Senior Finance Business Partner

Job Description

BUSINESS FUNCTION: Finance
SALARY: £75,000 - £87,500 /Grade: Executive
ROLE TYPE: Permanent
LOCATION: York, Leeds, Manchester
HOURS: 37 per week

In a business as complex and dynamic as Northern, financial insight is essential to making the right decisions at the right time. From major investment programmes to operational improvements, this role offers the opportunity to influence how the business grows, performs, and delivers for the people who rely on us every day.

You’ll work alongside senior leaders, helping them understand what those numbers mean, where opportunities exist, and how financial decisions can drive better outcomes for our organisation, our customers, our colleagues, and the communities we serve.

From major investment decisions and transformation programmes to productivity improvements and long-term planning, your insight will help turn strategy into action.

Leading a team of Finance professionals at different levels, you’ll create a culture of accountability, curiosity, and continuous improvement. You’ll help people see beyond the spreadsheets and connect financial performance to operational success in a way that makes sense to everyone.

What you’ll be doing

You’ll partner closely with Directors and senior leadership teams, providing the financial insight and challenge needed to support effective decision-making across your directorate.

Your role will include:

• Leading financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, and business performance reporting for your area.
• Turning complex financial information into meaningful insight that helps non-financial stakeholders make informed decisions.
• Clear presentation skills that inspire other senior leaders in the teams you support to work closely with you and your teams to understand the key drivers in their financial performance.
• Supporting large-scale investment decisions, transformation programmes, and strategic business initiatives.
• Identifying opportunities to improve productivity, reduce costs, and deliver greater value across the business.
• Developing business cases, financial models, and scenario analysis to support key projects and proposals.
• Holding senior stakeholders to account for financial performance while supporting them to achieve their objectives.
• Building strong relationships across the organisation and becoming a trusted partner to your leadership team.
• Leading, coaching, and developing a team of finance professionals to deliver outstanding business partnering support.
• Driving continuous improvement in financial processes, reporting, and performance management.
• Representing Finance at senior leadership meetings and influencing decisions that shape the future of Northern.
• Being part of the Executive Leadership team driving the business to deliver the priorities of performance improvement, subsidy reduction and customer satisfaction.

About you

Finance expertise, commercial thinking, and the ability to influence senior leaders are the key things you’ll bring to this role.

You’ll hold a recognised professional accounting qualification and have significant post-qualification experience in a senior finance role within complex organisations. Just as importantly, you’ll know how to turn financial information into clear, practical advice that helps people make better decisions.

We’re looking for someone who can put the "partner" into business partnering.

You’ll also bring:

• Experience leading and developing teams of finance professionals.
• A track record of influencing senior stakeholders and building credibility across large organisations.
• Strong financial planning, forecasting, modelling, and business case development skills.
• The confidence to challenge constructively and encourage accountability at all levels.
• Experience using financial insight to identify efficiencies, improve performance, and support strategic decision-making.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to explain complex information clearly and simply.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, coupled with commercial awareness.
• Strong Microsoft Excel skills and experience using integrated finance systems such as SAP.

Experience within a complex operational environment would be useful, but it’s your ability to build relationships, influence decisions, and drive positive change that will make the biggest difference.

What’s in it for you?

At Northern, we don’t just value our people - we go the extra mile to support them. Here’s a taste of what you can look forward to:

Free Travel: Unlimited free travel for you, your partner, and your dependents on Northern services. Plus up to 75% discount on other networks in the UK and Europe.

Generous Pension Scheme: We top up your contributions by 1.5 times.

Enhanced Family Benefits: We offer 9 months of full pay for maternity leave and 2 weeks for paternity leave.

Cycle to Work Scheme: Save up to 42% on a bike and spread the cost.

Electric Car Scheme: Lease a brand new electric or plugin hybrid car.

Exclusive Discounts: From shopping to wellbeing, Northern Perks has you covered.

Employee Assistance Programme: 24/7 support for family, lifestyle, and more.

Training and Career Development: We offer tailored training to our colleagues and opportunities to gain recognised qualifications. Plus enhanced career pathways no matter what part of the business you’re in.

Recognition: We know how important it is to show how much we appreciate our people. That’s why we have our Northern Lights and Northern Sparks Awards, recognising and celebrating brilliance every day.

Why Northern?

We’re more than just a train operator. We’re the heartbeat of the North – connecting communities, creating opportunities, and driving sustainable growth. With 2,650 trains running daily, we’re on a mission to improve rail travel and enhance the customer experience while protecting the environment.

Back in 1825, the first passenger train set off in the North of England, beginning a journey that would transform travel across the world. We’ve recently celebrated 200 years of the modern railway and, as we reflect on that legacy, our focus is now on the future as Great British Rail takes shape. Join us at this pivotal moment in rail history and play your part in our journey.

A place for everyone

The best journeys happen when everyone feels welcome on board.

At Northern, we don’t just move people from A to B - we’re building a team where everyone feels they belong. Our talent team can make reasonable adjustments to the process if that’s something you need. We're also a Level 2 Disability Confident employer, so if you meet the minimum criteria for the role, we’ll always offer an interview.

We automate parts of our screening process to remove any unconscious bias and to make sure every application is treated fairly. All successful offers will be subject to a DBS check and a medical assessment.

No matter your background, experience, or whether you call it a bap, barm, or cob… there’s a place for you here in the railway.