Finance Business Partner

Explorers Early Learning; Melbourne; On-site; AUD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Explorers Early Learning in Melbourne is seeking a commercially curious Finance Business Partner to bring financial insight to centre and Support Office leaders. You’ll help translate data into decisions that drive performance and growth.

You’ll lead budgeting, forecasting and monthly reporting, challenge assumptions, and leverage AI to streamline processes. This role requires strong stakeholder partnering and a hands-on, results-driven mindset.

Qualifications

• A degree in Accounting, Finance or a related discipline, with CA or CPA qualification.
• At least six years’ experience across commercial finance, FP&A, business partnering, advisory or audit.
• Experience coordinating budgeting, forecasting and monthly management reporting, including driver-based modelling.
• Strong business partnering skills with the confidence to influence and collaborate with operational stakeholders.
• Experience in complex, multi-entity, multi-site organisations, ideally privately owned, with group reporting and consolidation.
• Understanding of operational drivers and their impact on centre profitability, including occupancy and labour.
• Advanced Excel skills and financial modelling capabilities with large data sets.
• Hands-on approach to AI and automation with data privacy and accuracy.
• Excellent communication and ability to explain changes and required actions to non-finance stakeholders.
• Commercial judgement and ability to navigate change, ambiguity and priorities.

Responsibilities

• Coordinating annual budgets and rolling forecasts across centres and Support Office functions using driver-based models.
• Preparing Group, entity and centre-level monthly management reporting with explanatory commentary.
• Investigating movements in performance, challenging assumptions and identifying underlying causes.
• Identifying emerging risks and opportunities and quantifying their likely impact and actions.
• Keeping leaders updated on key drivers between monthly reporting cycles – occupancy, revenue and profitability.
• Partnering with operational leaders to agree actions that improve centre performance and following through.
• Modelling new centres, acquisitions and scenarios for commercial decisions.
• Using AI and automation to streamline reporting, forecasting, data preparation and reconciliation.
• Collaborating with Financial Control and IT to improve data quality and adoption of new tools.

Skills

Budgeting & Forecasting

Management Reporting

Financial Modelling

Stakeholder Engagement

CA/CPA Qualified

Excel Proficiency

AI & Automation

Data Analysis

Education

Accounting/Finance degree

CA or CPA qualification

Tools

Excel

Job description

At Explorers Early Learning, we believe exceptional early learning starts with exceptional people. As a family-owned and operated organisation, we’re passionate about creating inspiring environments where children, families and our people can thrive.

With more than 21 beautiful, purpose-built centres across Melbourne, we’re continuing to grow and evolve. Behind every great centre is a dedicated Support Office team helping our business operate effectively, make informed decisions and deliver exceptional outcomes for children and families.

We’re looking for a commercially curious Finance Business Partner to join our Finance team and help our leaders answer three questions: what is changing, what does it mean for the business, and what do we need to do now?

This is more than a traditional finance role. You’ll understand the numbers and the operational drivers behind them, investigate what’s changing and anticipate where performance is heading – bringing risks, opportunities and recommendations to leaders early, so there are no surprises. AI and automation are part of how you’ll do it, delivering faster, more reliable insight and better decisions across our growing network.

Where You Will Make an Impact

Reporting to the Head of Finance, you’ll partner closely with centre and operational leaders to turn financial and operational data into forward-looking insight and timely decisions.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Coordinating annual budgets and rolling forecasts across our centres and Support Office functions, using driver-based models.
• Preparing Group, entity and centre-level monthly management reporting, with commentary that explains what changed, why, and what it means.
• Investigating movements in performance, challenging assumptions and getting to the underlying operational cause.
• Identifying emerging risks and opportunities early, quantifying their likely impact and recommending action.
• Keeping leaders across key drivers between monthly reporting cycles – particularly occupancy, revenue and centre profitability.
• Partnering with operational leaders to agree actions that improve centre performance, then following through to check they delivered the expected improvement.
• Modelling new centres, acquisitions and scenarios to support commercial decisions.
• Using AI and automation to streamline reporting, forecasting, data preparation and reconciliation, freeing up time for analysis and decision support.
• Working with Financial Control and IT to improve data quality and build a single source of truth and helping the Finance team and business users adopt new tools.

What Makes You a Great Fit

You’re a commercially curious, forward-looking finance professional who enjoys going beyond the numbers. You investigate what’s changing, challenge assumptions and bring clear, practical recommendations to non-finance stakeholders – without waiting to be asked.

You’ll also bring:

• A degree in Accounting, Finance or a related discipline, with CA or CPA qualification.
• At least six years’ experience across commercial finance, FP&A, business partnering, advisory or audit.
• Experience coordinating budgeting, forecasting and monthly management reporting, including driver-based modelling.
• Strong business partnering skills, with the confidence to influence and collaborate with operational stakeholders.
• A track record of proactively raising risks, opportunities and recommendations that have influenced operational decisions.
• Experience working within complex, multi-entity, multi-site organisations, ideally in a privately owned business, including group reporting and consolidation.
• An understanding of how operational drivers – such as occupancy, fees, Child Care Subsidy, educator ratios and labour – flow through to centre profitability, or the ability to learn them quickly.
• Advanced Excel skills and strong financial modelling capabilities, including working with large and complex data sets.
• A hands-on approach to AI and automation, with sound judgement on accuracy, data privacy and security.
• Strong data discipline, including the ability to structure, clean and validate information so insights and AI-generated outputs can be trusted.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to explain what is changing, what it means and what we need to do now.
• Commercial judgement and follow-through, with the confidence to navigate change, ambiguity and competing priorities.

Highly regarded: Experience with a Big Four accounting firm and exposure to workforce-intensive service sectors such as early learning, healthcare or aged care.

Above all, you’ll share our commitment to child safety and understand that creating safe, high-quality learning environments is everyone’s responsibility.

Why Explorers?

At Explorers, our people are at the heart of everything we do. We’re proud of our family-owned culture, our commitment to continuous improvement and our focus on building a workplace where people can make a meaningful contribution.

You’ll have the opportunity to work closely with Finance and operational leaders, influence how decisions are made and help shape the future of our finance function as Explorers continues to grow.

If you’re passionate about commercial finance, enjoy partnering with the business and are excited by the opportunity to use AI and automation to create smarter ways of working, we’d love to hear from you.