Senior Finance Business Partner

About Network Rail

Join Network Rail - Where People and Connections Matter. At Network Rail, we're dedicated to keeping passengers and freight moving safely and efficiently across the country. Joining us means becoming part of something that matters to millions. Our people are at the heart of what we do, and every role plays a vital part in building a better, more connected railway. We are committed to creating a diverse, inclusive workplace that reflects the communities we serve and support flexibility and health work life balance. As a Disability Confident Leader, we accommodate needs throughout the recruitment process.

Brief Description

Are you a strategic thinker with a passion for partnering, influencing, and shaping business success through data and insight? We're looking for a confident and collaborative Senior Finance Business Partner with strong data, modelling and business intelligence capability to join our senior leadership community.

In this role, you'll work at the heart of decision making - providing high quality financial insight, advanced analytical modelling and robust BI solutions that help leaders understand performance, risks and opportunities. You'll form trusted relationships with senior leaders, translate complex financial and operational requirements into clear insight, and ensure financial thinking is embedded into planning, forecasting and delivery. If you are motivated by improving business performance, building scalable financial models and enabling informed, future focused decisions through high quality data, this is the opportunity for you.

This is a part time opportunity for 12 months.

About the role

Be a strategic partner: Work closely with business leaders to proactively identify, plan and meet financial needs, using data led insight and modelling to drive performance improvements across the organisation.

Provide technical financial and analytical insight: Consolidate and critically review periodic results and forecasts, developing robust analytical models and dashboards that clearly highlight risks, opportunities and efficiencies.

Lead business intelligence and financial modelling: Own and maintain core financial and BI models, ensuring they are accurate, well controlled and aligned to business needs, supporting forecasting, budgeting and long term planning.

Ensure high quality financial governance: Provide professional guidance on accounting standards and financial controls, ensuring outputs remain compliant, reliable and decision ready.

Lead the preparation of business plans and budgets: Oversee periodic accounts, analysis and planning activity, ensuring outputs are supported by strong data quality, transparent assumptions and clear financial logic.

Influence key cost and income drivers: Develop a deep understanding of performance drivers, translating complex datasets into clear insight that supports an achievable and aligned annual plan.

Coach and challenge senior budget holders: Support leaders to understand the financial impact of their decisions, strengthening financial capability and accountability through insight led discussion.

Drive efficiency and value for money: Proactively challenge submissions and modelling assumptions, identifying opportunities to improve efficiency, reduce cost and optimise resource use.

Lead KPI delivery and insight: Own key functional metrics and dashboards, identifying trends, risks and performance issues, and clearly communicating insight to senior stakeholders.

Champion strong financial leadership: Lead financial discussions and forums, ensuring decisions are rooted in strong governance, robust analysis and clear understanding of financial risk.

Shape future growth: Support leaders in evaluating investment cases, assessing new opportunities and ensuring decisions are supported by sound financial and analytical modelling.

Job Skills, Experience and Qualifications Essential

• Membership (or working towards membership) of a relevant accounting body (CIMA / ACCA / ICAEW) or equivalent experience.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement and communication skills across all levels, including customers, third party representatives, business leaders and functional teams.
• Proven experience working in a complex financial environment, with strong financial control, governance, forward planning and risk management.
• Demonstrable experience of budget management, forecasting and performance reporting, supported by robust analytical models and insight.
• Significant experience managing ambiguity, using strong evaluation, analytical and decision making skills.
• Strong technical finance and accounting knowledge, applied within a complex and commercial environment.
• Degree level education in a relevant discipline (e.g. accounting, finance, business management) or equivalent experience.
• Strong experience in financial modelling, data analysis and interpretation of large, complex datasets.

Desirable

• Full membership of a relevant professional accounting body (CIMA / ACCA / ICAEW).
• Experience of Oracle based finance systems.
• Experience across multiple finance disciplines.
• Knowledge of government accounting and financial governance frameworks.
• Understanding of project management principles and experience supporting complex projects.
• Experience with business intelligence tools (e.g. Power BI), advanced Excel and data led financial reporting.