Finance Business Partner

Drake Darcy | Horton International - UK; Billericay; Hybrid; GBP 75,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Drake Darcy | Horton International - UK in the private equity-backed services sector seeks a Finance Business Partner to lead budgeting, forecasting and reporting for a high-growth division. Based in Billericay with a hybrid 3–4 days in the office, you will deliver robust commercial insight to drive profitability.

The role partners with operations and commercial teams to build governance, model tenders and M&A opportunities, and to push process improvements across finance.

Qualifications

• Professional qualification ACA, ACCA, or CIMA with at least 5 years' PQE.
• Experience in project or contract-based environments with recurring revenue and framework contracts.
• Experience in high-growth or PE-backed portfolio companies with turnovers of at least £200 million.

Responsibilities

• Lead divisional budgeting, forecasting, and reporting processes.
• Strengthen financial controls and governance, ensuring accuracy and compliance.
• Provide commercial and financial insight to divisional leadership, translating data into clear analysis.
• Support new business initiatives, tenders, and M&A opportunities with robust modelling.
• Partner with operations and commercial teams to enhance performance and profitability.

Skills

Excel advanced

Financial modelling

Stakeholder management

Ambitious mindset

Education

ACCA/ACMA/CIMA (professional qualification)

Tools

Microsoft Dynamics 365

Power BI

Job description

Finance Business Partner – high-growth, PE-backed Business Services Group

Location: Billericay, Essex (Hybrid, 3-4 days/week in the office)

Salary: £75,000-95,000/annum + Car allowance + Bonus + Benefits

A rapidly-expanding, successful and ambitious Private Equity-backed Business Services Group is seeking a talented Finance Business Partner to support a key division. Operating in a highly commercial environment with tight margins, the Group has doubled in size in recent years and will continue to grow rapidly through new contract wins, tendering opportunities, diversified service lines and acquisitions.

This is a pivotal role for a commercially minded, hands-on finance professional who is comfortable working with ambiguity, adapts readily to changing organisational needs, and brings a pragmatic, mature approach – recognising that different organisations need different things at different stages. You'll enjoy working in a fast-paced, evolving environment and want to help drive stronger financial control, cost discipline, delivery and insight.

The Opportunity

• Lead divisional budgeting, forecasting, and reporting processes.
• Strengthen financial controls and governance, ensuring accuracy and compliance.
• Provide commercial and financial insight to divisional leadership, translating data into clear, actionable analysis.
• Support new business initiatives, tenders, and M&A opportunities with robust financial modelling.
• Partner closely with operations and commercial teams to enhance performance, mitigate risks, and maximise profitability.
• Drive improvements in month-end and year-end processes to achieve timely, accurate reporting.
• Champion process improvement and automation initiatives to enhance efficiency and accuracy across the finance function.
• Act as a true partner to the Divisional MD, providing detailed information and keeping them closely updated as their trusted financial expert.
• Challenge and push operations, holding the business to account on cost control and delivery.
• Build strong relationships and engage confidently with stakeholders across the business, well beyond finance.
• Deliver from day one, bringing pace, credibility and momentum to the role immediately.

About You

You'll have an outgoing personality, be highly collaborative, and bring a real interest in the business alongside a willingness to get hands dirty. You'll balance control and collaboration as a confident, engaging business partner.

The ideal candidate will bring:

• Professional Qualification: ACA, ACCA, or CIMA qualified with at least 5 years' PQE.
• Experience sought: Exposure to project or contract-based environments with recurring revenue and framework contracts, ideally within business services, construction, infrastructure or technology sectors. An understanding of tight margins and cost control. Experience in high-growth or PE-backed portfolio companies with turnovers of at least £200 million. Experience with growth or acquisitions is helpful, as is exposure to larger corporate organisations.
• Technical Skills: Advanced Excel capability, strong financial modelling, and familiarity with management accounting and risk management principles. Experience with Microsoft Dynamics 365 and/or Power BI is advantageous. A genuine interest in technology and AI, and how it can be used to support the business.
• Soft Skills:
• High emotional intelligence – able to "read the room" and challenge appropriately.
• Strong influencing and communication skills, with the ability to build trust quickly and build relationships across the business outside of finance.
• A sharp, energetic, and solutions-focused mindset.
• Hands-on approach – comfortable engaging with operations to understand the detail and drive delivery.
• Ability to simplify complex data and present it clearly and confidently to non-finance stakeholders.
• Pragmatic and mature, with the ability to work with ambiguity and adapt as organisational needs change.
• Willing to grow with the company as it scales.

Why Join?

• Opportunity to shape the finance function in a high-growth PE environment.
• Work closely with senior leadership on strategic and operational decisions, with board-level exposure.
• Gain exposure to new contracts, tenders, and acquisitions.
• Be part of a collaborative, forward-thinking culture focused on continuous improvement.
• Help drive professionalisation and process enhancement during a key phase of growth.