Finance Business Partner - Commercial

Ivy Rock Partners is proud to be working with a renowned University in West London to recruit a Commercial Finance Business Partner.

Main purpose of the job:

An exciting opportunity to be a key member of the Financial Planning and Analysis team, focusing on providing business partnering support and analysis to the Commercial and Business Development teams across the University. This includes overall responsibility for accurate forecasting, analysis, reporting and budgeting to be used for informed and fact-based decision making that will directly support the University’s financial sustainability for multi-million-pound income and expenditure departments.

Good communication and relationship building skills are essential to this role. The post holder will provide professional guidance on all financial and commercial related issues within their assigned business areas. They will ensure clarity of information which can be used for targeted decision making by the senior executive team. They will contribute to and influence the development of the strategy for their areas in line with the wider University’s Enabling Strategies.

Main duties and responsibilities:

1. Provide financial leadership for designated areas of the university.
2. Be a credible member of senior leadership teams, supporting the development of strategic and operational plans, contributing to executive and other leadership committees as appropriate.
3. Advise and support the heads of department and senior managers as a critical friend to ensure both financial and wider organisational goals are achieved through robust financial oversight of the performance as well ensuring sound and robust planning and forecasting to mitigate risk and maximise future opportunities.
4. To have primary responsibility for all costings and financials for new and existing partnerships / joint ventures / and new business initiatives.
5. To be the lead for the commercial development for the School of Continuing Education and Educational Services.
6. To ensure that marketing costs are controlled and forecasted accurately, whilst giving full commercial input into these areas.
7. To work with student acquisition teams ensuring the full capture and forecasting of the direct and associated costs of acquisition.
8. Responsible and accountable for leading production of month-end financial information pack and ensuring monthly reporting targets are met and reports are accurate, relevant, and timely.
9. Regularly review management accounts with stakeholders to understand key drivers/ variances giving support, training and financial advice to ensure a strong control environment.
10. Provide analysis on month end, forecast and planning numbers for consolidation by the Head of FP&A, ensuring a thorough understanding of any variances.
11. The post holder will be an active member of their assigned business areas, sharing best practice and providing guidance and training in Finance processes.
12. Seek continuous improvement opportunities in processes, reporting, cost savings and increased profitability through to implementation.
13. To ensure departmental understanding of the key aspects of financial policies and compliance, regulations, processes and procedures such as Tax, Procurement and Expense policy e.g. providing finance roadshows and seminars.
14. To gather information from multiple sources, analyse information, relay complex information accurately and in a manner that will support decision making.
15. Provide complete business finance support, from outset to implementation, for new programmes/collaborations proposals. In addition, provide business finance support for the annual business plans.
16. To support across the Financial Planning and Analysis Team to provide cover for holidays and absences to ensure continuity of the partnering service.
17. To partake in CPD, utilising appropriate external resources and networks and disseminating information where required
18. To undertake such other duties as may reasonably be required by the Head of Financial Planning and Analysis.