Principle Finance Business Partner

Principle Finance Business Partner

£80,000 per annum

Bedford

Permanent

Hybrid Working

Want to use your finance expertise to influence strategic decisions and improve services for customers? As the Principle Finance Business Partner, you'll partner with senior leaders across our largest directorate, providing trusted insight, leading financial planning, and helping shape decisions that make a real impact.

Why This Role Matters

As Principle Finance Business Partner, you will be the lead finance contact for our Customer Directorate, partnering with senior leaders to provide strategic financial insight, challenge, and support.

Leading a small team, you'll drive forecasting, budgeting, and business planning activities, ensuring informed decision-making and effective management of financial risks and opportunities. You'll also play a key role in business case development, procurement activity, and shaping strategic initiatives.

This is a high-profile opportunity for a commercially minded finance professional who enjoys influencing decisions, building strong stakeholder relationships, and making a meaningful impact on customer outcomes.

What You’ll Be Doing

The Principle Finance Business Partner will report directly to the Lead Finance Business Partner and will be responsible for:

• Lead in providing business partnering support to the Customer directorate, ensuring financial implications are well understood and considered in decision-making processes.
• Provide commercial modelling support for Business Cases and act as the key finance contact for the design and evaluation of commissioning exercises.
• Challenge directorates to ensure multi-year forecasts and budgets are credible and achievable, with reforecasting conducted monthly.
• Manage and develop two direct reports to ensure high-quality business partner support is delivered consistently.
• Collaborate closely with the Financial Services Team to maintain robust financial controls and safeguard the business.
• Review monthly journals to ensure compliance with financial reporting standards.
• Foster a culture of finance excellence within the team and contribute to broader team objectives as required.

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Our Recruitment Process

We keep things simple, fair, and transparent:

Step 1: CV Submission

Applications open: 02nd September I Closing date: 16th September 2026

• Please submit your most up-to-date CV outlining how you meet the essential criteria detailed in the job specification.

Step 2: Telephone Interview

Taking place between: 04th September 2026 – 18th September 2026

• Candidates who meet the initial criteria will be invited to a friendly and informal telephone interview with the Reed team. This is an opportunity to discuss your experience in more detail and learn more about the role.

Step 3: Final Stage Interview

Scheduled for: 29th September 2026 – 30th September 2026

(Dates subject to change)

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend a final interview via Microsoft Teams.

Interviews will last 1 hour and will be conducted by a panel of three.

The session will include a task, presentation and a range of competency‑based questions to assess your skills, behaviours, and alignment with the role.

Everything we do aligns with the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles.

Job Reference: MaPS001305

Close Date: 16/09/2026

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.