience in asset-intensive / infrastructure / energy / multi-site environments.
• Exposure to finance system separation, carve-out programmes or transformation initiatives.

Location: Bristol (hybrid working - 2-3 days per week in the Bristol office)

Travel: Occasional travel to London and Edinburgh sites will be required.

Contract: 12 months, Inside IR35.

Start date: ASAP.

Gi Group Ireland Limited are acting as an Employment Agency in relation to this role.

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