Head of Finance Business Partnering

Head of Finance Business Partnering

Metropolitan Police Service

Band A

Location: London

Salary: £90,000 - £100,000pa

Contract: Permanent

The opportunity

The Metropolitan Police Service is one of the most recognisable and important public service organisations in the UK. Every day, its officers and staff work to keep London safe, support communities and respond to some of the most complex challenges facing the capital.

Behind that frontline work sits a large, sophisticated and evolving corporate infrastructure and Finance plays a critical role in making sure resources are directed where they can have the greatest impact.

This is an outstanding opportunity for a senior finance professional to join an organisation with purpose, scale and complexity. As Head of Finance Business Partnering, you will help shape decisions that affect major operational priorities, long-term investment plans and the effective use of public funds across a portfolio of significant value.

For someone motivated by public service, inclusive leadership and the chance to contribute to an organisation serving one of the most diverse cities in the world, this role offers genuine meaning as well as professional challenge.

About the Metropolitan Police

The Met is London’s police service, serving millions of people across one of the world’s most diverse, dynamic and internationally significant cities. Its work touches every community in the capital, and the organisation is focused on building trust, improving performance and delivering better outcomes for Londoners.

Joining the Met means becoming part of an organisation with a clear public service mission. It is a place where finance professionals can see the impact of their work beyond the numbers — supporting better planning, stronger governance, improved value for money and investment in services that matter to the public.

The scale and complexity of the Met create a highly stimulating environment for finance leaders. You will be working in an organisation where decisions are high-profile, resources are significant, and the need for robust, insightful financial advice is central to effective delivery.

About the role

As Head of Finance Business Partnering, you will act as the strategic finance lead for a major business portfolio, influencing investment decisions, financial planning, risk management and performance improvement.

You will work closely with executive leaders, budget holders, programme SROs, strategic finance colleagues and enabling services including Commercial, HR and Met Business Services. The role will also involve engagement with external stakeholders such as MOPAC, the Home Office, NPCC and wider public sector finance counterparts.

This is a senior partnering role requiring commercial judgement, technical credibility and the ability to translate complex financial information into clear, actionable insight for non-finance leaders.

Key responsibilities

You will:

• Provide strategic financial insight on performance, risk and value for money to support evidence-based decision-making.

• Embed financial expertise into business planning, ensuring medium and long-term plans align with organisational strategy.

• Identify inefficiencies and lead the development of cost optimisation and income generation strategies.

• Commission, interpret and challenge financial analysis, turning data into practical recommendations that improve performance and mitigate risk.

• Advise on business cases and major programmes, ensuring robust financial scrutiny, commercial due diligence and compliance with governance requirements.

• Lead the financial assurance agenda across your portfolio, supporting internal control, compliance and audit outcomes.

• Build trusted relationships with senior internal and external stakeholders, acting as an advocate for strong financial stewardship.

• Improve financial capability across senior leadership through coaching, challenge and clear communication.

• Support innovation in financial reporting and forecasting through digital tools and data-led insight.

• Contribute to MPS-wide financial strategy and long-term funding plans.

About you

You will be a qualified accountant, ideally CCAB, CIMA or equivalent, with significant experience in strategic financial management within a large, complex organisation.

You will bring a strong understanding of financial governance, assurance frameworks and public sector funding arrangements, alongside the confidence to operate with senior stakeholders in a complex, matrix environment.

You will also offer:

• Advanced analytical and commercial problem-solving skills.

• Strong communication and influencing capability, with the ability to simplify complexity.

• Credibility in providing professional challenge to senior leaders.

• Experience driving organisational performance through financial leadership.

• Experience leading, mentoring or developing finance professionals.

• The ability to operate effectively with ambiguity and competing priorities.

• A track record of shaping strategy and influencing executive-level decisions.

Why join the Metropolitan Police Service?

This is a rare opportunity to use your finance expertise in a role with tangible public value. The Met’s work directly affects the safety, confidence and wellbeing of London’s communities, and this role will help ensure that public resources are planned, governed and deployed effectively.

You will be joining an organisation operating at exceptional scale, with the complexity and challenge to match. The financial decisions you support will influence major programmes, operational capability and long-term investment across one of the UK’s most significant public bodies.

The Met also offers the opportunity to work in service of one of the most diverse populations anywhere in the world. London’s communities are varied, vibrant and constantly evolving, and the organisation is committed to reflecting and serving that diversity. For finance professionals, this means working in an environment where inclusion, accountability and public trust are central to the wider mission.

You will join a Finance team focused on delivering customer-centred, forward-looking services, balancing strong financial control with strategic insight. Supported by Met Business Services, the function is modernising how it delivers, with greater emphasis on trusted data, standardised processes, self-service, efficiency and value.

For a senior finance leader who wants more than a conventional finance role, this is a chance to combine professional influence with civic purpose — shaping decisions that support frontline policing, public confidence and better outcomes for London.

Apply

For a confidential discussion or to apply, please contact thomas@mlcpartners.co.uk