Interim Senior Finance Business Partner

**Interim Senior Finance Business Partner** Poole / Acton / Basingstoke **We are trailblazers that redefined our industry. But the times are changing and we need talented team members to unleash the Merlin Magic, by casting our spell far and wide. Come be a part of conjuring up new worlds of escape and adventure Come be a part of the Merlin Entertainments Team** We’re a place that makes magic. Magic that gives millions of people fun, thrills and memorable experiences. We’re the thinkers, dreamers, doers and achievers whose job it is to create and deliver world-class new attractions, hotels and major investment projects, as well as manage the extensive real estate assets of one of the most exciting companies in the world. Welcome to Merlin Magic Making (MMM), the creative heart of Merlin Entertainments. We are currently recruiting for a positive and enthusiastic **Interim Senior Finance Business Partner **to join our team, based at either our Poole Head Office, our creative hub at Acton Studios, or our Finance Hub in Basingstoke. This role reports into the Finance Director - MMM & Corporate on an interim basis of c. 3-6 months. **About the Role...** You will be responsible for being a critical partner in developing the strategy for Production at Merlin, and ensuring that finance is at the heart of delivery with the right capabilities, data and reporting, systems and processes, and controls. You'll be innovative and drive ongoing change and improvement across the end-to-end production process. You will need to ensure the team of Business Partners supporting Production are engaged and motivated in an inclusive and progressive environment, whilst being a role model within the business and custodian of "the Merlin Way". You'll have the opportunity to assess new ideas including potential capital investments and OpEx initiatives, both from an operational and financial perspective, and then articulate the impacts with clear and meaningful recommendations. Vitally, you'll start all conversations with a 'can-do' attitude, knowing you can create a finance solution to fit the business needs, and will assist business operations to manage financial governance, risk, and controls as outlined by Group policies and financial reporting standards. **About You...** - Strong qualified Accountant: ACA, ACCA, CIMA - Considerable experience within a Finance role, focussed on business partnering - Experience of managing teams and driving a continuous improvement agenda - Experience of running and performing budgeting or forecasting processes - Able to provide financial support that drives commercial decisions - Excellent analytical ability with good attention to detail - Sound communication skills with the ability to present plans to support business decisions, to both finance and non-finance stakeholders - Be part of a team delivering operational excellence **The Benefits** We’re growing fast and alongside a fun and friendly environment, we offer a fabulous package and amazing prospects - ideal if you’re already fantastic and can quickly become even better (our magic can help here). Benefits include Pension, Life Assurance, discretionary company bonus, 25 days’ holiday and, of course, a Merlin Magic Pass which gives you and your friends and family free admission to all of our attractions worldwide, as well as 25% discount in our retail shops and restaurants and 40% discount on LEGO. **_ Everyone Matters at Merlin. _** At Merlin we welcome the world to our magical attractions and resorts every day and we want to reflect that same multicultural mix inside our business too. We strive to create an inclusive and diverse workplace where people can be themselves, have the same opportunities and thrive together. Because at Merlin, everyone matters Together, we work to create a workplace where everyone feels valued, no matter their age, race, gender, disability or sexual orientation. Although we understand that we'll always be learning and growing, we aim to be the most inclusive and flexible employer in our industry. **Returning to work** We have an active Return to Work programme, which offers training, mentoring and more, to support with the transition back into working life. So, if you’ve been on a career break for any reason we can support you. Find out what Colouring Artist Sophie has to say about working at Acton Studios, one of the fantastic offices you could be based at. LI-ML2