Finance Business Partner

Impact Food Group; Knaphill; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days annual leave

Staff discount across 850+ retailers

Pension scheme

Monthly incentives and recognition

Job summary

Impact Food Group is hiring a Finance Business Partner to act as a strategic financial partner to our operational and commercial teams across the school catering portfolio. You will turn data into actionable insight to help grow revenue, protect margins and deliver measurable financial improvements.

Key candidates are newly qualified or part-qualified accountants with strong P&L knowledge, superb Excel skills and 2–4 years in FP&A or business partnering.

Qualifications

• Finance background: Newly qualified or part-qualified accountant (CIMA/ACCA/ACA) with strong P&L mechanics.
• 2–4 years of experience in a highly commercial pricing, FP&A, or business partnering role.
• Excellent Excel skills with a proven track record of building robust, clean financial models.

Responsibilities

• Act as the dedicated financial advisor to non-finance operational directors and managers, translating data into actionable recommendations.
• Lead annual budgeting and rolling reforecasting for assigned divisions.
• Build and maintain flexible financial models to stress-test variables (volume shifts, cost pressures).
• Conduct post-mobilisation reviews on contracts or initiatives to measure financial success.
• Design and track forward-looking KPIs to guide teams toward profitability.

Skills

Advanced Excel

Financial modelling

Commercial awareness

Education

Accounting qualification

Job description

Finance Business Partner

Impact Food Group

At Impact Food Group, we re more than just a school caterer. We re on a mission to create a positive food culture and help more students enjoy healthier, better-quality food. Making a positive social impact is at the heart of everything we do. We re constantly learning, evolving, and improving every way, every day.

We one of England s fastest-growing school food providers, serving around one million students every day across more than 1,500 schools. We are dedicated to delivering high-quality, nutritious meals that support student wellbeing and enjoyment.

Our brands include Innovate, Cucina, Chapter One (Independent Schools), Hutchison, and Dolce, reflecting our breadth of experience and reach across the school catering sector.

Guided by our values, integrity, bold, impactful, humble and community; you will help us shape a workplace and culture we can all be proud of.

The Role

The Finance Business Partner (FBP) acts as the primary financial co-pilot and strategic advisor to key operational and commercial stakeholders. Rather than just reporting on past performance, the FBP is an embedded partner who seeks to understand the "why" behind the numbers, providing clarity on the past, insight for the present, and foresight for the future.

The ultimate goal of this role is to turn robust financial data into actionable commercial insight, enabling operational teams to drive growth, protect margins, and deliver measurable financial improvements.

What you ll be Doing

Role Responsibilities

Strategic Partnering & Influence

• Commercial Advisory: Act as the dedicated point of contact for financial advice to non-finance operational directors and managers, translating complex data into clear, actionable business recommendations.

• Challenge & Collaboration: Build strong, collaborative relationships across departments while maintaining the commercial diplomacy to constructively challenge operational assumptions and plans when necessary.

Budgeting, Forecasting & Foresight

• Agile Planning: Lead the annual budgeting and rolling reforecasting processes for assigned operational divisions, ensuring alignment with overall corporate strategy.

• Scenario Modelling: Build and maintain flexible, multi-tab financial models to stress-test business variables (such as volume shifts, supply chain changes, and macroeconomic cost pressures).

Commercial Performance & Benchmarking

• Post-Mobilisation Reviews: Conduct "Actual vs. Business Case" performance reviews on recently launched contracts or initiatives to measure financial success and feed lessons learned back into future models.

• KPI Development: Design and track forward-looking operational benchmarks (e.g., gross profit percentages, labour efficiency ratios, and volume uptakes) to guide teams toward maximum profitability.

Systems, Data & Process Excellence

• Data Leverage: Work closely with systems specialists to fully exploit core financial platforms, automating routine reporting to maximize time spent on high-value analysis.

• Consistency of Output: Adhere to and help refine standardised operational procedures to ensure absolute consistency and quality of commercial finance outputs across the team.

What We Are Looking For

Technical & Professional Credentials

• Finance Background: Newly qualified or part-qualified accountant (CIMA / ACCA / ACA) with strong foundational knowledge of P&L mechanics, margin analysis, and cost allocation.

• Proven Experience: 2 4 years of experience in a highly commercial pricing, FP&A, or business partnering role. Ideally within a fast-paced, multi-site, or contract-led industry.

• Advanced Financial Modelling: Superb Excel skills with a proven track record of building robust, clean, and easily navigable commercial models.

What s in It for You?

• The opportunity to build a career you can be proud of in a growing business.
• Access to a wide range of free training, qualifications, and development opportunities
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays
• Staff discount scheme across 850+ retailers
• Pension scheme and other great company benefits
• Monthly incentives and recognition for top performers

Our Team

If you re looking for your next step and want to be part of an organisation that genuinely makes a difference, we d love to hear from you.

IFG are committed to the safeguarding of children, and our employees share this commitment. Successful candidates are required to undergo an enhanced DBS check, which IFG will pay for.

We are a committed equal opportunities employer - if you require any assistance for the interview process, please detail within your application. All information is kept confidential and in compliance with GDPR requirements.