Senior Finance Business Partner

Overview of Responsibilities

About Us

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 industry and research organisations to achieve ground-breaking advancements. Our goal is to bring fusion electricity to the grid by developing the power stations of tomorrow and the skilled workforce to deliver them.

About the job

As a Senior Finance Business Partner, you’ll play a key role in supporting the financial performance of one of UKAEA’s major programmes or business units. Working as a trusted member of the senior management team, you’ll provide strategic financial insight, challenge and guidance that helps shape business decisions and supports the successful delivery of complex programmes. This is an opportunity to influence long-term planning, strengthen financial performance and contribute directly to UKAEA’s mission by ensuring robust financial management across a dynamic and growing organisation.

What you’ll be doing

• Act as the trusted finance business partner for a major programme or business unit, providing strategic financial advice and challenge.
• Lead budgeting, forecasting and long-term financial planning to support delivery of business objectives.
• Produce insightful financial reporting, analysis and commentary to inform decision-making and improve performance.
• Support project teams with financial management, costing, forecasting and financial controls.
• Build strong relationships with senior leaders, project managers and key stakeholders to develop robust financial plans.
• Ensure accurate financial accounting, revenue recognition and balance sheet reconciliations in line with UKAEA policies and accounting standards.
• Lead finance input into audits, grants and funding reporting, ensuring compliance with contractual and regulatory requirements.
• Drive continuous improvement across finance processes, systems and reporting while supporting the development of junior colleagues.
• Lead and develop members of the finance team where applicable, creating a high-performing and collaborative culture.

What you’ll bring

• Part-qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA or CIMA), with a commitment to achieving full qualification.
• Experience partnering with senior leaders and supporting financial decision-making within a complex organisation.
• Experience managing the financial performance of large, multi-million-pound projects, including budgeting, forecasting and project accounting.
• Knowledge of financial accounting principles, including balance sheet reconciliations and IFRS 15 revenue recognition.
• Experience supporting audits, grant funding or multi-funded programmes within a regulated or complex environment.
• Strong Excel skills and experience using ERP finance systems.

Benefits

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

• A salary of £51,317
• Up to 7% corporate performance bonus 
• Final salary defined benefits pension scheme with an equivalent of 21.5% employer pension contribution  
• 25 days annual leave, 2.5 privilege days and 8 Bank Holidays   
• 3 days of site closure over Christmas break  
• Flexible working options plus family-friendly leave provisions  

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 talent@ukaea.uk 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.