Finance Business Partner

Yorktown Education; Reading; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading education company is seeking a Finance Business Partner to join its operations in Theale, Reading. In this hybrid role, you will be responsible for analyzing product costs, supporting budgeting processes, and collaborating with various teams to ensure accurate financial reporting. The ideal candidate should be CIMA qualified with at least 5 years of experience in plant cost analysis. This role offers a competitive salary, annual bonus, and opportunities for career development in a supportive environment.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Annual bonus

Private medical

Career development opportunities

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in plant cost analysis.
• Fluent in English with strong communication skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills; works in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Analyzing and maintaining product costs and inventory data.
• Supporting budgeting, forecasting, and period-end reporting.
• Managing bills of materials and production variances.

Skills

Communication

Cost Analysis

Budgeting

Financial Analysis

SAP

Education

CIMA Qualified

Tools

SAP

Excel

PowerPoint

Word

Job description

The Opportunity:

Finance Business Partner - Hybrid Theale (Reading)

Avantor is hiring a Finance Business Partner to join our UK Manufacturing team, supporting our biopharma operations. This hybrid role is based at our HiChrom site in Theale, with three days in the office and two from home. Occasional travel to our Head Office in Lutterworth may be required.

You'll be responsible for:

• Analysing and maintaining product costs and inventory data
• Supporting budgeting, forecasting, and period-end reporting
• Managing bills of materials and production variances
• Ensuring accurate SAP data for operational and strategic decision-making
  

You'll work closely with operations, finance, and senior leadership across two divisions-HiChrom, a chromatography specialist with over 30 years of excellence, and Lab 3, delivering semi-automated production for industrial and pharma clients.

Avantor, a Fortune 500 global leader in life sciences and advanced technologies, offers a collaborative culture and meaningful career development.

YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES

Cost Accounting:

• Maintain accurate product costs in the SAP ERP system.
• Analyze production and material costs and make recommendations for improved cost controls
• Collaborate with Commercial FP&A, and manufacturing teams to ensure costs are being captured correctly
• Develop standard procedures for product costing
• Prepare month-end manufacturing results and scorecard. Provide insights to results.
• Ensure systems controls are in place and determine operation's consistency with corporate objectives and standards through various verification methods and procedures
• Report and monitor plant headcount by function
• Prepare and maintain inventory reporting + cycle count completeness monitoring
• Develop financial models in support of the annual budget and forecasting processes
• Assist department managers in the development of department and organization-wide budgets
• Gather data to support budgeting analysis and forecasting. Analyze current budgets to determine if funds are appropriately spent
• Support in CAPEX analyses/requests
• Perform other duties as assigned
• Perform necessary actions in SAP to ensure accurate data for articles/SKUs:
• Support NPI process for article creation, including BoM and Routing requirements
• Review existing BoM/Routing set ups following capex investments and continual improvement projects to ensure investment returns are recognized
• Drive operational conversations from variance reports to validate current SAP data sets and cleanse data quarterly with operational leads.
  

YOUR QUALIFICATIONS, KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

• Fluent in English with strong communication skills (verbal & written)
• CIMA Qualified
• 5+ years of experience in plant cost analysis
• SAP Cost accounting software experience is a must
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Independent, self-starter, highly motivated
• Works in a fast-paced environment, often with multiple priorities
• Ability to work with other executives, managers and owners in developing financial forecasts
• Full understanding of cost of sales components and how cost is mapped in a cost system
• Understands standard costing methods and variances
• Proficiency in Word, PowerPoint and advanced Excel skills
• In-depth knowledge of budgeting, and financial analysis processes
• Excellent analytical, communication, and organizational skills
  

OFFER

• Competitive salary
• Annual bonus
• Private medical
• A challenging job in a service-minded company within an international working environment.
• You will join a company that values its employees and helps them develop internally.

#LI-hybrid

Disclaimer:

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by employees assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of employees assigned to this position. Avantor is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.

Why Avantor?

Dare to go further in your career. Join our global team of 14,000+ associates whose passion for discovery and determination to overcome challenges relentlessly advances life-changing science.

The work we do changes people's lives for the better. It brings new patient treatments and therapies to market, giving a cancer survivor the chance to walk his daughter down the aisle. It enables medical devices that help a little boy hear his mom's voice for the first time. Outcomes such as these create unlimited opportunities for you to contribute your talents, learn new skills and grow your career at Avantor.

We are committed to helping you on this journey through our diverse, equitable and inclusive culture which includes learning experiences to support your career growth and success. At Avantor, dare to go further and see how the impact of your contributions set science in motion to create a better world. Apply today!

EEO Statement:

We are an Equal Employment/Affirmative Action employer and VEVRAA Federal Contractor. We do not discriminate in hiring on the basis of sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religious creed, national origin, physical or mental disability, protected Veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state/province, or local law.

If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please contact us by email at [e-mail] let us know the nature of your request and your contact information. Requests for accommodation will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Please note that only inquiries concerning a request for reasonable accommodation will be responded to from this email address.

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By submitting candidates without having been formally assigned on and contracted for a specific job requisition by Avantor, or by failing to comply with the Avantor recruitment process, you forfeit any fee on the submitted candidates, regardless of your usual terms and conditions. Avantor works with a preferred supplier list and will take the initiative to engage with recruitment agencies based on its needs and will not be accepting any form of solicitation.