Senior Finance Business Partner

Senior Business Partner (Career Grade I–III)

Influence at the highest level. Impact at the frontline. Build your career with us.

📍 Nottingham / Hybrid
💰 Career grade: Level I – Grade I (£47,665 – £50,908) | Level II – Grade J (£53,051– £56,293) | Level III – Grade K (£58,602 – £62,109)
🏢 Finance & Resources Directorate

Reports to: Strategic Finance Business Partner

Multiple opportunities across our business partnering teams.

At Nottingham City Council, finance isn't just about numbers – it's about making decisions that shape services, support communities, and deliver real change for 331,077 residents. Our Business Partners are the face of finance for the entire council – not an afterthought or a "nice to have," but trusted partners working side-by-side with operational leaders.

This is a role for an experienced finance professional who understands that great business partnering moves beyond monthly reporting and reactive number-crunching. It's about shaping strategy, influencing outcomes, and driving change. As a Senior Business Partner, you'll be part strategist, part confidant, and part change agent – translating financial data into operational insight, and operational reality into financial planning.

We have multiple vacancies across different business partnering teams. These are career-graded posts, with three levels of increasing complexity and strategic responsibility. This structure is designed to provide Senior Business Partners with genuine career progression and a clear pathway to becoming a Strategic Business Partner.

When you apply, you'll indicate which level you are applying for – Level I, Level II or Level III.

About the Career Grade

Our Business Partnering model operates across three levels, creating a clear career pathway and ensuring departments receive the right support at every level:

• Level I – You'll provide financial support and advice to a service area, supporting budget monitoring, financial planning and reporting, with oversight from a Strategic Finance Business Partner.
• Level II – You'll take on greater responsibility for developing options and plans to resolve emerging pressures, support the development of longer-term financial strategies, and deputise for a Strategic Finance Business Partner as required.
• Level III – You'll provide senior financial leadership and strategic advice to directors and senior stakeholders, establish longer-term council-wide financial positions, and lead service reviews and financial analysis to identify opportunities for improved efficiency and value for money.

This isn't just a job – it's a career-defining opportunity. You'll have the autonomy to shape your role, the support to develop your skills, and the satisfaction of knowing that your work directly improves the lives of Nottingham's residents. You'll be part of a professional community, with clear progression pathways, access to technical experts, and the backing of a finance function that understands the value you bring.

About the Role

As a Senior Business Partner, you'll provide strategic financial oversight over departmental budgets and support the development and delivery of Medium-Term Financial Strategy proposals, including revenue and capital monitoring and financial planning.

You'll provide expert financial and accounting advice to senior leaders, guiding strategic decision-making and the long-term financial sustainability of services. The roles have oversight over director and head of service level budgets.

You'll be a professional lead within your respective area of finance, providing expertise and high-quality financial services to senior stakeholders. You'll provide both strategic and operational financial leadership, delivering financial services directly and through the management and development of Business Partners, Senior Technicians and Technicians. You'll support the Strategic Business Partner within your area of finance to deliver financial advisory on behalf of the s151 officer, ensuring robust financial governance and stewardship of public funds.

The reality of the role: Nottingham has set a balanced budget for 2026/27 with a forecast surplus of £1.063m – but the medium-term picture is challenging. The MTFP sets out a net General Fund budget requirement of £419.858m and projects a cumulative budget gap of £37.107m over four years without new savings. The council has identified £11.948m in new savings for 2026/27, but will need to identify at least £50m over the MTFP period.

Adult social care budgets are forecast to rise from £126.9m in 2026/27 to £167.8m by 2029/30 – a 32% increase – and children's services from £106.4m to £113.9m. At the same time, the council is investing £25m in frontline services, alongside the lowest council tax increase in 18 years at 3.5%.

This is not a role for someone who wants to simply report the numbers. You'll be in the room when difficult decisions are made to address these gaps. You'll help shape the strategies that enable the council to meet rising demand within constrained resources. And you'll be the trusted adviser that senior leaders turn to when they need to understand the financial implications of their choices. You won't be buried in a back office, producing reports that no one reads – you'll be at the frontline, helping services navigate their challenges.

Your Influence and Responsibility

• Strategic influence: You'll advise directors and heads of service within your area – shaping the strategic direction of one of the council's directorates.
• Financial stewardship: You'll provide strategic financial advice, insight and intelligence to ensure best use of limited resources.
• Team leadership: You'll provide strategic and operational leadership, delivering financial services directly and through the management and development of Business Partners, Senior Technicians and Technicians.
• Improvement: You'll lead initiatives to modernise financial processes, drive innovation and improve value for money.

What You'll Lead and Influence

At all levels, you'll:

• Support budget monitoring processes and ensure budget holders are aware of emerging financial pressures or variances
• Promote a culture which empowers budget holders and supports the delivery of value for money services and knowledge of key cost drivers
• Develop appropriate financial models and analytics to determine the financial impact of future service demands, changes in legislation and other factors affecting resource requirements
• Support the production of the medium-term financial plan, undertaking resourcing forecasts and determining required savings to achieve a balanced budget over the period
• Contribute towards the closure of the Council's Accounts and provide quality assurance over corporate reports including statutory returns
• Support and enforce the delivery of an effective system of financial controls across the organisation

Who We're Looking For

You're an experienced, qualified accountant who combines local government business partnering expertise with the ability to influence, inspire and drive change. You thrive on complexity, think at scale, and have the gravitas to shape decisions at the highest level. You don't just report what happened – you help shape what happens next.

You'll bring:

• Significant experience of providing financial support and advice to a wide range of services
• Clear budget management competencies with detailed knowledge of budget systems, monitoring and financial regulations
• Experience taking ownership of the mitigation of financial risks, strengthening the overall financial control environment
• An understanding of accounting principles and practices and their applicability to local government accounts
• CCAB qualification with evidence of ongoing professional development

You'll also bring the qualities that make a great Business Partner – qualities that go far beyond technical accounting skill:

• Commercial acumen – you understand the economics of service delivery: what drives costs, where efficiency can be found, how to maximise value
• Influencing skills – you can challenge constructively, persuade without authority, and bring people with you
• Strategic thinking – you see beyond the current year, connecting operational decisions to medium-term financial sustainability
• Emotional intelligence – you read the room, understand the pressures on operational colleagues, and build trust through empathy
• Curiosity – you never accept "that's how we've always done it"; you're always asking "what if?"
• Resilience – you hold your ground when it matters, while knowing when to flex
• Political astuteness – you understand the friction between political aspirations and financial realities, and you have the confidence to constructively challenge when required
• A mission-driven, public service orientation – you're genuinely motivated by stewardship and the assurance that every pound of taxpayer money is maximised to best serve the community

Why Nottingham, Why Now?

Few councils have undergone a change of this scale. Having rebuilt financial resilience and restored confidence, we're now focused on long-term excellence.

Nottingham's financial recovery has been remarkable. In November 2023, the council issued a Section 114 notice. By early 2026, the government confirmed its intention to scale back intervention – acknowledging the significant progress made. The council delivered a £20.4m net underspend in 2025/26, did not require Exceptional Financial Support, and set a balanced budget for 2026/27. Debt has fallen from £827m to £292m in six years.

But the next phase is harder. Adult social care and children's services remain the biggest pressures on the council's finances, with budgets forecast to rise significantly over the MTFP period. The council must continue to deliver savings while investing in services, and must maintain day-to-day financial control while planning for the future.

We're looking for Business Partners who want to be part of something different. Who see the challenge in UK local government not as a reason to retreat, but as an invitation to innovate. Who understand that the best finance professionals don't just keep the score – they help change the game.

We offer:

• Local Government Pension Scheme – one of the most generous in the country
• Hybrid working – flexibility to balance office and home
• Flexible working arrangements
• Ongoing learning and development, including a structured pathway through the career grade
• A supportive, inclusive culture
• Up to 26 days annual leave, plus bank holidays increasing with time served
• Professional subscriptions paid
• Employee wellbeing support

Our Commitment to Inclusion

We are proud to be an inclusive employer where everyone is valued and respected. We want our workforce to reflect the communities we serve.

We particularly welcome applications from:

• Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities
• LGBT+ communities
• Disabled people

♿ Disability Confident Employer – guaranteed interview scheme available
🎖️Armed Forces Covenant signatory

Ready to lead at the forefront of public finance?

If you're an experienced leader who thrives on challenge and wants to shape the future of public finance, we want to hear from you.

👉 Apply now and shape the future of Nottingham. Please indicate in your application whether you are applying for Level I, Level II or Level III. Review the JDs for differences between levels.

For informal enquiries, please contact:
Larry Seymour, Finance Transformation Lead
larry.seymour@nottinghamcity.gov.uk

Shape the future of public finance. Lead here.

You can find the job description for Level I of this post here.

You can find the job description for Level II of this post here.

You can find the job description for Level III of this post here.

At Nottingham City Council we believe that work is what you do, not where you do it. We offer different working arrangements, depending on the role, including hybrid working. Further information on Worker Types and what these mean in terms of how and where you work can be found on the additional information for applicants page.

For informal enquiries please contact John Barr (Finance Team Leader) at john.barr@nottinghamcity.gov.uk

Closing Date: Sunday 6th December 2026

Please note there may be occasions where we close the advert before the closing date and we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

Interviews will be held: TBC

If you have any technical issues when completing your application, please contact our Employee Service Centre: https://emss.org.uk/support

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