Finance Business Partner

Finance Business Partner
Reference: APR20260381
Location: Flexible in UK – However this role will include travel in the UK to meetings and to UKHQ in Sandy, Bedfordshire.
Contract: 12 months, Fixed-Term
Hours: Full-Time, 37.5 hours per week
Salary: £45,644.00 – £48,732.00 Per Annum
Benefits: Pension Scheme, Life Assurance Scheme, 26 days' Annual Leave

The RSPB is one of the UK’s most respected conservation charities for the conservation of birds and nature. As an RSPB employee, you will be helping to save nature every time you come to work. If you have a passion for nature and conservation this could be your ideal role, there’s never been a more important time to protect our wildlife and wild places.

We are seeking an excellent qualified accountant to join our Financial Planning and Reporting team, as a Finance Business Partner, supporting colleagues in the UK Countries Directorate more specifically for Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland (though you do not need to live in any of those locations). This is a key role working directly with our conservation delivery and our reserves network areas, all with individual characteristics and skills requirements.

What's the role about?

As a Finance Business Partner you will work proactively with senior colleagues to provide an added-value service of financial support to our UK Countries Directorate. In addition to a strong management accounting background, you will understand the difference that can be made through strong business partnering relationships and be confident in building those relationships. You will gain the respect and confidence of the colleagues you support through strong communication skills (written and oral) and your ability to constructively challenge ideas and plans. You will add value through gaining an intimate understanding of the Directorate that you partner, together with contributing to business performance and the requirements of the finance function with the charity's need.

You will be a fully qualified accountant with up-to-date technical knowledge and a desire to progress in your profession. We will want the successful candidate to influence change and use their skill set to further drive the organisation's objectives forward. You will also be comfortable working under pressure, to tight deadlines, and interacting with people at all levels within the RSPB.

Essential skills, knowledge and experience:

• Fully qualified accountant (ICAEW, ACCA, ICAS, CIMA, or equivalent professional body)
• Sound knowledge of technical accounting legislation
• Ability to act as a critical-friend to senior management balancing challenge and support. Develop effective working relationships that influence and challenge senior management teams, so that the role of the Finance Business Partner is an integral and valued part of the organisation
• Ability to influence decision makers through sound logic, diplomacy and assertiveness, with the ability to convey appropriate financial messages to various audiences
• Ability to evaluate incomplete and complex financial information, to develop and consider a range of possible options and make a judgement as to the recommended course of action
• Excellent communication (written and oral), coaching, mentoring, presentation and training skills
• Ability to ascertain financial trends and calculate the impact of them on the organisation under various scenarios
• Working in cross-functional teams to provide transformational advice on new initiatives, investment appraisals/organisational restructures/matters of risk and control design effective mitigation strategies, in order to support effective decision making
• Build capability and knowledge in managers so that they can effectively manage their budgets through effective financial information, support and advice
• Working with the all finance teams, to implement new Finance initiatives, ensuring the highest level of customer service and procedures are continuously reviewed so that the service is business focused in the delivery of objectives with an expert knowledge of your client area.

Desirable skills, knowledge and experience:

• Experience of forecasting and planning in a dynamic environment
• Experience of delivering transformation change
• Delivery of coaching and training of financial matters to non financial colleagues
• Experience of annual accounts preparation
• Knowledge of charity finance matters.

Additional information:

The role is a hybrid position that will require travel in the UK including to the UKHQ Finance Department in Sandy Bedfordshire, and to attend meetings in the support of your team, department and directorate.

This is a 12 month Fixed-Term role for 37.5 hours per week.

The RSPB reserves the right to extend or make this role permanent without further advertising dependent on business needs at the end of the contract term.

Closing date: 23:59, Sunday, 24th May 2026
We will be reviewing applications and conducting interviews on an ongoing basis throughout the advertising period.
N.B. We reserve the right to close the advertisement early should a suitable candidate be found.

Interested?

If you would like to apply and find out more about this position, please click the apply button to be directed to our website. 

We are committed to developing an inclusive and diverse RSPB, in which everyone feels supported, valued, and able to be their full selves. To achieve our vision of creating a world richer in nature, we need more people, and more diverse people, on nature’s side. People of colour and disabled people are currently underrepresented across the environment, climate, sustainability, and conservation sector. If you identify as a person of colour and/or disabled, we are particularly interested in receiving your application.

The RSPB is an equal opportunities employer. This role is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

As part of this application, you will be asked to provide a copy of your CV and complete an application form where you will have the opportunity to tell us how you meet the criteria set above. If you wish to provide a cover letter with your application, please include this at the end of your CV document upload.

Contact us to discuss any additional support you may need to complete your application.

No agencies please.