Finance Business Partner - WIP Project Accounting

Edward Mann; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Edward Mann is seeking a Finance Business Partner to join our London team on a hybrid basis. The role focuses on hands-on project accounting and working with project teams to monitor progress, profitability, and WIP while providing financial insight to support decision-making.

You will partner with project managers and stakeholders to control costs, forecast accurately, and drive profitability across client engagements in a consultancy environment.

Qualifications

• Fully qualified accountant with ACA, ACCA or CIMA.
• Experience monitoring WIP, project expenditure and margins.
• Experience in finance business partnering or project accounting.
• Experience in consultancy, professional services or project-based business preferred.
• Strong analytical skills to transform data into insights.

Responsibilities

• Partner with project managers to monitor progress and profitability.
• Monitor project expenditure, revenue, budgets and forecasts.
• Report on WIP and ensure accurate financial management.
• Provide regular project-level reporting and MI for decisions.
• Track project margins and identify improvement opportunities.
• Support budgeting and forecasting across projects.
• Analyze costs and resource utilisation against budgets.
• Explain results to non-finance stakeholders and challenge performance.
• Improve accuracy and efficiency of project reporting.
• Provide financial insight to support delivery and business growth.

Skills

WIP analysis

Project profitability

Budgeting & forecasting

Financial reporting

Stakeholder management

Commercial finance

Education

ACA/ACCA/CIMA

Job description

Finance Business Partner - WIP Project Accounting

Location: London (Hybrid)

The Opportunity

We are looking for a commercially minded, Finance Business Partner to join a growing consultancy business in London.

This is a hands-on role working closely with project teams and business stakeholders to monitor project progress, profitability, expenditure and work in progress (WIP). You will provide financial insight and analysis to support project delivery, improve commercial decision-making and ensure strong financial control across the business.

Ideally, you will have experience within a consultancy or professional services environment, with a background in project accounting or project-based financial management. You will be comfortable partnering with project managers, monitoring financial performance and identifying risks and opportunities to maximise profitability.

Key Responsibilities

• Business partner with project managers and operational teams to monitor project progress, financial performance and profitability.
• Monitor project expenditure, revenue, budgets and forecasts, identifying variances and potential risks.
• Monitor and analyse work in progress (WIP), ensuring accurate reporting and effective financial management.
• Provide regular project-level reporting and management information to support commercial decision-making.
• Track project margins and profitability, highlighting issues and opportunities to improve financial performance.
• Support budgeting and forecasting across projects and business units.
• Analyse costs, resource utilisation and expenditure against agreed budgets.
• Work closely with non-finance stakeholders to explain financial results and challenge performance where appropriate.
• Improve the accuracy, visibility and efficiency of project reporting and financial processes.
• Provide financial insight to support project delivery, commercial outcomes and business growth.

About You

• Fully qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA or CIMA, or equivalent)
• Experience monitoring WIP, project expenditure, margins and financial performance.
• Experience in finance business partnering, project accounting or a similar commercial finance role.
• Ideally, experience working within a consultancy, professional services or project-based business.
• Strong understanding of project profitability, cost control, budgeting and forecasting.
• Commercially minded, with the confidence to challenge and support project managers and senior stakeholders.
• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to interpret financial data and turn it into actionable insight.