Head of Finance – Research England
£68,525 per annum
UKRI Band G
Full Time
Polaris House, Swindon
Open Ended
Closing date: 3rd August 2025
Job Overview
Lead a finance business partnering team, providing a comprehensive financial business partnering service to Research England, providing high level insight, challenge and support to a comprehensive range of stakeholders, to deliver outcomes in line with UKRI priorities.
Responsibilities
Leadership / teamwork
·Lead, develop and motivate a team to deliver high standards of service.
·Take a collegiate approach to leading across the UKRI Finance function
·Develop exceptional collaborative relationships with senior managers and key internal and external stakeholders including the Executive Chair, COO, and Directors.
Delivery / programmes / projects / process
·Responsibility for a range of complex reporting and control functions, positioning Finance to work with the business and link budgets to delivery plans and business cases.
·Present insightful information and analysis to support effective strategic decision-making, using strong business awareness to present insightful information and analysis and to support effective longer-term decision-making and deliver outcomes in line with Council/UKRI priorities.
·Ownership and accountability for annual and multi-year budget setting cycles including close work with central strategic finance team and DSIT on dual support issues
Other
·Work to create and deliver a long term strategy for the management of cross cutting programmes noting the challenges of time limited projects and redeployment of resources
·Manage multiple stakeholders with occasionally conflicting priorities to minimise conflict and deliver best value to UKRI
About you
Essential Skills/Qualifications/Experience:
(S) – Assessed at shortlisting
(I) – Assessed at interview
(S&I) – Assessed at both shortlisting and interview
Qualifications:
·Qualified Accountant (ACA/CIMA/ACCA/CIPFA), or willing and able to complete qualification within 12 months. (S)
Experience and knowledge:
·High level understanding of accounting and finance, and demonstrable experience of working in senior finance roles and delivering effective financial management. (S, I)
·Experience of working strategically to balance the conflicting demands of multiple stakeholders whilst protecting the integrity and ownership of financial processes. (S)
·Significant experience in provision of high quality written and verbal advice, suitable for executive and senior level decision makers. (I)
Skills and abilities:
·Proven ability to build exceptional collaborative relationships with senior stakeholders and influence and challenge them with impact and professional credibility (S, I)
·Proven ability to lead and motivate a team to deliver high standards of service. (S)
·Proven high level written and oral communication skills. (S,I)
·Personal resilience and a confident approach, willing to apply good judgement to solve issues and find solutions. (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
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