UK Ministry of Defence
Navy Command - Assistant Finance Business Partner
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Navy Command HQ, Leach Building, HMS Excellent, Portsmouth, PO2 8BY
Job Summary
About the Team
At Navy Command, we lead, support, and sustain the Royal Navy across every theatre of operations. We coordinate the people, platforms, and missions that keep the Fleet ready for today’s challenges and tomorrow’s opportunities. Together, we uphold centuries of naval tradition while driving innovation that ensures the Royal Navy’s readiness to protect our nation and secure our future.
As part of this, Director Finance and Commercial is the Royal Navy’s lead for financial and commercial strategy. The directorate provides the analytical insight, assurance, and oversight needed to ensure resources achieve the greatest operational effect. Through robust financial management, commercial assurance, and long-term investment planning, we enable the Service to operate with clarity, confidence, and value for money.
You will be based at HMS Excellent in Portsmouth, home to Naval Headquarters and front-line training units. From here, the Royal Navy directs operations, develops strategy, and delivers training that keeps the Fleet ready for any challenge. It is a hub of leadership, coordination, and expertise at the heart of naval command.
About The Role
This is an exciting opportunity to join the Navy Command Finance team as an Assistant Finance Business Partner, supporting a high-profile portfolio delivering critical digital and IT capabilities across the Royal Navy.
Working closely with stakeholders, project teams, and finance colleagues, you will provide high-quality financial insight to support effective stewardship of public funds and enable informed decision-making.
You will play a key role in budgeting, forecasting, and financial reporting across a complex and evolving portfolio. The role requires strong analytical skills, sound judgement, and the ability to communicate financial information clearly to non-finance audiences.
Operating in a fast-paced and collaborative environment, you will support robust financial management, strengthen financial controls, and contribute to continuous improvement of financial processes.
This is an excellent opportunity for someone looking to develop their finance business partnering skills, gain exposure to senior stakeholders, and contribute directly to the delivery of operational capability across the Royal Navy.
This position is advertised at 37 hours per week.
Job Description
The successful candidate will support the Finance Business Partner in delivering effective financial management across Navy Digital. This will include producing and maintaining accurate budgets and forecasts, monitoring in-year performance, and identifying financial risks and opportunities.
You will analyse and interpret financial data to provide clear, actionable insight to stakeholders, supporting decision-making at both project and programme level. The role requires working closely with delivery teams to understand cost drivers, challenge assumptions, and ensure financial plans are realistic and aligned to business priorities.
You will support month-end and year-end activities, ensuring accuracy of financial reporting and compliance with MOD and government finance policies.
Person specification
To be successful with your application, you'll need to show that you meet the following essential criteria:
- Ability to analyse and interpret financial data and present insights clearly
- Experience of budgeting, forecasting, or financial reporting
- Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage competing priorities
- Effective communication skills, including the ability to influence non-finance stakeholders
- Good attention to detail and a commitment to accuracy
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The Below Criteria Are Desirable Only. These Will Not Be Assessed Throughout The Recruitment Process, But Will Be Used In The Event Of Tied Scores Between Candidates
- Working towards, or holding, a recognised finance qualification (for example AAT, CIMA, ACCA or equivalent)
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Changing and Improving
- Making Effective Decisions
- Leadership
Alongside your salary of £37,720, Ministry of Defence contributes £10,927 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).
- 25 days paid annual leave rising (1 day per year) to 30 days upon completion of 5 years’ service
- Market-leading employer pension contribution of 28.97%
- Personal & professional development
- Alternative working patterns for many roles
- Access to a confidential, professional support service
- Discount schemes
- Bicycle / season-ticket loans
- Enhanced maternity, paternity, and adoption leave
- Special paid leave to volunteer (up to 6 days a year)
Our headquarters in Portsmouth offers an impressive range of on-site facilities including a gymnasium, tennis courts, and other sporting facilities, a children’s nursery, a bistro restaurant, a shop and plenty of car parking spaces.
In Navy Command we believe that everyone has the potential to make a difference and you’ll be supported through your learning journey and your career. This can include working towards membership of a professional body and/or undertaking an apprenticeship as part of your role.
You’ll have access to a variety of qualifications pathways ranging from GCSE/A-Level equivalent all the way up to master’s degree, depending on your role, your previous skills and your experience. Some qualifications even include “on-the-job” training which means minimal disruption to your working day but maximum impact.
Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and working from home as part of a non-contractual hybrid working arrangement. All office-based employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in office, subject to site capacity and any required workplace adjustments. Requirements to attend other locations for official business, or work in another MOD workplace, will also count towards this level of office attendance. Applicants can request further information regarding how this and other flexible working arrangements may work in their team from the Vacancy Holder (see advert for contact details). Defence Business Services cannot respond to any questions about working arrangements.
The post does not offer relocation expenses. External recruits who join the MOD who are new to the Civil Service will be subject to a six-month probation period.
Please Note: Expenses incurred for travel to interviews will not be reimbursed.
Please be advised that the Department is conducting a review of all pay related allowances which could impact on those allowances that the post currently being advertised attracts.
Any move to MOD from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/.
The Ministry of Defence is committed to providing a safe and healthy working environment for its staff which includes educating them on the benefits of not smoking, protecting them from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke and supporting those who want to give up smoking. Under the Smoke-Free Working Environment policy, Smoking and the use of all tobacco products (including combustible and chewing tobacco products) will not be permitted anywhere in the Defence working environment however some exemptions are in place, please refer to local guidance. The policy is Whole Force and includes all Defence personnel, contractors, visitors and other non-MOD personnel. All applicants seeking, considering, or accepting employment with the Ministry of Defence should be aware of this policy and that it is already in place at a number of Defence Establishments.
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MOD Recruitment Satisfaction Survey – We may contact you regarding your experience to help us improve our customer satisfaction. The survey is voluntary and anonymous. You may however be given the opportunity to provide additional information to help us improve our service which includes the collection of some personal data as defined by the United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). The MOD Privacy Policy Notice sets out how we will use your personal data and your rights.
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.
As part of Defence Reform, Navy Command continues to review and evolve its Target Operating Model to support more agile ways of working. In this context, the role and responsibilities of this role may develop over time to reflect changing business priorities and opportunities.
Candidates will be required to provide CV details to include job history, qualification details and previous skills and experience.
Candidates will be required to provide a personal statement. This should be a maximum of 500 words that sets out your motivation for applying and shows how your skills and experience meet the essential requirements for the role.
At sift, candidates will be assessed against their CV, Statement of suitability and the following:
- Seeing the big picture
- Leadership
- Changing and improving
- Making effective decisions
At interview, candidates will be assessed against the following:
- Seeing the big picture
- Leadership
- Changing and improving
- Making effective decisions
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
There may be occasions where it is not practicable or appropriate to interview all DCS candidates that meet the minimum criteria for the job. For example, in certain recruitment situations such as a high volume of applications, seasonal demand, or peak periods, the employer may wish to limit the overall number of interviews offered to both DCS and non-DCS applicants.
As a result of the changes to the UK immigration rules which came into effect on 1 January 2021, the
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