Finance Business Partner - Armed Forces Recruitment Service
| Posting date: | 30 July 2025 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | Not specified |
| Additional salary information: | £70000-95000 per annum |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 15 August 2025 |
| Location: | Bristol, BS34 8JH |
| Company: | Serco Limited |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 303773-43555683 |
Summary
Meaningful and vital work: In this position, your work is vital to the business, in terms of decisions and growth. You will gain a world of opportunity working for a globally operating business delivering essential services across 5 vital sectors, personal growth, achievement and development won’t be hard to find. You'll also work with great people. You’ll find yourself working in a highly motivated, supportive environment where no two days are the same, with experienced colleagues who strive for excellence.
At Serco, we make a difference every day by delivering essential public services on behalf of government. Now, we are seeking a high-performing Finance Business Partner (FBP) to join us on the landmark Armed Forces Recruitment Services (AFRS) contract – a billion-pound, high-profile defence win with national importance.
Following a successful bid, the contract is now in a two-year mobilisation phase (until March 2027), ahead of full delivery from April 2027. With our customer based at MOD Abbey Wood in Bristol, this role offers exceptional visibility, scale, and challenge — ideal for a motivated FBP ready to help shape the financial and strategic roadmap of this flagship contract.
As Finance Business Partner, you’ll provide strategic financial support to the AFRS mobilisation team. This includes working closely with the Finance Director, offshore shared service teams, and operational leads to deliver accurate reporting, robust forecasting, and commercial insight in a fast-paced, milestone-driven environment. You’ll play a key role in ensuring the contract's transition from mobilisation to delivery is financially sound, audit-ready, and aligned with Serco’s wider business objectives.
As part of this you’ll:
· Act as a trusted advisor to senior leaders across the AFRS programme
· Build and manage detailed financial models to support contract planning and scenario analysis
· Collaborate with the offshore shared service centre to ensure accuracy and consistency in financial reporting
· Monitor and analyse performance against budget, highlighting risks and recommending mitigations
· Support mobilisation of core services (including IT delivery and large-scale recruitment operations) through robust financial oversight
· Prepare financial reports and presentations for internal and external stakeholders, including MOD clients and consortium partners
· Ensure compliance with internal controls and open-book contract obligations
· Provide finance training and support to non-finance managers involved in contract delivery
What you’ll need to do the role:
· Professional accounting qualification (ACCA, CIMA, ACA)
· Proven experience in financial planning & analysis, ideally in a business partnering role
· Strong modelling and data interpretation skills — Excel proficiency is essential
· Commercially astute, with the ability to translate numbers into strategic insight
· Excellent communication skills and the confidence to challenge, influence, and advise senior stakeholders
· Strong attention to detail and an ability to operate under pressure with competing priorities
· Experience supporting complex, large-scale contracts or mobilisation programmes preferred
· Knowledge of open book accounting and MOD/government contracting advantageous
Why Serco:
Meaningful and vital work: In this position, your work is vital to the business, in terms of decisions and growth. You will gain a world of opportunity working for a globally operating business delivering essential services across 5 vital sectors, personal growth, achievement and development won’t be hard to find. You'll also work with great people. You’ll find yourself working in a highly motivated, supportive environment where no two days are the same, with experienced colleagues who strive for excellence.
What we offer:
- Company car / £4200 cash alternative
- Private healthcare
- Bonus scheme of 10% on target and 20% exceeding targets
- Flexible working considered
- Pension – 6%
- Employee Assistance Programme
- Chance to contribute to innovation in the public services
- A company passionate about diversity and inclusion
At Serco, we make a difference every day by delivering essential public services on behalf of government. Now, we are seeking a high-performing Finance Business Partner (FBP) to join us on the landmark Armed Forces Recruitment Services (AFRS) contract – a billion-pound, high-profile defence win with national importance.
Following a successful bid, the contract is now in a two-year mobilisation phase (until March 2027), ahead of full delivery from April 2027. With our customer based at MOD Abbey Wood in Bristol, this role offers exceptional visibility, scale, and challenge — ideal for a motivated FBP ready to help shape the financial and strategic roadmap of this flagship contract.
As Finance Business Partner, you’ll provide strategic financial support to the AFRS mobilisation team. This includes working closely with the Finance Director, offshore shared service teams, and operational leads to deliver accurate reporting, robust forecasting, and commercial insight in a fast-paced, milestone-driven environment. You’ll play a key role in ensuring the contract's transition from mobilisation to delivery is financially sound, audit-ready, and aligned with Serco’s wider business objectives.
As part of this you’ll:
· Act as a trusted advisor to senior leaders across the AFRS programme
· Build and manage detailed financial models to support contract planning and scenario analysis
· Collaborate with the offshore shared service centre to ensure accuracy and consistency in financial reporting
· Monitor and analyse performance against budget, highlighting risks and recommending mitigations
· Support mobilisation of core services (including IT delivery and large-scale recruitment operations) through robust financial oversight
· Prepare financial reports and presentations for internal and external stakeholders, including MOD clients and consortium partners
· Ensure compliance with internal controls and open-book contract obligations
· Provide finance training and support to non-finance managers involved in contract delivery
What you’ll need to do the role:
· Professional accounting qualification (ACCA, CIMA, ACA)
· Proven experience in financial planning & analysis, ideally in a business partnering role
· Strong modelling and data interpretation skills — Excel proficiency is essential
· Commercially astute, with the ability to translate numbers into strategic insight
· Excellent communication skills and the confidence to challenge, influence, and advise senior stakeholders
· Strong attention to detail and an ability to operate under pressure with competing priorities
· Experience supporting complex, large-scale contracts or mobilisation programmes preferred
· Knowledge of open book accounting and MOD/government contracting advantageous
Why Serco:
Meaningful and vital work: In this position, your work is vital to the business, in terms of decisions and growth. You will gain a world of opportunity working for a globally operating business delivering essential services across 5 vital sectors, personal growth, achievement and development won’t be hard to find. You'll also work with great people. You’ll find yourself working in a highly motivated, supportive environment where no two days are the same, with experienced colleagues who strive for excellence.
What we offer:
- Company car / £4200 cash alternative
- Private healthcare
- Bonus scheme of 10% on target and 20% exceeding targets
- Flexible working considered
- Pension – 6%
- Employee Assistance Programme
- Chance to contribute to innovation in the public services
- A company passionate about diversity and inclusion
Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme
Disability Confident
About Disability Confident
A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident.