Senior Finance Business Partner (Operational / Transactional) (12-month Contract, Inside IR35) – Bristol (Hybrid)

Gi Group is advertising on behalf of our prestigious utilities client for a Senior Finance Business Partner to act as the primary Finance contact for the Scotland and London regional leadership teams.

This is a hands-on, operational/transactional role with strong ownership of planning and forecasting, month-end close, management reporting, variance analysis and governance, alongside involvement in finance transformation, TSA exit activity and ERP implementation.

Location: Bristol (hybrid working – 2–3 days per week in the Bristol office)

Travel: Occasional travel to London and Edinburgh sites will be required

Contract: 12 months, Inside IR35

Start date: ASAP

The role: what you’ll be doing

Planning, Forecasting & Business Partnering

• Lead the business plan and periodic forecasting cycles for the Scotland and London regions, ensuring submissions are timely, evidence-based and aligned to operational plans.
• Improve forecast accuracy by developing assumptions, tools and processes with budget holders.
• Partner with Regional Directors to understand material variances, agree corrective actions and track delivery.
• Provide clear financial insight and constructive challenge to support decision-making and accountability.

Month-End Close, Management Reporting & Performance Analysis

• Deliver accurate monthly reporting for Scotland and London covering gross margin, opex, capex, profitability, cash flow and key operational KPIs.
• Own regional month-end close activities, including review of accruals, prepayments and accounting adjustments to agreed timetables.
• Strengthen variance analysis, commentary and performance driver insight (budget/forecast/prior periods).
• Develop consistent KPI dashboards and reporting packs with clear RAG status and actionable narrative.

Legal Entity Reporting, Audit & Financial Governance

• Produce legal entity and board reporting packs for the London and Scotland entities, highlighting performance, forecast outlook, risks and opportunities.
• Support statutory audit delivery by preparing schedules, responding to queries and coordinating with Finance colleagues and relevant support functions.
• Maintain strong governance and compliance with accounting policies, delegated authorities and audit requirements.

Transformation & ERP Support

• Support transformation activity linked to TSA exit and defining future-state finance processes for the regions.
• Act as a Finance representative for ERP implementation (requirements, reporting outputs, process design).
• Support data migration activities (cleansing, mapping, validation, reconciliation, testing and sign-off) and assist with UAT, cutover and go-live stabilisation.

What we’re looking for

Essential

• Qualified accountant (ACA / ACCA / CIMA or equivalent).
• Strong hands-on experience using SAP R/3 in a finance environment (extracting, analysing, reconciling data and supporting month-end reporting).
• Significant post-qualified experience in finance business partnering / FP&A / management accounting (or similar commercially focused role).
• Strong reporting and analytical skills, with experience improving reporting quality and forecast accuracy.
• Solid month-end close knowledge (accruals, prepayments, reconciliations) and financial controls mindset.
• Advanced Excel skills and confidence working with large datasets.
• Strong stakeholder management skills; able to influence, challenge and support senior leaders.

Desirable

• Experience in asset-intensive / infrastructure / energy / multi-site environments.
• Exposure to finance system separation, carve-out programmes or transformation initiatives.

Interested?

If you’re looking for an operational, delivery-focused Finance role with ownership across reporting, forecasting and close—plus the opportunity to support ERP and transition activity—please apply with your CV.