Function
Strategic Finance
National Oceanography Centre, Southampton
Permanent
Full time (37 hours per week)
£55,939 - £61,530
Who are we?
We are the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) - the UK’s leading institution for integrated coastal and deep ocean research. Through our ground-breaking research, collaboration, and game-changing innovation we work to gain a deeper understanding of our ocean, helping every living thing on our planet flourish.
We are made up of a dynamic and vibrant community focused on solving challenging long-term marine science problems, underpinning international and UK public policy, business and societal outcomes.
The ocean has the potential to provide the solutions to so many of the social, economic and environmental challenges we face worldwide. To truly harness the value of the ocean, we put ocean research, science and discovery at the heart of our culture.
Join us in shaping the future of oceanographic research and contribute your unique perspective to our organisation.
About the role
This is an exciting opportunity to play a key role in strengthening FP&A capability across the National Oceanography Centre and supporting a more integrated, insight-led approach to financial planning and reporting.
As Senior FP&A Business Partner, you’ll support annual budgeting, forecasting, longer-term financial planning, financial modelling and scenario analysis, helping senior stakeholders understand performance, risks, opportunities and future planning assumptions.
Working closely with the Head of Reporting Transformation and teams across Strategic Finance, Strategic Business Development, science and operations, you’ll bring together financial, operational, pipeline and resource information to provide clear insight that supports costing, pricing, investment decisions and business planning.
You’ll also play an important role in improving management reporting, planning processes and business intelligence outputs, helping to ensure information is consistent, reliable and focused on what stakeholders need to make informed decisions.
This is a fantastic opportunity for a finance professional who wants to go beyond traditional reporting and play a key role in shaping how NOC uses financial and operational data to plan, understand performance and make better decisions.
About you
You will be an experienced analyst, financial planning, management reporting and finance business partnering professional, with a strong track record of supporting forecasting, scenario analysis, matrix reporting and performance reporting.
You’ll be confident producing clear financial analysis, insight and recommendations for senior stakeholders, turning complex financial, pipeline and resource information into meaningful management information. You’ll be comfortable providing constructive challenge, asking the right questions and using evidence to support better decision-making.
You’ll be a collaborative and commercially minded finance professional, able to build strong relationships across finance, reporting, systems and operational teams. You’ll also have an interest in improving how financial planning and reporting is delivered, identifying opportunities to simplify, automate and make better use of data.
Why NOC?
We offer a generous set of benefits, including:
- 30 days contractual annual leave, plus 3.5 extra closure days and bank holidays
- a 10% employer contribution pension scheme (with a 15% NI saving on employee contributions made above 5%, if in the salary sacrifice scheme)
- Death in Service (3 times annual salary) provided by Aviva from day one of employment, plus access to a range of other Aviva wellbeing services
- financial support for relocation
- a salary sacrifice scheme for electric / hybrid vehicles (qualifying period applies)
- access to our Employee Assistance Programme, offering free and confidential support on mental, physical, emotional, health and financial issues
- access to a flexible benefits portal offering online discounts, cashback and eGift cards
- a Cycle2Work scheme allowing employees to acquire bikes and accessories
- a great working environment with a number of social events, including summer and Christmas celebrations
- we are proud to be a Living Wage Employer
Location
This position will be based in Southampton. The centre is well connected by public transport and has ample cycle parking in addition to free onsite car-parking with over 40 EV charging points.
We have a hybrid working approach where for most positions staff can work from home up to 2 days per week. If you are interested in this position, but require a more flexible working arrangement, please contact the recruitment team using the contact details below.
Submitting an application
Please submit an up-to-date CV and cover letter highlighting your relevant experience and why you are interested in the position. Applications submitted without a cover letter may not be considered. If you are unable to apply online, please contact the NOC recruitment team at [email protected] / 07355 676794.
Before submitting your application please ensure you have reviewed the attached job description and person specification.
We are committed to fostering diversity and inclusion in our workplace. We actively encourage qualified candidates from all backgrounds to apply for this position, as we strive to create a supportive and equitable environment where all voices are valued and heard.
Those seeking employment at NOC are considered solely on their qualifications, skills and experience, without regard to gender, gender identity, age, race, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation, relationship status, family status (including pregnancy / maternity leave) or any other protected characteristic.
There is a guaranteed interview scheme for candidates who meet the minimum criteria of the position and declare a disability.
Date advert posted: 19/08/2026
Closing date: 16/09/2026. This vacancy may close earlier depending on the number of applicants.
Please note we are not accepting applications via recruitment agencies for this position.
