24 Oct
NatCen Social Research
Great Britain
Role: Finance Business Partner
Location: London (Hybrid working)
Salary: Competitive, depending on experience
Department: Finance
Contract: Full time
As a Finance Business Partner, you’ll play a pivotal role in driving the financial success of our social research projects. You’ll be the strategic advisor to our research leaders, ensuring every decision is backed by solid financial analysis and aligned with our commercial objectives. This is not just a finance role—it's a chance to shape the future of social research with your commercial acumen.
Key Responsibilities
- Strategic Financial Leadership: Partner with Research Directors to drive financial performance, ensuring projects are delivered on time, within scope,
and on budget.
- Commercial Insight: Provide insightful analysis on profitability, project margins, and return on investment, turning complex data into actionable business strategies.
- Budgeting & Forecasting: Lead the financial planning process, from budgeting to forecasting, ensuring alignment with overall business goals.
- Performance Monitoring: Develop and implement KPIs to track project performance, driving continuous improvement and identifying growth opportunities.
- Stakeholder Engagement: Act as the financial liaison between senior management and project teams, translating financial data into compelling narratives that inform strategic decisions.
- Risk Management: Identify and mitigate financial risks, ensuring the long-term sustainability and profitability of our research projects.
- Bids & Costing: Experience working in bids and costing.
To perform any other reasonable duties that NatCen may require that are consistent with the broad nature of the job.
Skills, Knowledge and Expertise
- Commercial Savvy: You’re more than a number cruncher—you understand the commercial landscape and can navigate it with ease.
- Analytical Excellence: You have a knack for turning data into insights and insights into action.
- Stakeholder Management: You're a strong communicator, capable of influencing decision-makers at all levels.
- Experience: Proven experience in a finance business partnering role, ideally within research, consulting, or a similar industry.
- Qualification: ACA/ACCA/CIMA qualified, finalist or part qualified, with a strong background in financial analysis, budgeting, and forecasting.
- Follow the requirements of our Operating Standards, and also to meet the requirements of all our ISO standards
- Other duties which may be required from time to time
This job description may be changed from time to time at the discretion of management
Benefits
As well as a competitive salary, an excellent working environment (including a home/office hybrid working environment), you will be working for the largest independent social research organisation in the UK. We are proud of the benefits we offer our employees which include:
- 25 days holiday (plus 8 bank holidays) and flexible working
- Generous company pension scheme
- Life insurance and health cash plan
- Cycle to Work scheme and season ticket loan
- Career development, professional subscriptions support and mentoring support from industry-leading experts.
About the National Centre for Social Research
At The National Centre for Social Research we believe that social research has the power to make life better. By really understanding the complexity of people’s lives and what they think about the issues that affect them, we give the public a powerful and influential role in shaping services that can make a difference to everyone. And as an independent, not-for-profit organisation we’re able to focus our time and energy on meeting our clients’ needs and delivering social research that works for society.
▶️ Finance Business Partner
🖊️ NatCen Social Research
📍 Great Britain