Finance Director

Accountabilities

• As a member of ONR’s ELT and SLT, you will demonstrate enterprise leadership throughout ONR to develop and instill a culture that will enable ONR deliver its strategic objectives and meet its declared values.
• Provide leadership and direction to the Finance and Commercial function ensuring ONR operates in line with the principles set out in HM Treasury’s “Managing Public Money” to ensure a robust central focus for securing sound financial management at ONR with appropriate and proportionate financial controls.
• Executive owner of financial, digital and cyber risk, ensuring appropriate controls, assurance and reporting to the SLT and ONR Board.
• Executive Director and lead officer for ARAC, and with ARAC Chair, setting agenda to ensure quality of assurance and engagement.
• Oversee the production of budgets, business plans, accounts, annual reports, statutory returns ensuring implementation and control.
• Ensure compliance with government policies/initiatives that apply to ONR’s policy and regulatory work.
• Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) accountabilities for a number of strategic change projects.

Person Specification

Essential Qualifications

• Postgraduate degree in a relevant subject area (or equivalent)
• Hold a professional CCAB Accountancy qualification or internationally recognised equivalent.

Leadership

Essential Skills/Job Related Expertise

• A highly accomplished finance leader with a proven track record of sustained success, bringing extensive experience contributing at senior leadership and Board level to shape organisational direction and strategic focus. Provides authentic, visible, and inspiring leadership across the directorate and wider organisation, with a strong ability to manage and influence teams by creating an environment that both supports and challenges, fostering the development of high-performing teams.

Technical Expertise

• Extensive experience in strategic planning and the successful execution of finance initiatives, with proven expertise in managing corporate financial accounting and reporting.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Demonstrates strong experience in building and sustaining collaborative relationships and strategic partnerships, with a proven ability to influence and establish credible, trusting relationships with colleagues, external partners, and senior stakeholders.

Communication

• Combines the ability to communicate complex concepts clearly and concisely with extensive senior leadership experience in delivering complex, multi-faceted programmes and strategies. Brings strong maturity, gravitas, and presence, underpinned by high emotional intelligence, alongside a proven capability to simplify complexity and drive clear, effective outcomes.

Judgement And Decision Making

• Demonstrates strong risk management judgement and effective decision-making, leveraging subject matter expertise and evidence to provide sound recommendations to the CEO, Board, and committees. Adopts a logical, purposeful approach with high motivation, resilience, and a positive outlook, remaining composed and decisive under pressure. Acts as a trusted advisor and collaborative team player, committed to integrity and serving the public interest.

Person Specification

Desirable Skills And Experience

• Experience working in both the Public and Private sectors.
• Multi-functional responsibility across two or more of finance, procurement, commercial, planning, risk management, business intelligence, IT and estates functions.

Location / Travel

• This post may be undertaken from a base at any one of ONR’s office locations (Bootle, Cheltenham, or London).
• If not Bootle based, the successful candidate will need to be prepared to travel to Bootle on a frequent basis as well as potential other UK travel.
• The successful applicant requires a full driving licence which permits the holder to drive in the UK unless reasonable adjustments can be made under the Equality Act 2010.
• ONR operates hybrid working (working in the office and / or at home) as part of our flexible working policy. There is an expectation that everyone will spend some time in the office on a regular basis, recognising that some work is better done face to face. Managers will collaborate with their teams on what works best to meet individual, team, business and organisational needs to enable collaboration, as well as balancing personal choice and wellbeing.

Security Clearance

• The successful candidate must hold or be able to secure SC clearance.

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