Finance Business Manager

This is a new, high-profile opportunity where you will gain valuable experience at the centre of the finance team within Thames Water. The Finance Business Manager will be responsible for acting as a strategic partner to the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Senior Finance Team (SFT), leveraging deep expertise and commercial awareness to ensure informed decision-making and effective execution of priorities.

The successful candidate will have advanced analytical capability, sound judgement, and the ability to synthesise complex information from multiple sources to shape recommendations and influence outcomes. The role demands proactive thinking, anticipation of emerging issues, and the ability to drive cohesion and strategic alignment across the CFO’s remit.

It is intended that this role is a key development opportunity for a high-potential candidate to gain valuable experience, after which you will be ready to move into a critical role in the broader F&C and PMO team or the wider business.

You will form excellent relationships with the Executive Assistant to the CFO, the Business Managers to the CEO and other Executives, the Finance & Commercial - SLT members and other key stakeholders across the wider Thames Water business.

What you will be doing as Finance Business Manager

• Develop and deliver high-quality presentations for Executive and Board committees, synthesising complex information from subject matter experts before presenting to the CFO for final review
• Lead or provide strategic oversight on special projects, ensuring delivery against objectives by monitoring progress, managing interdependencies, and coordinating across multiple teams. · Maintain strict confidentiality and governance standards in managing sensitive documents and internal records.
• Facilitate collaboration and information flow across the Senior Finance Team (SFT) by managing agendas, driving alignment, and ensuring the timely exchange of critical insights.
• Maintain oversight of key activities across the Senior Finance Team, including transformation initiatives and business-as-usual (BAU) workstreams, tracking progress against milestones, identifying emerging risks and issues, and escalating them promptly to allow sufficient time for analysis and strategic decision-making by accountable stakeholders.

What should you bring to the role?
You are likely to have the following background or experience:

• A commercial, financial, or finance-related background (may be a qualified accountant or qualified by experience) and seek broader experience and exposure within Finance, working closely with Executive teams.
• Experienced in producing compelling and succinct PowerPoint presentations
• Adept at drafting high-quality papers and presenting complex information in a professional and concise manner
• Experience in producing accurate and insightful summary documents/briefing notes (without the use of AI) for Executive briefings
• Demonstrate advanced stakeholder management and relationship-building skills
• Excellent organisational skills; able to manage own workload and coordinate others effectively
• Solid project management experience, including tracking project timescales, deliverables and milestones and seeking progress updates proactively to share with the CFO and/or SFT
• Strong financial literacy with the ability to interpret financial analysis, forecasts and business cases, and synthesise key insights, risks and recommendations for Executive audiences.
• High discretion and sound judgement in handling confidential information, sensitive topics and Executive materials
• Familiarity with project delivery tools  to support timeline and milestone tracking would be advantageous, as would exposure to ERP systems (e.g. SAP)

What’s in it for you?

• Competitive salary of £60,000 - £68,000 per annum
• Annual Leave - 26 days holiday per year, increasing to 30 with the length of service. (Plus bank holidays) 
• Car Allowance - £5,800.
• Annual Bonus
•  Private Medical Health Care.
• Contributory pension – Defined Contribution - Maximum of 12% -2x employee contribution.
• Personal Medical Assessments – Open to all once a year.

Access to lots of benefits to help you take care of your and your family’s health and well-being, and your finances – from annual health MOTs and access to physiotherapy and counselling, to Cycle to Work schemes, shopping vouchers and life assurance.

Find out more about our benefits and perks

Who are we?
We’re the UK’s largest water and wastewater company, with more than 16 million customers relying on us every day to supply water for their taps and toilets. We want to build a better future for all, helping our customers, communities, people, and the planet to thrive. It’s a big job, and we’ve got a long way to go, so we need help from passionate and skilled people, committed to making a difference and getting us to where we want to be in the years and decades to come.

Learn more about our purpose and values
Working at Thames Water
Thames Water is a unique, rewarding, and diverse place to work, where every day you can make a difference, yet no day is the same. As part of our family, you’ll enjoy meaningful career opportunities, flexible working arrangements and excellent benefits.

If you’re looking for a sustainable and successful career where you can make a daily difference to millions of people’s lives while helping to protect the world of water for future generations, we’ll be here to support you every step of the way. Together, we can build a better future for our customers, our region, and our planet.

Real purpose, real support, real opportunities. Come and join the Thames Water family. Why choose us? Learn more.

We’re committed to being a great, diverse, and inclusive place to work. We welcome applications from everyone and want to ensure you feel supported throughout the recruitment process. If you need any adjustments, whether that’s extra time, accessible formats, or anything else, just let us know. We’re here to help and support.

When a crisis happens, we all rally around to support our customers. As part of Team Thames, you’ll have the opportunity to sign up to support our customers on the frontline as an ambassador. Full training will be given for what is undoubtedly an incredibly rewarding experience. It’s also a great opportunity to learn more about our business and meet colleagues.

Disclaimer: Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we may close the advert earlier than the advertised date, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.