Principal Cost Finance Business Partner

**Resource & Servicing Principal Cost Finance Business Partner**

**We’re looking for a Resource & Servicing Principal Cost Finance Business Partner to drive cost management and optimisation across operational resource and service activity by proactively partnering with the business.**

**The Opportunity**

Our Retail and Zero Carbon Homes Finance team are looking for a senior finance professional to become an interface for the EDF Retail business.

Your focus will be on driving cost management and optimisation across our operational resource and service activity. This will include delivering cost improvements related to the implementation of the new customer service IT system, partnering and providing key insights to business decision-makers, and developing Anaplan rolling forecasts.

You’ll also provide an overall insight of internal and external resource costs across the Retail business.

**Pay, benefits and culture**

Alongside a competitive salary and a market-leading pension scheme, we offer a range of flexible benefits to support our people across all aspects of their lives.

Your rewards package includes a choice of benefits, such as electric vehicle leasing, enhanced parental leave, health insurance, discounts and employee pricing.

Flexible working means you can work from home (if you wish) and we’ll provide a suite of IT equipment to ensure that you can work remotely comfortably and effectively. You will however be required in either the Exeter or Hove office once a week.

At EDF, everyone’s welcome. We strive to create an inclusive and diverse environment where everyone has a voice and where you feel confident being yourself. We’re committed to equality, diversity and inclusion. We’d like our future workforce to have an equal gender balance, represent a broad mix of people from minority ethnic backgrounds, LGBTQ+, those with a disability and supporting social mobility.

We’ll value the difference you bring and offer opportunities for you to thrive and succeed.

**What you’ll be doing**

You’ll sit at the heart of all key decisions impacting operational resource and servicing costs, with a cost base of around £100m. Your influence will extend to Director-level stakeholders, ensuring value for money is prioritised, thereby positively impacting business performance and strategy.

As the main point of contact for business stakeholders, you’ll provide dynamic monthly forecasts based on key drivers. Your understanding of the retail service operation, along with timely risk and opportunity escalations, will be essential.

You’ll lead efficient, insightful monthly financial reporting, using your technical expertise to minimise errors and leverage improvement opportunities. You’ll be the primary contact for the Residential Operations Directors and the Finance Director, offering commentary on all financials related to Residential Operations.

You’ll oversee internal and external resource costs for non-metering areas across the Retail business, challenging the overall cost mix and variances to optimise decision-making. Upholding financial standards and policies, you’ll guide journal activity and financial transactions to ensure compliance with accounting standards.

You’ll manage key regulatory opex submissions, ensuring clear documentation and effective collaboration across business teams. You’ll also help deliver the annual budget and medium-term plan, working with stakeholders and the centre of excellence team to provide high-quality, realistic outputs.

You’ll produce and maintain a list of assumptions, ensuring transparency and informed decision-making at the appropriate levels. This includes simplifying and explaining forecasts to key stakeholders.

You’ll drive process improvements, including outsourcing and automation, in collaboration with the finance transformation team. Additionally, you’ll line-manage, develop, and support a graduate trainee, providing regular coaching and feedback to help them integrate and progress within EDF.

**Who you are
**To succeed in this role, you'll need advanced experience in finance business partnering, ideally within the energy industry, or a strong interest in it. A fully qualified management accountant, chartered member of CIMA or similar.

Working in a fast-paced, ever-changing environment, you’ll embrace change, show resilience, and possess strong organisational and prioritisation skills. Your logical mindset and expertise in data analytics within finance systems will allow you to handle and interpret large, complex data sets effectively.

Experience with imperfect systems and data will be valuable. You'll have a growth mindset, a passion for learning, and a curiosity to challenge the status quo. Excellent commercial acumen is essential, enabling you to quickly assimilate information, understand its implications, and drive decision-making.

Comfortable working both independently and as part of a team, you’ll show an i