Finance Business Partner
Application Deadline: 5 June 2026
Department: Finance
Employment Type: Permanent – Full Time
Location: London
Reporting To: Hannah Jende
Compensation: £70,000 / year
Description
ARIA is a R&D funding agency created to unlock technological breakthroughs that benefit everyone. We fund scientists and engineers to pursue research at the edge of the possible. From climate change to AI, society faces enormous challenges and opportunities that can be uniquely addressed by science and technology. ARIA was created to activate the UK’s world‑class R&D in new ways, so we can meet these challenges head on. Our success is shaped by one question: how will ARIA transform the lives of the UK’s future generations? Whether that’s a life‑changing new technology or a burgeoning new industry, it should be obvious that ARIA played a catalytic role.
Role Summary: One of our first Finance Business Partners working closely with Programme Directors and the ARIA team to help shape and deliver programmes. Reports to the Finance Director and aids ARIA’s Programme Directors in the financial management of a number of ARIA Programmes. Includes pre‑award discovery and post‑award management, ensuring accurate and regular reporting and re‑forecasting of the programmes.
What you’ll do
Pre-award (25%)
- Work alongside Programme Directors and their teams in capturing evolving requirements as they design, plan and implement the full delivery of the programmes
- Review funding applicants’ cost templates for consistency, accuracy and value for money
- Support the development of new funding models, including commercial analysis, granted to ARIA via its freedoms in the ARIA Act
Post-award (50%)
- Build trusted and effective post-award financial management support to Programme Directorsli>
- Manage the relationship with external grant and contract recipients, ensuring that all invoice, reporting and audit requirements have been met
- Ensure that ARIA’s Programme Directors have visibility into reliable and transparent financial data on all Programme spend
- Execute accurate programme re‑forecasting models
Other (25%)
- Boost the Finance team’s developing AI and automation initiatives
- Feed into ARIA’s evolving data roadmap, enabling the rich data collected from Creators to inform cross‑portfolio insights
- Lead on adhoc projects that boost the Finance team in scaling to meet ARIA’s ambitions
Who you are
Essential Criteria
- Highly numerate with a high level of attention to detail
- Excellent written and oral communication skills
- Experience of working as a business partner to multiple programmes or different business units
- Ability to balance the trade‑offs between Finance governance and programme priorities
- Background in external audit, commercial finance, financial accounting or management accounting
- High level of budgeting/forecasting or FP&A experience
- Ability to manage own workload and priorities
- Adaptable mindset and comfortable with working in a fast changing environment within a small, highly‑performing team
Qualifications
- Fully qualified (ACCA/CIMA or equivalent)
Desirable Criteria
- Experience of building financial plans with scenario planning
- Worked in mission‑compelled organisations that frequently require trade‑off decisions, including third sector
- Comfortable with working in new scenarios with an adaptive mindset
- Experience working within Finance governance structures, including internal and external audit and Audit Committees
- Has used a diverse range of systems associated with start‑ups and scale‑ups, including Google suite and data visualisation systems such as Tableau or Power BI
Benefits
- 27 days annual leave provision, with the option to buy/sell additional days
- Hybrid working arrangements; 60% in office / 40% at home
- Supportive environment for learning and development opportunities
- Enhanced family leave arrangements
- A free and confidential 24/7 employee assistance programme
- Life Assurance
- 2 days of paid volunteer days
- 5% defined contribution pension scheme with Smart Pension
- Cycle to Work scheme
- An excellent office location in Kings X, London
Equal Opportunity
If you require any reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process, please notify us and we will make every effort to accommodate you. Disclosing any requests is intended to provide ARIA with the best opportunity to support candidates and will have no negative impact on your recruitment process.
#J-18808-Ljbffr”, “datePosted”: “2026-05-20”, “hiringOrganization”: { “@type”: “Organization”, “name”: “Advanced Research & Invention Agency”, “sameAs”: “https://uk.whatjobs.com/pub_api__cpl__436977869__4861?utm_campaign=publisher&utm_medium=api&utm_source=4861&geoID=33” }, “jobLocation”: { “@type”: “Place”, “address”: { “@type”: “PostalAddress”, “addressLocality”: “London” } } }Finance Business Partner
Application Deadline: 5 June 2026
Department: Finance
Employment Type: Permanent – Full Time
Location: London
Reporting To: Hannah Jende
Compensation: £70,000 / year
Description
ARIA is a R&D funding agency created to unlock technological breakthroughs that benefit everyone. We fund scientists and engineers to pursue research at the edge of the possible. From climate change to AI, society faces enormous challenges and opportunities that can be uniquely addressed by science and technology. ARIA was created to activate the UK’s world‑class R&D in new ways, so we can meet these challenges head on. Our success is shaped by one question: how will ARIA transform the lives of the UK’s future generations? Whether that’s a life‑changing new technology or a burgeoning new industry, it should be obvious that ARIA played a catalytic role.
Role Summary: One of our first Finance Business Partners working closely with Programme Directors and the ARIA team to help shape and deliver programmes. Reports to the Finance Director and aids ARIA’s Programme Directors in the financial management of a number of ARIA Programmes. Includes pre‑award discovery and post‑award management, ensuring accurate and regular reporting and re‑forecasting of the programmes.
What you’ll do
Pre-award (25%)
- Work alongside Programme Directors and their teams in capturing evolving requirements as they design, plan and implement the full delivery of the programmes
- Review funding applicants’ cost templates for consistency, accuracy and value for money
- Support the development of new funding models, including commercial analysis, granted to ARIA via its freedoms in the ARIA Act
Post-award (50%)
- Build trusted and effective post-award financial management support to Programme Directorsli>
- Manage the relationship with external grant and contract recipients, ensuring that all invoice, reporting and audit requirements have been met
- Ensure that ARIA’s Programme Directors have visibility into reliable and transparent financial data on all Programme spend
- Execute accurate programme re‑forecasting models
Other (25%)
- Boost the Finance team’s developing AI and automation initiatives
- Feed into ARIA’s evolving data roadmap, enabling the rich data collected from Creators to inform cross‑portfolio insights
- Lead on adhoc projects that boost the Finance team in scaling to meet ARIA’s ambitions
Who you are
Essential Criteria
- Highly numerate with a high level of attention to detail
- Excellent written and oral communication skills
- Experience of working as a business partner to multiple programmes or different business units
- Ability to balance the trade‑offs between Finance governance and programme priorities
- Background in external audit, commercial finance, financial accounting or management accounting
- High level of budgeting/forecasting or FP&A experience
- Ability to manage own workload and priorities
- Adaptable mindset and comfortable with working in a fast changing environment within a small, highly‑performing team
Qualifications
- Fully qualified (ACCA/CIMA or equivalent)
Desirable Criteria
- Experience of building financial plans with scenario planning
- Worked in mission‑compelled organisations that frequently require trade‑off decisions, including third sector
- Comfortable with working in new scenarios with an adaptive mindset
- Experience working within Finance governance structures, including internal and external audit and Audit Committees
- Has used a diverse range of systems associated with start‑ups and scale‑ups, including Google suite and data visualisation systems such as Tableau or Power BI
Benefits
- 27 days annual leave provision, with the option to buy/sell additional days
- Hybrid working arrangements; 60% in office / 40% at home
- Supportive environment for learning and development opportunities
- Enhanced family leave arrangements
- A free and confidential 24/7 employee assistance programme
- Life Assurance
- 2 days of paid volunteer days
- 5% defined contribution pension scheme with Smart Pension
- Cycle to Work scheme
- An excellent office location in Kings X, London
Equal Opportunity
If you require any reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process, please notify us and we will make every effort to accommodate you. Disclosing any requests is intended to provide ARIA with the best opportunity to support candidates and will have no negative impact on your recruitment process.
#J-18808-Ljbffr…