Network Rail
Who We Are
At Network Rail, we’re part of a large family serving millions of passengers and freight users throughout the UK every day. Our service impacts millions of people and we strive to become more efficient as we enhance, maintain and operate our network. Now is a fantastic time to join our team in the Wales and Western region as we finalize the reforms to our maintenance organization, which will deliver:
- A safer, more reliable, and punctual service for passengers and employees.
- Quicker fault fixes by more agile, multi-disciplined response teams.
- Individual rostering, enabling us to send the right number of people to fix a fault.
- Multi-skilling, investing in the knowledge and skills of our people so they are better equipped to fix the most common faults themselves.
- Accelerated and improved technology deployment, with a raft of labor and life-saving technology ready to be rolled out.
Our passengers and freight users are at the heart of everything we do. We help connect people to their friends and families and get goods to their destination safely and efficiently. We’re an organisation where people matter. When you’re part of our team, you matter to us and you matter to millions.
We’re an inclusive employer of choice, and we welcome applications from everyone! We look for opportunities to offer great opportunities to learn and grow through personal and professional development. And, if you make the grade, then you can look forward to a rewarding and fulfilling career with a company that joined the top 50 in the Glassdoor’s 2021 Best Places to Work. We want to help deliver a railway which is safe, reliable, affordable, and that provides great customer service to everyone.
About the Role
Overview
To work with the supported business leadership team, under the direction of the Financial Controller/Senior Finance Business Partner, to deliver professional finance and accounting advice. Provides proactive, value-add finance support to the business leaders across the West Maintenance Delivery Unit.
Your Main Responsibilities will be to
- Lead and provide financial advice and guidance to senior budget holders in understanding the impact of the period results and forecasts against budgets so they can understand their business better.
- Be the expert in the function on accounting practices and advise on financial results and forecasts for budget holders, including preparing period accruals, transfers, and adjustments to validate accounts are reflective and relevant.
- Manage corporate governance throughout the cost centers they manage, conducting deep dives and reviewing compliance with financial regulations to protect the business from legal or negative consequences.
- Deliver expert and accurate business review information and reporting, and highlight any significant issues with financial and other business results to enable informed decision-making by the business area.
- Engage and influence senior members of the team to help them understand their financial position and use professional expertise to guide in initiatives to improve business performance.
- Build bottom-up, detailed plans to manage and develop the production of business plans and budgets to enable good corporate governance and value-add analysis for senior leaders.
- Identify and proactively manage commercial risks, including the financial suitability of new customers or suppliers, reducing the potential risk impact on the business area and influencing decision-makers.
- Manage the performance of central accounting functions to deliver for the cost center area to enable an efficient and effective accounting service.
- Collate, investigate, and make recommendations for investment appraisals and business case analysis to aid business decisions.
- Model and analyze cost base and identify and drive opportunities and efficiencies to achieve area targets.
Pay and Rewards
Salary: This role is £43,588 – £51,719 per annum.
As a Network Rail employee, you will enjoy a wide range of benefits!
- Privileged staff travel: Leisure travel discount of 75% on all leisure travel, and includes family members.
- A subsidy of up to 75% on rail and underground season tickets if you travel to work on the train.
- GWR ticket alliance: Heavily discounted all-day passes for you and up to 3 friends and family to use across the GWR network (48 passes per year).
- Benefits package including healthcare offers, a cycle to work scheme, discounted healthcare club membership, and discounted offers and benefits including childcare, healthcare, and an online shopping site.
- A range of Pension schemes to choose from.
- Effectively manage work-life balance with a 35-hour per week contract, hybrid working, flexible working, flexible leave, and enhanced family-friendly support.
- 5 days paid volunteering leave.
- 2 weeks paid reserve leave for the Armed Forces community.
In the Wales and Western region, you will have the opportunity to join PROUD, our reward and recognition scheme where you can say thanks and recognise colleagues across the region who have demonstrated outstanding values and behaviours.
More About the Role and Your Application
This is a secondment opportunity for 6 months with the potential to be extended.
Closing date: 30th June 2026. Late applications will not be accepted.
This role requires working in the office for at least 60% of the working week.
We want to ensure everyone has an equal opportunity. Therefore, should you require any reasonable adjustments/modifications, please do let us know by including them within your application.
All offers of employment are conditional upon satisfactory completion of pre-employment checks.
Our Drugs and Alcohol Standard has changed. All prospective candidates will be required to undergo and pass a drugs and alcohol test. Your application will be rescinded if you record a positive test. All positive drugs and alcohol test results for prospective candidates will be securely held on the Sentinel database, and a 5-year suspension from applying for a safety-critical role, a role which requires PTS certification, or a Key Safety role on Network Rail Managed Infrastructure will be enforced.
Your Experience and Skills
You will ideally have
- Demonstrate strong understanding of business needs and relevant application of accounting standards.
- Membership (or working towards a membership) of a relevant accounting body (CIMA/ACCA) or equivalent experience.
- Expert knowledge and experience of creating and maintaining accounts and annual budgets.
- Significant experience within relevant finance disciplines.
- Strong Excel skills and use of data manipulation.
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
- Ability to interpret technical accounting regulations into everyday language.
- Demonstrable effective influencing skills at a senior level.
- Significant understanding of financial control and risk.
- Excellent technical finance and accounting knowledge.
Keeping people safe on the railway is at the heart of everything we do. Safe behaviour is therefore a requirement of working for Network Rail. You should demonstrate your personal dedication to safety within your application.
What Could Set You Apart
- Understanding of project management principles and experience of managing complex projects.
- Membership of a relevant accounting body.
- Extensive experience of Oracle-based systems.
- Degree or equivalent qualification in finance and accounting, or business management, or experience.
Not sure if you meet all the requirements? Let us decide. Some of these criteria may be learnt in role. Therefore, if you do not meet all the criteria, please submit your application. We will screen your application against these criteria to assess the best match.
