Business Unit Manager

Job summary

Can you describe how you have used Microsoft Excel and Power BI to analyse, interpret and present organisational or financial data, and how this information supported decision-making for a range of stakeholders?

Have you led a team through change or continuous improvement initiatives, identifying opportunities to streamline processes, improve efficiency and deliver better outcomes?

Do you have experience managing budgets and finances while working collaboratively with stakeholders to understand requirements and successfully deliver projects or business activities?

If so, we’d love to hear from you!

UK Customer Maritime Services (UKCMS) is a directorate within the Maritime and Coastguard Agency responsible for delivering customer-facing maritime services, regulation, and industry engagement. It oversees key functions including the UK Ship Register, seafarer training, examination and certification, and acts as the primary interface with industry and stakeholders to promote safe, compliant, and competitive UK maritime operations. UKCMS also drives regulatory innovation within training and ship registration, supports seafarer safety and wellbeing, and provides strategic coordination through business planning, performance management, financial oversight, and risk management to ensure effective and efficient delivery across the directorate.

Joining our department comes with many benefits, including:

• Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary. Read more about Civil Service Pensions here
• 25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave), plus 8 bank holidays a privilege day for the King’s birthday
• Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.

Read more in the Benefits section below!

Find out more about what it's like working at Maritime and Coastguard Agency - Department for Transport Careers

Job description

The Business Unit Manager supports and delivers core processes across data, finance and governance within the UK Customer Maritime Services (UKCMS) directorate.

The role focuses on capturing, analysing and presenting financial and performance data to provide clear, actionable insight for stakeholders, supporting both operational delivery and strategic decisions. This includes improving and automating reporting through tools such as Excel and Power BI.

It also provides robust financial forecasting to support budgeting, monitoring and planning, working closely with stakeholders across UKCMS.

Additionally, the role oversees MI and governance processes across the directorate, ensuring consistency, transparency and accurate record-keeping, while leading a small team delivering business management and financial administration support.

Your responsibilities will include, but aren’t limited to:

• Lead the creation, analysis and continuous improvement of performance, quality and management information (MI) data across the UKCMS directorate

• Produce and present monthly performance reports, providing clear insights to stakeholders at all levels

• Develop and maintain dashboards and reporting tools, identifying data issues and driving improvements through automation (e.g. Excel, Power BI)

• Analyse trends to assess demand and inform operational and strategic decision-making

• Monitor and report on financial and governance performance

• Track and manage directorate spend, ensuring accurate records, forecasting and alignment with budgets

• Oversee invoice processing, procurement activity and support stakeholders with financial planning and queries

• Lead and develop a small team, embedding a culture of continuous improvement and ensuring delivery of business management and administrative support

Great line management is important to us as an organisation, and we will equip and support line managers to develop the skills they need. We aim to empower line managers to create teams where people can flourish and deliver excellent outcomes for the public.

For further information on the role, please read the role profile. Please note that the role profile is for information purposes only - whilst all elements are relevant to the role, they may not all be assessed during the recruitment process. This job advert will detail exactly what will be assessed during the recruitment process.

Person specification

Required Experience:

To be successful in this role you will need to have the following experience:

• Demonstrable experience using Microsoft Excel to an intermediate level and an understanding of Power BI to capture, analyse and present organisational and financial data clearly to a range of stakeholders.
• Experience monitoring and managing team budgets and finances.
• An ability to work collaboratively with stakeholders to understand requirements of a project/activity.
• Experience in leading a team though change and continual improvement, identifying areas for improvement and simplifying processes.

Additional information

Working hours, office attendance and travel requirements

Full time roles consist of 37 hours per week.

Whilst we welcome applications from those looking to work with us on a part time basis, there is a business requirement for the successful candidate to be able to work at least 30 hours per week.

This role is suitable for hybrid working, which is a non-contractual arrangement where a combination of workplace and home-based working can be accommodated subject to business requirements.

The expectation at present is a minimum of 60% of your working time a month will be spent at either your designated workplace (one of the locations cited in the advert) or, when required for business reasons, in another office/work location/visiting stakeholders. Your designated workplace will be your contractual place of work. There may be occasions where you are required to attend above the minimum expectation.

Some occasional national travel including overnight stays may be required.

Visa sponsorship

Please note that we will only offer sponsorship for a skilled worker visa where a role has been deemed to be business critical. This role does not meet that category, and we will not sponsor a visa. Therefore, this role is not open to applications from those who require sponsorship – candidates must ensure they have the appropriate right to work in the UK before applying. Should you apply for this role and be found to require sponsorship, your application will be rejected and any provisional offer of employment withdrawn.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Changing and Improving
• Working Together

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £35,663, Maritime and Coastguard Agency contributes £10,331 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

Being part of our brilliant Civil Service means you will have access to a wide range of fantastic benefits: