Finance Business Partner

Job Description
Provide expert financial strategy and insight to shape our services and build a fairer borough
As a Finance Business Partner at the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, you'll play a vital role in shaping how we deliver services and invest in our community. You'll combine strategic thinking with hands-on financial management, helping senior leaders make informed, evidence-based decisions that ensure value for money and support our residents.

Working Style
You'll be based in the Borough for 3 days a week, playing a key role in serving the local community. Whether you're working on the frontline or behind the scenes, you'll be part of a dedicated team making a real difference to residents' lives.

What You'll Be Doing
You'll act as a trusted partner to Directors, Assistant Directors and Heads of Service, providing high-level financial insight and guidance across your designated service area. Your expertise will help turn strategic priorities into deliverable financial plans, aligning resources with the Council's vision and ensuring strong financial governance.

You'll play a leading role in the annual budgeting and financial planning process, including the Medium-Term Financial Strategy (MTFS). Working closely with managers, you'll support them in identifying savings opportunities, growth pressures and investment priorities – all grounded in robust analysis and evidence.

A key focus of your role will be embedding the Oracle system across the organisation, promoting a self-service culture that empowers managers to use financial data confidently. You'll also provide practical, strategic support on major initiatives, from procurement exercises and staffing restructures to service redesigns – ensuring that finance sits at the heart of decision-making.

You'll take ownership of budget monitoring, forecasting and year-end reporting, ensuring accuracy and accountability. That means proactively identifying risks, managing pressures and recommending solutions. You'll also ensure adherence to financial regulations, lead a small team and may deputise for the Head of Finance when required.

For further details, please review the
Job Description and Person Specification
What You'll Bring
You'll be a fully CCAB-qualified accountant (ideally CIPFA) with significant experience managing large and complex budgets within a local government environment. You'll bring a solid understanding of financial frameworks, regulations and budgetary controls, alongside a proven ability to influence and guide senior leaders.

Strong analytical and IT skills are essential – you'll be confident using financial systems and advanced Excel or other analytical tools to interpret complex data and provide actionable insights.

You'll be a clear and persuasive communicator, capable of presenting complex financial information in a way that inspires confidence and drives decision-making. You'll also have the confidence to challenge and question existing processes where necessary, helping to improve efficiency and effectiveness.

Why join us
At RBKC, we're all in – investing in our people, our communities and our future.

You'll be joining a high-performing, forward-thinking finance team that's integral to how the Council operates. This isn't just about balancing the books – it's about being part of the strategic conversation that shapes how we deliver services and support residents.

Our Finance team is at the centre of transformation, having recently implemented Oracle and redefined how we provide financial insight across departments. As part of this team, you'll play a leading role in embedding smarter, more transparent ways of working.

We're committed to your professional growth, offering mentoring, structured learning and the opportunity to lead cross-departmental projects. This role provides visibility, influence and purpose – it's an excellent platform for future senior leadership positions.

About Us
Kensington and Chelsea is home to diverse communities, thriving businesses and unique local places. Everything we do is focused on supporting our residents, strengthening our approach and creating a fairer borough.

As a competent and caring Council, we take pride in our work every day, ensuring our services are delivered with care and competence. We listen to our residents, act with integrity and work together to build a borough that is greener, safer and fairer for all.

This role truly reflects the 'We're all in' mindset. As a Finance Business Partner, you'll get stuck in – whether it's leading on complex budget discussions, guiding senior colleagues through financial challenges or finding innovative ways to make our services more efficient. Your expertise and persistence will turn challenges into opportunities, ensuring every pound spent delivers real value for our community.

Interview Details
Interviews will take place on the 5th and 6th January 2026

Ready to join us?
We're all in – are you? If you share our values and have the skills to contribute, we'd love to hear from you.

Please apply online explaining how you meet the requirements set out in the person specification and job description
We reserve the right to extend or close this vacancy early without warning subject to the volume of suitable applicants.

We are committed to promoting equality and respecting diversity and welcome applications from all sections of the community.

We are a Disability Confident Employer – committed to ensuring that our recruitment and selection process is inclusive and accessible.

We are committed to fair, transparent, and consistent pay practices. New hires will start at the minimum of the salary range.
Employees receive annual salary increases until they reach the top of the pay scale. In addition, employees will receive any agreed cost of living pay rises.