Finance Operations Associate

Finance Operations Associate

Final date to receive applications: 22 July 2026

Department: Finance

Employment Type: Permanent - Full Time

Location: London

Compensation: £36,750 / year

ARIA is a R&D funding agency created to unlock technological breakthroughs that benefit everyone. We fund scientists and engineers to pursue research at the edge of the possible.

From climate change to AI, society faces enormous challenges and opportunities that can be uniquely addressed by science and technology. ARIA was created to activate the UK’s world-class R&D in new ways, so we can meet these head on.

Our success is shaped by one question: how will ARIA transform the lives of the UK’s future generations? Whether that’s a life-changing new technology or a burgeoning new industry, it should be obvious that ARIA played a catalytic role.

Learn more about how we work here.

At ARIA, breakthroughs need brilliant operations behind them. As our Finance Operations Associate, you will assist in the day to day engine of ARIA's finance operations and all things finance run smoothly.

This is an early career finance operations role, designed for a graduate or someone with some finance experience who wants to build a career in finance. You will be hands on with the basics: procure-to-pay, finance inbox management, documentation, supplier and invoice queries, and control focused record keeping. Getting these things right matters because ARIA is stewarding public money to fund ambitious R&D.

Working with the Finance Operations Manager and wider Finance team, you will help spot recurring friction, strengthen internal guidance, test better workflows and boost the rollout of new tools, automations and AI-enabled ways of working. We are looking for someone who enjoys detail, learns systems quickly, asks good questions, and is excited by the idea of making finance operations clearer, faster and easier.

The scope of the role will evolve as ARIA continues to grow, but will broadly involve the following:

• Keep ARIA’s finance engine moving: You’ll assist in the day to day running of our procure-to-pay processes, helping make sure suppliers are onboarded, invoices are processed, approvals move smoothly, and payments happen accurately and on time. You aren’t just processing transactions - you’re helping ensure that the scientists, engineers, programme teams and partners we work with can focus on ambitious R&D, knowing the finance operations behind them are thoughtful, reliable and well run.
• Be a trusted first point of contact for finance operations: You’ll help manage the finance inbox and reply to queries from colleagues, suppliers and partners with clarity, care and pace. You’ll act as an ambassador for the Finance team, making sure every interaction is helpful, human and well owned - whether you’re resolving a supplier question, helping a colleague learn new processes, or spotting where a recurring query points to something we could improve.
• Build the knowledge and systems that help us scale: Working closely with the Finance Operations Manager, you’ll help refine and professionalise our internal finance knowledge base, guidance, templates and process notes. You’ll make sure our ways of working are easy to comprehend, consistently applied and high quality - turning repeat questions or manual workarounds into clear, useful resources that help the whole organisation move faster and with more confidence.
• Improve how finance work gets done: You’ll support process improvement projects across finance operations, from implementing new tools and apps to using AI and automation to reduce manual work. You’ll work closely with the Finance Operations Manager, Head of Finance Operations, and wider Operations team to identify friction, test better ways of doing things, and help build simple, scalable solutions that balance ARIA’s start up energy with the duty and transparency expected of a publicly funded organisation.

A successful candidate will bring the following skills/experience:

Essential criteria

• High Autonomy: We don’t micromanage; we trust you to take full accountability, proactively identifying…