Finance Business Partner

JSS; Reading; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

JSS in Reading is looking for a Finance Business Partner for Operations & Delivery. The candidate will bridge the Finance department and technical teams, ensuring effective capital and operational expenditure management. Responsibilities include advising operations, budgeting, and KPI tracking. Ideal candidates are qualified accountants (ACA, ACCA, CIMA) with advanced Excel and ERP experience. This position offers the opportunity to drive efficiency in a dynamic environment.

Qualifications

• Several years of post-qualification experience as an accountant.
• Advanced Excel skills are required, with ERP and BI tools as advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Act as a trusted advisor to operations leadership.
• Translate complex financial data for non-financial stakeholders.
• Lead budgeting and forecasting for operations.
• Develop dashboards to monitor KPIs.
• Manage month-end activities for the operations department.

Skills

Financial Insight

Budgeting

Cost Efficiency

Dashboards Development

Contract Management

Education

Qualified Accountant (ACA, ACCA, or CIMA)

Tools

Advanced Excel

ERP systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle, Agresso)

BI tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau)

Job description

As a Finance Business Partner for Operations & Delivery, you will be the primary bridge between the Finance department and the technical delivery teams. You won't just be "crunching numbers"; you will be an embedded advisor helping to drive efficiency across the business.

Your focus will be on ensuring that capital expenditure and operational expenditure are managed effectively, providing the insight needed to hit deployment targets on time and within budget.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Business Partnering

• Act as a trusted advisor to the Operations Director and Project Delivery Leads.
• Translate complex financial data into actionable insights for non-financial stakeholders.
• Challenge existing processes and commercial assumptions to drive cost efficiencies and "value for money" across the supply chain.
• Lead the budgeting and forecasting cycles for the Operations and Delivery workstreams.
• Provide granular analysis of project spend against milestones, identifying risks and opportunities early.
• Develop and maintain rolling forecasts that reflect the reality of site acquisition, planning, and construction timelines.

Delivery Performance & KPI Management

• Develop bespoke dashboards to track key performance indicators.
• Conduct "Post-Investment Appraisals" to ensure objectives have been met.

Commercial Support & Control

• Support the procurement team in vendor negotiations and contract management.
• Ensure robust financial controls are in place for the end-to-end delivery lifecycle, from Purchase Order issuance to final payment.
• Manage month-end activities for the Operations department, including accruals, prepayments, and variance analysis.

The Ideal Candidate

Experience & Qualifications

• Qualified Accountant: ACA, ACCA, or CIMA with several years of post-qualification experience.
• Systems: Advanced Excel skills are a must. Experience with ERP systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle, or Agresso) and BI tools (e.g., Power BI or Tableau) is a significant advantage.