Finance Business Partner

Contract type:
Full Time, Permanent

Working hours:

40 Hours a Week (Hybrid working, 3 days in office/ onsite)

The Finance Business Partners play a critical role in driving the financial performance of the business by providing strategic financial analysis, insightful guidance and robust decision support to key stakeholders, primarily to Operational leaders but also to other Functional leads as required (e.g. Business Development, Procurement). The roles will support our Regional Managing Director in Scotland and Midlands Services business. Our Finance Business Partners are the key link between Operations and Finance.

Our Finance Business Partners have a commercial mindset and act as trusted finance advisors, improving the financial awareness of non‑financial colleagues, ensuring the integrity and accuracy of our financial reporting and analysis. They have the ability and confidence to challenge and influence colleagues in an appropriate manner, building strong relationships based on mutual respect and proactively seek to improve the financial performance of the business.

Ownership of the monthly P&L reporting for a portfolio of contracts, which means:

• Working with and guiding Operational colleagues to determine the value and extent of required judgemental transactions at month end, namely accrued income and cost accruals.
• Having sufficient knowledge of the business and contracts, and confidence in their experience to be able to robustly review and challenge both the underlying transactions posted to the contract by the Financial Controlling team and the judgements proposed by Operational colleagues.
• Explaining monthly and YTD results in‑depth, including articulating the key drivers of variances to budget and forecast, to Operational colleagues, line manager and other senior Finance colleagues.
• Ensuring correct application of accounting policies and principles.
• Proactively identifying risks and opportunities for improved financial performance (see further below)
• Support with the preparation of presentations for use in monthly Regional Business Review meetings with UK Leadership. Deputise for Senior Finance Business Partner in attending and presenting at monthly meeting when required.
• Ownership of annual budget and periodic reforecasting for a portfolio of contracts, ensuring that they are underpinned by robust, business‑owned assumptions which have the full buy‑in of Operations.
• Monitor performance against budget and forecast, identifying areas for improvement and potential risks. Recommend actions and develop action plans to mitigate potential risks and maintain a log of risks and opportunities for consolidation into the central risks and opportunities tracker.
• Act as key decision support partners to Operations, being a "critical friend" who: provides robust challenge to financial judgements and decisions; supports with managing spend within budgets; and identifies and tracks opportunities to improve contract profitability and cash flow; supports with monitoring and collection of overdue debt.
• Provide financial training and guidance to non‑finance colleagues and communicate insightful financial conclusions to non‑finance colleagues in a simple and concise manner.
• Work closely with transactional finance colleagues to implement changes / process improvements on a continuous improvement basis e.g. translate finance initiatives through to our Operational colleagues and support compliance/adherence to processes

• Qualified ACA/ACCA/CIMA.
• Strong inter‑personal, influencing, collaboration and communication skills.
• Ability to engage with Operational colleagues, and interest in how a business really works.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills – proven experience in interpreting financial data and providing value‑added insight into business performance.
• An engaging relationship builder, with the ability to work both independently and as part of a team.
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills, and ability to communicate concisely and persuasively to a broad range of stakeholders.
• Sound understanding of accounting principles and financial statements (P&L, balance…