Strategic Finance Business Partner

Association of International Certified Professional Accountants; Swindon; On-site; GBP 57,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading organization seeks a Strategic Finance Business Partner to lead a team and provide financial business partnering services. The role involves engaging with stakeholders to deliver financial insights and support decision-making aligned with organizational priorities. The ideal candidate will be a qualified accountant with extensive experience in financial management and stakeholder engagement.

Benefits

Defined benefit pension scheme

30 days annual leave plus public holidays

Employee discounts on retail and leisure

Employee assistance programme

Flexible working options

Qualifications

• Qualified Accountant with strong understanding of finance.
• Demonstrable experience in senior finance roles.
• Exceptional Excel skills and high numeracy.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of Finance staff in delivering financial services.
• Develop and maintain relationships with stakeholders.
• Provide decision support and financial insights.

Skills

Commercial awareness

Financial analysis

Stakeholder management

Numeracy

IT systems proficiency

Education

Qualified Accountant (ACA/CIMA/ACCA/CIPFA) or QBE

Tools

MS Excel

MS Word

MS PowerPoint

MS Access

Job description

Strategic Finance Business Partner

£56,745

UKRI Band F

Full Time

Polaris House, Swindon, Wiltshire

Open Ended

Closing date: 8th June 2025

Job Overview

This role is part of the Senior Finance Management Team for AHRC and ESRC and has responsibility for leading a team of Finance Business Partners/Management Accountants in providing a comprehensive financial business partnering services and operational finance across the two Councils.The role will provide effective insight, challenge and support to a range of stakeholders including Directorate leads/budget-holders and senior finance and non-finance managers across Finance and UKRI, to deliver outcomes in line with UKRI priorities.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of Finance staff in delivering an effective financial business partnering service to the assigned Directorate business areas.
• Develop, manage and maintain strong working relationships with stakeholders in Directorate business areas and in other teams, including budget holders, senior programme managers, Directors, financial planning team, management reporting team, commercial / legal teams, other local and wider Finance Directorate staff, and relevant external stakeholders.
• Use sound commercial and business awareness and understanding to provide decision support, offering insight and challenges to relevant senior stakeholders as required to ensure robust financial processes.
• Work closely with senior stakeholders to advise on available funding to aid in establishing strategic priorities using judgement, evidence and professional knowledge.

About you

(S) – Shortlisting Criteria (I) – Interview Criteria

Essential

• Qualified Accountant (ACA/CIMA/ACCA/CIPFA) or QBE(S)
• Strong understanding of accounting and finance and demonstrable experience of working in senior finance roles and delivering effective financial management.(S & I)
• High level competency of IT systems and applications including MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access, with focus on exceptional Excel skills.(S)
• Strong understanding of contracts and commercial elements within projects.(S & I)
• Demonstrable high-level experience of month and year-end processes - accruals and prepayment calculations, variance analyses 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.(S & I)
• Experience of working strategically to balance the conflicting demands of multiple stakeholders whilst protecting the integrity and ownership of financial processes.(S & I)
• Demonstrable experience of working as part of a wider-business, consulting with senior stakeholders, utilising an in-depth understanding of business priorities, and effectively ‘partnering’ with stakeholders to meet organisational and financial objectives.(S & I)
• Significant experience in provision of high quality written and oral advice suitable for executive and senior level decision makers.(S & I)
• Proven experience in the preparation of complex budgets, forecasts and financial plans.(S & 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

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