Finance Business Partner

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. 

Finance Business Partners play a critical role in supporting the delivery of business objectives, providing planning, analysis, accounting, reporting and costing insight to inform decision-making and drive financial performance. Whether contributing to new business cases or delivering month-end reporting, you will ensure accuracy, timeliness and a strong understanding of performance, working collaboratively to support effective outcomes.

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Core responsibilities

• Review and analyse performance, producing reports and commentary for project managers and business unit leadership to monitor profitability against budget and recommend corrective action
• Provide costing input to support project managers and finance in reviewing proposals, enabling timely submission of bids and contracts
• Prepare and analyse month-end accounts, ensuring accurate recognition of revenue and expenditure in line with UKAEA financial policy, working closely with business areas and the wider finance team
• Support budgeting and forecasting processes, building strong relationships with project and senior managers to develop robust project-level and consolidated forecasts
• Produce formal financial reports for customers and liaise with UK and European auditors to support timely payment for work delivered
• Maintain a strong financial control environment, ensuring balance sheet accounts (e.g. prepayments, accruals, WIP, income in advance) are fully reconciled with appropriate audit evidence
• Work with the Capital Project Accountant to report on capital expenditure, providing clear analysis and explanations for variances
• Contribute to finance-wide initiatives, including testing and implementation of new reports and system upgrades

• Part-qualified accountant 
• Experience in commercial accounting, including project costing and forecasting
• Strong business partnering experience, with a good understanding of revenue recognition and multi-funding control requirements
• Advanced Excel skills and experience with ERP systems (Unit4/Agresso desirable)
• High attention to detail, able to work to tight deadlines while maintaining accuracy, and capable of working both independently and as part of a team

A full list of our benefits can be found here but highlights include: 

• £40,402 base salary inclusive of specialist allowance 
• Final salary defined benefit scheme with an equivalent of 21.5% employer pension contribution 
• 25 days annual leave, plus 3 days Christmas closure, 2.5 privilege days and 8 Bank Holidays 
• Flexible and hybrid working options 

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, and inclusion and strive to ensure fair representation across our workforce. We particularly encourage applications from groups currently underrepresented in STEM, including women and individuals from diverse ethnic backgrounds, while ensuring all appointments are made on merit. Further information can be found here.