Finance Business Partner

What you’ll be responsible for

Ready to make an impact beyond the numbers?

We’re looking for a Finance Business Partner who thrives on turning data into decisions and insight into action. This isn’t just about reporting – it’s about shaping strategy, influencing leaders, and driving efficiency across the business.

What’s in it for you?

You'll join a dynamic team where your financial expertise will shape decisions and influence the future of the business. This role goes beyond numbers – you’ll be a trusted partner, providing insight that challenges thinking and drives performance. You’ll work closely with senior leaders, contribute to strategic plans, and play a key role in delivering efficiencies and value across the organisation.

Key Responsibilities

1. Lead Financial Planning: Organise and run business planning sessions, preparing budgets and forecasts that shape the unit’s strategy.
2. Drive Cost Efficiency: Identify and embed cost reduction opportunities, challenging processes and spend to deliver targets.
3. Provide Insightful Analysis: Develop cost models, track performance, and deliver bespoke analysis to support key decisions.
4. Own Month-End Close: Ensure accurate, timely reporting with clear variance analysis and commentary for senior management.
5. Partner with Leaders: Work with budget holders to assess financial impacts and support short- and medium-term plans.
6. Monitor Regulatory Targets: Track performance against Ofwat price review requirements and efficiency initiatives.
7. Support Strategic Projects: Build business cases and financial models for new opportunities and improvements.
8. Lead and Inspire: Manage a team of finance professionals, fostering innovation and process improvement.

Who you’ll work with

Internal

• Role reports to the Finance Manager
• Business Unit Financial Controller
• Heads of Service
• Central Management Accountant team
• Financial & Regulatory Accountant
• Finance Projects, Planning and Process Manager

External

• Suppliers
• External Audit 
   

About you

Essential Qualifications

• ACCA or CIMA    

Essential Experience

• Team management and leadership of individuals (line managing in this role)
• Commerciality and the ability to understand and assimilate business strategy with operations and cost drivers with a demonstratable track record of supporting a business to improve financial performance.
• Managing and undertaking Financial Planning and Analysis working with a variety of budget holders with different needs (e.g. commercial areas and overhead areas).
• Ideally 3 years+ post-qualified experience in a similar role requiring cost analysis and different forecasting techniques.

Essential Knowledge & Skills

• Comfortable working independently with operational teams and as part of a finance department.
• Proficient user of MS Office and in particular MS Excel with demonstrable experience of manipulating large volumes of data accurately and efficiently.
• Self-starter able to manage ambiguity in a complex and commercially oriented environment, operating flexibly, showing accuracy and attention to detail in all work.
• Team orientation, collaborative and tactful with good presentation skills.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills able to build effective relationship and clearly communicate results with senior level executives both verbally and in written form.

Good to know

• Hybrid working
• For an informal discussion about this role, please contact: recruitment@dwrcymru.com and enter the Job Requisition Number [8194] in the subject title line.
• Please note, we may close this role sooner if required. Please apply as soon as you can. We may also extend the original closing date depending on interest. 

Due to the nature of the industry, we require satisfactory references, post offer medical clearance, and a criminal records Basic Disclosure check on all new employees joining the business. For some roles there may be additional checks and security clearance required, and this offer is subject all checks being satisfied. You will receive further information on how to complete these checks via email once you have accepted this offer.

Benefits

As well as a market competitive salary, 33 days annual leave (pro rata, including public holidays), we offer a range of employee benefits and rewards including:

•             Option to buy additional annual leave up to 5 days per year
•             Enhanced employer pension contributions – Up to 11% employer contributions
•             Free Mortgage Brokering Services 
•             Enhanced family friendly policies
•             Progression opportunities, including the ability to apply for funded training and coaching and mentoring programmes
•             Gym and fitness discounts as well as high street shopping
•             Cycle to work scheme
•             Discount off all Welsh Water visitor attraction centres and gift shops
•             Car-leasing scheme and free on-site parking at all sites
•             Health CashBack scheme and access to an online GP service
•             An employee assistance programme for employees and their immediate family
•             Many more can be found here!  

Whilst also working for a not-for profit company that truly cares about earning the trust of customers everyday, and about looking after our beautiful environment.

Who we are

Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water keep 3 million people healthy each day with safe, reliable water, and take away wastewater to clean, before returning it safely to our beautiful rivers and seas.

To be able to deliver high quality, essential services which help to protect the health of our customers, colleagues and our environment, we need the right people to deliver on our vision.  This is achieved by living our core values and demonstrating the core behaviours that underpin them.  The security of our people, assets and information is key to us, so we are looking for people who understand and comply with the company’s required security objectives.

We know that the most successful teams are the most diverse teams. Equality, diversity and inclusion provide the very foundation to our culture at Welsh Water. We want every individual to feel confident, proud and able to bring their whole selves to work. 

To ensure an improved representation in our workforce, applications are particularly welcome from minority groups including Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people, Females, LGBT+, Non-binary and people with disabilities. Together we continue to build a workplace that not only celebrates the diverse voices of our colleagues but also represents each customer we serve.

In essence, ours is a company based on trust, openness, respect, commitment and honesty. A company that our colleagues are proud to work for.