Business Partnering: The heart and soul of Finance

What is Business Partnering? 

Finance business partnering moves beyond monthly reporting, and reactive number-crunching. Instead, our Business Partners work side-by-side with operational leaders, understanding their challenges, helping them to navigate the complex landscape of local government.

A great Business Partner is part strategist, part confidant, and part change agent. They don't just report what happened; they help shape what happens next. They translate financial data into operational insight, and operational reality into financial planning. They are the bridge between the numbers on a spreadsheet and the residents those numbers serve.

The Opportunity at Nottingham 

At Nottingham, Business Partners aren't an afterthought or a "nice to have." They are the face of finance for the entire council. Our Business Partners help service leaders answer the hardest question in public service: “How do we deliver the most good with the resources we have?”

When a difficult trade-off needs to be made between rising demand and dwindling resources, our Business Partners are in the room. When complex options need to be assessed, our Business Partners are there to help. When transformation opportunities emerge, our Business Partners help shape the business case.

This is finance with purpose. You won't be buried in a back office, producing reports that no one reads. You'll be at the frontline, helping Children's Services navigate rising demand, supporting Adults' Social Care through demographic pressures, or enabling Housing to maximise the impact of every pound.

What Makes a Great Business Partner? 

The best Business Partners share a set of qualities that go far beyond technical accounting skill:

A Career, Not Just a Job 

For the right person, this isn't just a role – it's a career-defining opportunity. You'll work at scale few organisations can match, on problems that genuinely matter, alongside colleagues who've been through the fire and emerged stronger.

You'll have the autonomy to shape your role, the support to develop your skills, and the satisfaction of knowing that your work directly improves the lives of Nottingham's 330,000 residents.

The Structure: A Partnership Model 

Our Business Partnering model operates across three levels, creating a clear career pathway and ensuring departments receive the right support at every level:

This structure ensures that our Business Partners aren't working in isolation. They're part of a professional community, with clear progression pathways, access to technical experts, and the backing of a finance function that understands the value they bring.

Join the New Finance 

We're looking for Business Partners who want to be part of something different. Who see the challenge in UK local government not as a reason to retreat, but as an invitation to innovate. Who understand that the best finance professionals don't just keep the score – they help change the game.

If that sounds like you, we'd love to hear from you.

Register Your Interest

Shape the Future of Public Finance. Start Here. Join our team