Project Finance Business Partner

Job Description

Location: Birmingham

We operate broad pay scales for all our roles to enable us to fulfil our commitments to inclusivity and career development. Final package is dependent on individual knowledge, skills and experience. In addition, we offer a range of competitive benefits – check them out in the Benefits section on our website.

HS2 Ltd endeavours to ensure everyone working for us and with us feels included, thrives and achieves their full potential. In practice, this means we are positive and inclusive about making adjustments, providing flexible working, encouraging our staff networks to flourish and providing personal and professional development opportunities.

As a Project Finance Business Partner at HS2 you will provide both assurance and challenge to the Area Delivery Managers, and their team across Phase 2, in relation to the financial elements of their project plan, value for money and corporate governance.

About the role:

Corporate Governance/ Managing Public Money

• Provides guidance on the application of governance within area
• Acting as the Chief Financial Officer's (CFO) representative at monthly review meetings
• Review and financial endorsement of Change and Investment Papers, challenging all risks/ opportunities/ ensuring programme impacts are clearly identified and any associated costs recorded
• Representative on investment change panels
• Providing assurance to the Delivery Director (DD) that reported expenditure and contract payments are appropriate.

IFRS Accounting / National Audit Office (NAO)

• Provides input to development of policies and Enterprise reporting and planning development
• Provides guidance on appropriate IFRS accounting treatment of transactions (prepayment / accruals/ liabilities)
• Provides justification and supporting evidence of accounting adjustments to NAO Auditors as required.

Financial Reporting/ Month/ Year end

• Oversee the month end financial accounts close
• Prepare the accounts and plan for year–end audit
• Complete monthly analytics of contract spend and accruals held and challenge budget holders
• Provide budget variance commentary
• Review and assure Programme Board Packs

Funding/Cash Flow

• Review and challenge emerging forecasts and monitor against Spending Review (SR) funding
• Propose remedial actions to Area DD / Phase as required
• Work with Contractor's Finance leads and HS2 commercial to improve Actual Cost of Work Performed (ACWP) and cash flow data
• Develop Cashflow forecast reporting for DfT, challenge the supply chain submissions.

Business Planning/Forecast

• Support and maintain the Business Planning and forecasting process, providing guidance on planning principles and expectations as provided by HS2 business planning
• Provides assurance to the Area DD that data provided by cost management / commercial is reliable.

Budget

• Supports (DD) in determining the appropriate disaggregation and delegations to Sectors / Contracts
• Facilitate system changes required and reporting requirements for budget management.

Workforce Costs & Indirects

• Provide Workforce Actual costs and forecast information to inform programme cost estimates
• Challenge budget holders to achieve workforce objectives and optimise resources.

EDI

• Actively promote and embed Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in all your work and support and comply with all organisational initiatives, policies and procedures on EDI

About You:

Skills:

• Ability to work as part of a matrix project team, will work closely with:

– Project Managers

– Commercial Managers

– Planning & Cost Managers

– Project Engineers

• Ability to interpret project information and determine appropriate IFRS accounting treatment.

• Ability to use Excel spreadsheets (or equivalent package) to analyse large and complex data sets and provide useful management information.

Knowledge:

• CCAB qualified accountant

• Knowledge of SAP / Oracle accounting systems or other similar ERP systems

Type of Experience:

• Experience in a Project environment

• Experience in providing financial information to inform project decisions, recognising consequence against cost, schedule and quality

• Experience in business planning, forecasting experience within a project environment.

The post–holder is expected to behave at all times in a manner consistent with the HS2 values of Safety, Leadership, Integrity and Respect

We ask for a variety of detail in your online application, however we perform the first assessment of suitability for a role based solely on the information in your CV. Please attach an updated word version of your CV for each new application and include evidence directly related to the criteria in the job advert.About Us

High Speed 2 (HS2 Ltd) will be the UK's new high speed rail network. As well as improving capacity, the new scheme will shorten journey times between a number of Britain's major population centres, boost the economy and create thousands of jobs.

HS2 Ltd will create a skills legacy and develop a diverse range of talent. We aim to be a leader in EDI practice by creating a safe & inclusive working environment for all our staff – living our values of Safety, Respect, Integrity and Leadership.

In practice, this means we are positive and inclusive about making adjustments, providing flexible working, encouraging our staff networks to flourish and providing personal and professional development opportunities.

HS2 Ltd is also a safety–critical organisation. Employees are required to ensure reasonable care of their own and others' health and safety by taking personal responsibility for working to our 'Safe at Heart' programme principles and following safe working procedures at all times.

HS2 Ltd endeavours to ensure everyone working for us and with us feels included, thrives and achieves their full potential.