Senior Finance Business Partner

On behalf of AWE , we are looking for a Senior Finance Business Partner (Inside IR35) for a 12 month contract based in Reading 2-3 days per week office attendance .

What if you could work on something that you can’t test… but cannot afford to fail? Something that could have spent years on a submarine, is launched into outer space (where the temperature is below -250c), comes hurtling through the atmosphere, being heated up and shaken and then must work? Some challenge . That’s exactly what the team of over 6,500 people at AWE do every day delivering important work, in support of the most important mission – keeping the nation safe.

AWE plays a crucial role in national nuclear security. Their role in nuclear deterrence and their specialist technical assistance to nuclear threat reduction is vital in the defence against the most serious threats faced by the UK. Working to support the defence of our country, AWE has a clear mission to keep everyone, the environment, their products and information, sites, and everything around them, safe and secure.

We are seeking an experienced and commercially focused Senior Finance Business Partner to play a pivotal role in providing financial leadership , insight, and challenge across a complex and dynamic organisation. Acting as a trusted advisor to senior stakeholders, you will lead finance business partnering activities, ensuring high-quality financial information, analysis , and strategic support are provided to enable effective decision -making and business performance.

This is a highly visible leadership role requiring strong stakeholder management , commercial acumen, and the ability to influence at senior levels while leading and developing high-performing finance team

As a Senior Finance Business Partner , your main responsibilities will be:

- Build and maintain strong relationships with senior leaders , budget holders, and key stakeholders, becoming a trusted financial advisor across your business areas.
- Provide strategic financial insight, commercial challenge , and robust analysis to support informed decision -making and delivery of business objectives .
- Lead financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, reporting, and performance management activities within accountable areas.
- Ensure the timely delivery of high-quality financial outputs, including budgets, forecasts, procurement plans, management reports, variance analysis , and business performance reviews.
- Support the development, review, challenge , and approval of business cases, ensuring affordability, value for money, benefit realisation, and effective risk management .
- Provide constructive challenge to financial plans and programmes to ensure alignment with organisational strategy and long-term sustainability.
- Influence senior stakeholders by translating complex financial information into clear and actionable business insights.
- Monitor resource demand and capacity across teams, ensuring appropriate deployment to meet business priorities and service delivery requirements.
- Lead , coach, and develop Finance Business Partnering teams, creating an environment of high performance, accountability, and continuous improvement.
- Represent the finance function at governance boards, leadership forums, and business reviews.
- Work collaboratively across finance and wider business functions to resolve complex business challenges and support delivery of strategic objectives .
- Proactively identify opportunities to improve financial processes, reporting, controls , and business partnering services.
- Promote financial awareness and commercial understanding across operational and leadership teams.
- Ensure compliance with financial governance, policies, controls , and regulatory requirements.
- Champion the highest standards of safety, quality, integrity, and professional conduct.

PLEASE NOTE: SC/DV Clearance is an essential requirement for this role, as a minimum you must be willing & eligible to undergo checks. Please note, due to the exceptional requirements of this position (short-term nature of this role and speed at which we require a postholder in situ) preference may be given to candidates who meet all of the essential criteria and hold active security clearance.

Essential:

- Significant experience operating as a Finance Business Partner within a large, complex organisation.
- Fully qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA, or equivalent).
- IFRS 16 Lease Accounting experience
- RDEL/CDEL Knowledhge
- Proven ability to influence and challenge senior stakeholders, including Director-level audiences.
- Strong experience in budgeting, forecasting, financial planning, management reporting, and performance analysis .
- Demonstrable experience reviewing and challenging business cases and investment proposals.
- Strong commercial awareness with the ability to balance strategic priorities, affordability, and value for money.
- Experience leading , managing , and developing finance teams.
- Exceptional stakeholder management , communication, and relationship-building skills.
- Ability to translate complex financial information into meaningful business insight.
- Strong analytical , problem-solving, and decision -making capabilities.
- Experience working within a governance-driven environment with robust financial control

Desirable:

- Experience within government, public sector, infrastructure, engineering, utilities, defence, or highly regulated environments.
- Knowledge of business case methodologies and investment appraisal techniques.
- Experience supporting large-scale transformation, change, or capital investment programmes.
- Advanced financial modelling and scenario analysis experience.
- Track record of driving continuous improvement and finance transformation initiatives .

Please be aware that this role can only be worked within the UK and not Overseas.

AWE’s ambition is to create workplaces that recognise and celebrate differences, encourage diverse contributions and where people feel able to be themselves at work. They strive to create a genuine culture of openness and inclusion and encourage diverse applicants .

Disability Confident

As a Disability Confident employer, AWE encourage applications from disabled and neurodivergent candidates . Applications from candidates who identify as having a disability and meet the essential criteria for the role will be prioritised for review. Where application volumes are high, additional role-specific and desirable criteria may be applied as part of the shortlisting process which may include holding active security clearance.

Armed Forces Covenant

As a signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant, AWE welcome applications from veterans, service leavers, reservists and military spouses or partners. Applications from eligible candidates who meet the essential criteria for the role will be prioritised for review. Where application volumes are high, additional role-specific and desirable criteria may be applied as part of the shortlisting process which may include holding active security clearance.

In applying for this role, you acknowledge the following "this role falls in scope of the Off Payroll Working in the Public Sector legislation. Any rates of payment quoted will reflect the gross rate per day for the assignment and will be subject to appropriate taxes and statutory costs. As such the payment to the intermediary and your income resulting from this contract will be different".