Rodeo
Get started

ACCA Careers

Assistant Director Strategic Finance

Southampton
Posted about 16 hours ago
Sign up to applySee more jobs like this
Get notified of more jobs like this · No spam, ever

How your CV stacks up

1Upload CV
2Analyse CV
3Improve CV

Upload your CV to see how well it fits this job role

?%

Maritime and Coastguard Agency

Location

Southampton

Job Summary

About the job

Do you have significant experience of financial strategy and planning?

Have you led high-performing finance teams and influenced senior stakeholders to support effective decision making?

If so, we’d love to hear from you!

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) is seeking an Assistant Director Strategic Finance to provide strategic focus and oversight of the Agency’s finances. Working within the Finance and Analysis Directorate, you will help ensure MCA’s c.£500m total budget is deployed efficiently, robust budget control is maintained and value for money is achieved. This is a senior leadership role, reporting to the Director of Finance and Analysis and leading teams responsible for financial strategy and finance business partnering.

Joining Our Department Comes With Many Benefits, Including

  • Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary.
  • 25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave), plus 8 bank holidays and a privilege day for the King’s birthday
  • Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.

Job Description

As Assistant Director Strategic Finance, you will provide strategic leadership and oversight of MCA’s financial plans, ensuring strong budget control, high-quality financial analysis and effective advice to senior stakeholders. You will lead the Strategic Finance function, support investment and funding decisions, and help shape a high-performing, continuously improving finance culture.

Your Responsibilities Will Include, But Aren’t Limited To

  • Leading MCA’s Financial Strategy and Finance Business Partner teams, embedding a high-performance culture.
  • Providing strategic financial advice and analysis to senior stakeholders to support effective decision making.
  • Negotiating and secure investment and resource funding for key Agency activities and major change programmes.
  • Ensuring robust resource and capital financial plans are aligned to organisational priorities and HM Treasury guidance.
  • Overseeing the reporting of accurate and timely financial management information and analysis to drive efficiency and value-added insight.
  • Leading MCA’s efficiency strategy, establishing clear controls, accountability and monitoring arrangements.
  • Building trusted relationships with senior stakeholders, influencing and challenging decision making where appropriate.

Reasons to use Rodeo

I’m in my final year doing Economics and I don’t know whether to apply for grad schemes now or do a masters first. What do you think?

Honest answer — it depends on where you want to end up. A lot of top grad schemes (Big 4, civil service, banking) don’t need a masters. Let’s look at the ones you’d be competitive for now, and we can decide if a masters actually adds anything.

Also worth knowing: most autumn 2026 applications are open now. Timing matters more than you think.

Start with a chat, not a search bar

Grad scheme, placement, apprenticeship? Not sure what you want yet — that's fine. Your agent talks it through with you and turns "I have no idea" into a shortlist.

P

Graduate Consultant — 2026 Scheme

PwC·London, UK
£35,000/yr

Why you're a good match

Strong

Your economics background and your summer at a regional bank line up with what PwC looks for on the consulting scheme. Applications close in four weeks.

See breakdown
Save jobNot relevant
View details

It searches the market for you

Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.

Why you're a good match

You’ve got the grades and the economics background, and your bank internship is exactly the experience this scheme looks for. Apply soon — deadlines close within the month.

See breakdown
Strong

Experience fit

Your summer at the bank plus your econometrics coursework map directly to the day-one responsibilities on this scheme — client modelling, market briefings, and deal support.

See breakdown
Strong

Only hits

No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.

Great line management is important to us as an organisation, and we will equip and support line managers to develop the skills they need. We aim to empower line managers to create teams where people can flourish and deliver excellent outcomes for the public.

For further information on the role, please read the role profile. Please note that the role profile is for information purposes only - whilst all elements are relevant to the role, they may not all be assessed during the recruitment process. This job advert will detail exactly what will be assessed during the recruitment process.

Person specification

Essential Qualifications

  • Qualified CCAB/ CIMA with significant post-qualification experience

To be successful in this role you will need to have the following experience:

  • Significant relevant experience in a senior financial management or financial strategy role

Additional Information

Working hours, office attendance and travel requirements

  • Full time roles consist of 37 hours per week.
  • Whilst we welcome applications from those looking to work with us on a part time basis, there is a business requirement for the successful candidate to be able to work at least 30 hours per week.
  • This role is suitable for hybrid working, which is a non-contractual arrangement where a combination of workplace and home-based working can be accommodated subject to business requirements.
  • The expectation at present is a minimum of 60% of your working time a month will be spent at either your designated workplace (one of the locations cited in the advert) or, when required for business reasons, in another office/work location/visiting stakeholders. Your designated workplace will be your contractual place of work. There may be occasions where you are required to attend above the minimum expectation.

Get help with your application

Your very own career expert that helps elevate your application to the next level.

Get help applying for this job

If you have a question about hybrid working, part time/job share hours, flexible working, travelling for work, or require a reasonable adjustment, please contact the Vacancy Holder during the recruitment process to avoid possible disappointment later in the process should your working arrangements not be compatible with the requirements of the role (see below for contact details).

Visa Sponsorship

Please note that we will only offer sponsorship for a skilled worker visa where a role has been deemed to be business critical. This role does not meet that category, and we will not sponsor a visa. Therefore, this role is not open to applications from those who require sponsorship – candidates must ensure they have the appropriate right to work in the UK before applying. Should you apply for this role and be found to require sponsorship, your application will be rejected and any provisional offer of employment withdrawn.

Qualifications

  • Qualified CCAB/ CIMA with significant post-qualification experience

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

  • Leadership
  • Communicating and Influencing
  • Working Together
  • Making Effective Decisions
  • Managing a Quality Service

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:

Leadership

For more information and to apply, please visit our website via the apply button below.

Trusted by 25,000+ job seekers

“It took my CV and asked me questions relevant to understanding what kind of jobs to suggest for me. Suggestions were almost perfect. Jobs were exactly what I’ve been looking for.”

Jessica, London

Get help applying for this job

Location

Southampton, England, United Kingdom

Sign up to applySee more jobs like this