Time left to apply End Date: August 12, 2025 (13 days left to apply)
job requisition id JR4155
Innovate UK has the following secondment opportunity available for employees of Innovate UK Business Connect:
Applications must be submitted by
12-08-2025
Innovate UK has the following secondment opportunity available for employees of Innovate UK Business Connect:
Applications must be submitted by
12-08-2025
Finance Business Partner
This role is part of the Innovate UK (IUK) Reporting team which has responsibility for providing reporting to Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS), UKRI Central, Research Councils and local budget holders and building operating expenditure budgets for IUK.
*Please note this advert will close on the 11th August 2025 at 23.59pm.
Watch our video “Why Join Innovate UK?” here .
Title: Finance Business Partner
Band: UKRI Band E (UKRI Ts & Cs)
Salary: £45,272 gross per annum
Reports to: Head of Finance Reporting & Planning
Location: Swindon (Hybrid Working)
Contract: Permanent
Innovate UK recognises the importance of work-life balance and we will be happy to discuss any requests for flexible working arrangements.
Job Purpose:
This role is part of the Innovate UK (IUK) Reporting team which has responsibility for providing reporting to Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS), UKRI Central, Research Councils and local budget holders and building operating expenditure budgets for IUK.
We particularly welcome female applicants as women are under-represented within Innovate UK in this type of role.
Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities:
* Ownership of consolidating financial data to produce business wide reporting, forecasting for Senior Management, FBP team and submissions to UKRI.
* Liaise with UKRI Central and DSIT to ensure reporting is submitted on time, agree allocations, oversee Supplementary Estimates.
* Contribute to key Month End activities that underpin reporting.
* Line management of colleagues on URI Finance Apprenticeship scheme.
* Support central team and NAO with interim and annual audit.
* Work to embed robust financial controls and processes across the Finance team.
* Proactively share knowledge and encourage immediate and wider team members to do the same
* Keep up to date and familiar with the latest requirements in the Consolidated Budgeting Guidance and the relevant accounting standards to feed into the process
This is not an exhaustive list and you might be encouraged to undertake any other duties across the wider directorate, commensurate with the Band and level of responsibility of this post, for which the post holder has the key experience and/or training.
Shortlisting criteria
(S) – Assessed at shortlisting
(I) – Assessed at interview
(S&I) – Assessed at both shortlisting and interview
Person Specification:
Experience & Qualifications:
Essential –
* Part Qualified Accountant (ACA/CIMA/ACCA/CIPFA) or Qualified by Experience
* Competent IT skills, including knowledge of Microsoft Office, in particular Excel
* Understanding of financial controls
* Experience of month and year-end processes and reporting, such as accruals and prepayment calculations and variance analysis
* Preparation of budgets, forecasts, and financial plans
* Experience of working as part of a wider-business, consulting with many stakeholders, showing an understanding of business priorities and working with partners to meet organisational and financial objectives
* Experience in provision of written and oral advice suitable for senior level decision makers
Skills –
* Ability to build relationships with a variety of stakeholders
* Line management skills
* Excellent written and oral communication skills, with a proactive approach
* Personal resilience and a confident, willing to apply good judgement to find solutions independently
* Team working skills, able to form effective working relationships quickly
* Ability to respond calmly under pressure and to make well-considered judgments in different situations
* Good organisational skills, able to manage and prioritise own and others’ workloads and meet deadlines in a timely manner
* Ability to see the big picture, having an appreciation for the wider context
* Continuous improvement approach, with practical implementation of ideas
Interview Criteria -
* Strong Management accounting, budgeting & forecasting experience, including month end processes
* Numeracy and analytical skills with the ability to interpret and present financial information
* Clear, demonstrable relationship management, with ability to instil confidence within stakeholders
* Strong written and oral communication skills
* Personal resilience approach to solve issues in short timescales
Competencies:
All team members demonstrate compatibility with and capability against our Core Competencies such as:
Thinking and Problem Solving – Stakeholder management – Communication skills – Influencing – Self-awareness/self-management – Strategic awareness – Working with others– Project management
Some of the above competencies will be assessed at interview stage, in addition to the criteria’s listed in the person specification.
Travel Requirements:
Swindon-based: There may be the occasional requirement for national travel.
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion:
Innovate UK is a diverse workforce of people. We believe that encouraging these differences and drawing the best from them will build a productive environment in which everyone feels valued, where talents are fully utilised and in which organisational goals are met. Underpinning this is a belief that it is a fundamental right for everyone to be treated equally, with fairness, respect and dignity. We will act directly and use our influence to ensure that this right is promoted and upheld; we encourage applications from all those who meet the criteria set-out in our role profiles.
Equal Opportunities:
We are an equal opportunities employer, committed to employing any person who meets the criteria for our roles. When undertaking recruitment we may require applicants to undertake certain tests or assessments, some of which will be online and others may be in-person. If you have a disability, heath condition or specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia then you may be entitled to support with undertaking this type of assessment exercise. Where you feel that reasonable adjustments are required to support you, we ask that you advise your recruitment point of contact in a timely fashion, providing further information. In confidence, Innovate UK will then review your application for adjustments and provide support as required.
UK Research and Innovation:
Innovate UK is partner organisation within UK Research and Innovation. If successful in securing the position, your employer will be UK Research and Innovation. More information can be found online http://www.ukri.org/ .
Employee Benefits:
We offer a benefits package crafted to provide an excellent work/life balance. This includes 30 days’ annual leave, 10.5 public and privilege days, flexible working hours, an exceptional defined benefit pension scheme, and access to a variety of support networks and discount schemes.
Benefits of working at UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)
Flexible Working:
We understand the importance of work-life balance, and are happy to discuss the possibility of flexible working with applicants.
Pre-employment Screening:
To enable us to hire the very best people we will conduct a comprehensive pre-employment check on successful applicants as part of the recruitment process.
The role holder will be required to have the appropriate level of security screening/vetting required for the role. UKRI reserves the right to run or re-run security clearance as required during the course of employment.
UKRI supports research in areas that include animal health, agriculture and food security, and bioscience for health which includes research on animals, genetic modification and stem cell research. Whilst you may not have direct involvement in this type of research, you should consider how this aligns with your personal values or beliefs. To enable us to hire the very best people we will conduct a full and comprehensive pre-employment check as a crucial part of the recruitment process on all individuals that are offered a position with UKRI. This will include a security check and an extreme organisations affiliation check.
Applications must be submitted by;
12-08-2025
Welcome and about us
Welcome to the Recruitment Site for Innovate UK Business Connect employees to apply for job opportunities within Innovate UK.
If you are not a Business Connect employee you can view externally available vacancies in Innovate UK here :
These opportunities may be available on a secondment or employment basis. In the case of a secondment your employer will remain Innovate UK Business Connect and an agreement between yourself, Innovate UK and Innovate UK Business Connect will be drawn up setting out the terms of the secondment. Secondments are usually limited to two years. In the case of employment you would leave the employment of Innovate UK Business Connect and take up employment with Innovate UK. Further details for each role, and to agree individual circumstances will be discussed with you during the recruitment process.
Flexible Working:
We understand the importance of work-life balance, and are happy to discuss the possibility of flexible working with applicants.
We strive to make decisions based on individual merit and ability. We welcome applications from all sections of the community and promote equality of opportunity in accordance with the Equality Act 2010. As holders of Disability Confident Employer status, we guarantee to interview all applicants with disabilities who meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy. Final appointments will be subject to pre-employment screening. We want to ensure that we select the person that most closely evidences their suitability against the specified criteria. If you feel that the way our selection methods/assessments are structured, could benefit from being adjusted, to help you convey your suitability, please let us know so that we can discuss your requirements with you.
If you require any assistance or adjustments please contact Recruitment@ukri.org who will be happy to help.
Other information
UKRI supports research in areas that include animal health, agriculture and food security, and bioscience for health which includes research on animals, genetic modification and stem cell research. Whilst you may not have direct involvement in this type of research, you should consider whether this conflicts with your personal values or beliefs.
To enable us to hire the very best people we will conduct a full and comprehensive pre-employment check as an essential part of the recruitment process on all individuals that are offered a position with UKRI. This will include a security check and an extreme organisations affiliation check.
Parking:
Limited parking subject to waiting list (Polaris House, Swindon only)
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