Senior Finance Business Partner - 12 months secondment

 

About Us

We are Ocado Group, and we're bringing world-class automation to online grocery. Our Ocado Smart Platform (OSP) combines cutting-edge robotics, AI, and IoT within our advanced CFCs (Customer Fulfilment Centres). We've mastered the single pick, transforming online delivery for our global partners. Join us and be part of a team pushing the boundaries of retail technology.

About the Role

This Senior Finance Business Partner role supports our Operations organisation across three key areas: capital expenditure for selected Customer Fulfilment Centre projects, the Real Estate P&L (covering UK and European office and development centre running costs), and the direct operating costs and capital investment for our Ocado Mobile Robot System (OMRS) products, Chuck and Porter.

You will act as a trusted finance lead—providing constructive challenge and practical guidance to help stakeholders make sound decisions through accurate budgets, clear forecasts, period-end reporting, and targeted ad hoc analysis. Working closely with the wider finance team, you will establish clear visibility over the OMRS cost base to help drive contribution margin across the business.

We are looking for someone who thrives in a fast-evolving environment, excels at balancing competing priorities, and builds strong relationships across all levels of seniority. You will also take the initiative to streamline reporting—leveraging AI and automation tools where appropriate to cut down manual work and free up time for high-value commercial analysis.

CFC Capex Projects

• Manage the financial reporting of selected CFC Capex projects: own project budgets and forecasts, review spend and variances with project leads and Project Directors, and raise risks and opportunities with proposed mitigations.
• Support capital approval requests for new projects, scope changes and overspends, and contribute to financial governance across capital projects through controls, stage gates and regular reviews with senior management.

Real Estate P&L

• Own the Real Estate P&L covering occupancy and running costs for our offices and development centres in the UK and Europe, including budgeting, forecasting, monthly variance analysis, tracking of cost opportunities, and financial support for lease and property approval requests.

OMRS Financials

• Take financial ownership of OMRS (Chuck and Porter) direct operating costs and support capital investment decisions, ensuring reporting gives business partners clear insight into cost and return.
• Work with the wider finance team, Shared Service Centre and Group Accounting to improve how OMRS costs and capital are recorded and reported, and help define and embed improved ways of working that yield enhanced financial insight.

Commercial Foundations across all areas

• Partner with your key stakeholders, providing financial insight and constructive challenge to support timely, well-informed decision making.
• Deliver period-end reporting, management information and ad hoc analysis that is accurate, timely and clear, covering results versus budget, the full year outlook and the drivers of variances.
• Translate business strategy into financial plans through budgets, rolling forecasts and long term plans, identifying financial risks with proposed mitigations.
• Continuously develop and implement improvements to our processes, models and tools, through process automation and AI to increase accuracy and efficiency and free up time for value adding commercial insight.
• Support the year end and half year audit process as required.

About you

• Fully qualified accountant (ACA / ACCA / CIMA or equivalent) with 2+ years post qualification experience in commercial or operational finance.
• Proven business partnering skills, building trusted relationships with senior stakeholders to provide both effective support and constructive challenge.
• Strong financial modelling, budgeting and forecasting capability, with experience of P&L management and operating cost analysis.
• Experience of capital project financial management, including cost tracking, forecasting and capital approval requests (desirable).
• Ability to work with accounting and finance colleagues to improve reporting and ways of working, including where data and accounting treatment are still developing.
• Resilient and adaptable in dealing with business challenges within a changing environment with competing priorities.
• Excellent communication and storytelling skills across different functions of the business, both financial and non-financial and at all seniority levels.
• Proactive drive for continuous improvement, automation and use of AI tools to improve efficiency and output quality.
• Highly collaborative with the ability to combine financial and operational metrics to derive insight and influence business decisions.
• Excellent time management and organisational skills, demonstrating high levels of accuracy, thoroughness and reliability whilst performing under pressure.

What we offer

We believe in supporting our people with meaningful, flexible benefits that prioritise well-being and work-life balance. Here’s a snapshot of what you can expect:

• Time to recharge:
  25 days annual leave (rising to 27 after 5 years), plus the option to buy more – and 30 days a year to work from anywhere in the world.
• Health & wellbeing:
  Private Medical Insurance from your first month, wellbeing support through specialist apps and EAP, plus Income Protection and Life Assurance.
• Family-first policies:
  22 weeks paid maternity/primary carer leave and 6 weeks paid paternity leave
• Financial support:
  Pension with employer matching up to 7%, share schemes (Sharesave & BAYE), and interest-free loans for train tickets.
• Commuter perks:
  Cycle to Work Scheme and free shuttle buses to/from Hatfield and Welwyn Garden City stations.
• Exclusive discounts:
  15% off at Ocado.com with free delivery (starting in your first month).