Finance Business Partner - (8810)

Manchester Metropolitan University; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading educational institution in Manchester seeks a Finance Business Partner to support their Professional Services Directorates. The successful candidate will engage with key stakeholders, manage budgets, and contribute to financial planning. Ideal applicants will possess strong financial modeling skills, excellent communication capabilities, and relevant qualifications such as ACCA or CIMA. This role offers a dynamic work environment with flexible arrangements and emphasizes inclusivity and diversity.

Benefits

Flexible working arrangements

Professional development opportunities

Mentoring programmes

Qualifications

• Proven ability to manage and monitor budgets effectively.
• Experience in a financial advisory role for non-finance staff.
• Strong relationship-building skills with stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Support strategic financial planning and performance.
• Analyze financial implications for diverse business areas.
• Identify cost savings targets and initiatives.

Skills

Excellent communication skills

Financial modeling skills

Influencing senior managers

Networking skills

Data analysis

Education

ACCA, CIMA, ICAEW or equivalent accounting qualification

Job description

Manchester Metropolitan University is looking for a Finance Business Partner to join the Business Planning and Reporting Business Partner team within the Finance As a senior member of the team, you will primarily focus on supporting our Professional Services Directorates and the Head of Finance Business Partnering.

Using your strong technical and financial modelling skills and sound understanding of the Directorates, you will provide advice and support to senior colleagues. You will ensure that budgets are well constructed, managed and monitored and support senior managers in the production of plans to deliver improved performance, reduced risk and better value for money.

In this role, you will:

• Develop a deep knowledge of diverse business areas, their needs and priorities, making sure that the business understands the financial implications of decisions and available choices.
• Acting in an intelligent customer role to actively work with the business to understand cost drivers and performance priorities and interpret financial implications of decisions.
• Building, maintaining and influencing strong relationships with key stakeholders and budget holders, acting as the link with colleagues, ensuring that variances, forecasts and planning assumptions are reported and understood.
• Supporting the financial analysis of business areas to prepare for the business planning processes.
• Identifying sustainable cost savings targets and initiatives as part of the business planning cycle, along with understanding and articulating the impact of reforms and their ultimate effect on the business.
• Supporting on the of business cases through financial challenge and the identification of commercial implications of options considered.
• Building financial and commercial awareness of non-finance staff within the business.
• Support the Head of Professional Services Finance Business Partnering, attending meetings and forums as appropriate, providing practical and operational knowledge.

The ideal candidate will be:

• An excellent communicator, particularly when dealing with complex financial information and a non-financial audience.
• Able to influence the behaviour of senior managers to ensure they deliver the expected financial performance for their area of responsibility.
• Good at networking, both internally and externally, and building relationships at all levels of the organisation.
• Able to analyse large amounts of data and producing summaries which provide clear insights.
• Commercial in their approach to finance, balanced with a clear understanding of the non-financial objectives of the University.
• Able to work autonomously across a large and complex organisation.
• ACCA, CIMA, ICAEW or equivalent qualified accountant.

About the team:

Supporting the university in a series of increasingly dynamic, demanding and competitive environments, our work sees us involved in a growing number of partnerships and communities, across the city but also nationally and internationally. Our financial professionals play a key role in helping shape our strategic direction, making a key contribution to the long-term financial sustainability of a great global university. The work is intellectually challenging, exciting and hugely rewarding.

If you would like to join our people and share our ambition, we would love to hear from you.

To apply, please submit your CV and covering letter (detailing your suitability for the role) via our application portal.

For informal enquiries about this position, please contact Rebecca Bradley (Head of Professional Services Finance Business Partnering) at: [e-mail]

Manchester Metropolitan University fosters an inclusive culture of belonging that promotes equity and celebrates diversity. We value a diverse workforce for the innovation and diversity of thought it brings and welcome applications from all local and international communities, including Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic backgrounds, disabled people, and LGBTQ+ individuals.

We support a range of flexible working arrangements, including hybrid and tailored schedules, which can be discussed with your line manager. If you require reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process or in your role, please let us know so we can provide appropriate support.

Our commitment to inclusivity includes mentoring programmes, accessibility resources, and professional development opportunities to empower and support underrepresented groups.

Manchester Met is a Disability Confident Leader and, under this scheme, aims to offer an interview to disabled people who apply for the role and meet the essential criteria as listed in the attached Job Description for that vacancy.