Financial Business Partner

Grant Thornton UK; Leeds; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Grant Thornton UK LLP is seeking a Finance Business Partner to partner with business leaders, turning financial data into actionable insight. You will support decision-making, explain performance drivers, and drive initiatives that improve results, with automation and offshore support for routine tasks.

The role offers flexible working options and potential reduced hours or job shares to help balance work and life.

Qualifications

• Qualified or part-qualified accountant with management accounting / FP&A background.
• Strong analytical skills (Excel/modelling) and ability to use dashboards/BI to generate insight quickly.
• Good business partnering behaviours: curiosity, constructive challenge, and ability to influence without authority.
• Comfort with AI-enabled ways of working: drafting, summarising, and checking outputs with validation.

Responsibilities

• Forecasting and planning: maintain driver-based forecasts; identify gaps to plan and propose actions (pricing, capacity, cost, delivery).
• Performance analysis: interpret results and explain the “so what”; focus on trend, mix, and leading indicators, not just retrospective variance.
• Commercial support: support fee proposals, contract/margin assessments, and post-deal tracking; highlight risks in scope, recovery, and resourcing.
• Working capital and controls: oversee WIP/debt hygiene via exception reporting; elevate issues and agree interventions with owners.
• Process improvement: identify recurring requests suitable for automation; help define standard packs, templates, and data definitions.
• Communication: Deliver results to key stakeholders with clear added value messages.
• Coaching: guide Assistant FBPs and analysts; review their outputs and develop their commercial awareness

Skills

Management accounting

FP&A

Business partnering

Excel modelling

BI dashboards

AI-enabled working

Education

ACCA/ACA/CIMA part-qualified or qualified

Tools

Excel

BI/Power BI

Job description

Alternatively, Grant Thornton

At Grant Thornton we do things differently - looking to the future, driving ambitious growth and pioneering positive change in our industry. Providing audit, tax and advisory services, we empower clients through strategic insight, curiosity, and genuine partnership. And we empower our people with real opportunity, an inclusive culture and work life balance. A true alternative.

With over 5,000 people in the UK, and a presence in 150 global markets, we're on an ambitious journey, from great to exceptional, and we need the best people to help us achieve our potential. And with that comes the opportunity to help redefine what our industry looks like, and what you want from your career.

Job Description

MORE THAN YOU EXPECTED

Grant Thornton UK LLP is part of a global network of independent audit, tax and advisory firms, made up of some 58,000 people in over 135 countries. We're a team of independent thinkers who put quality, inclusion and integrity first. All around the world we bring a different experience to our clients. A better experience. One that delivers the expertise they need in a way that goes beyond. Personal, proactive, and agile. That's Grant Thornton.

NEW GROUND WON’T BREAK ITSELF

Every day our teams help people in businesses and communities to do what is right and achieve their goals.

As a Finance Business Partner, you will partner with business leaders and cost owners to turn financial data into commercial insight. You will support their decision-making, help them understand their financial performance and levers for improvement, and drive delivery of actions that strengthen results—leveraging automation and offshore support for routine tasks.

We’re happy to talk flexible working and consider reduced hours and job shares, we’ll support you to balance your work and life.

A look into the role

Key outcomes

• Leaders understand their performance, drivers, and levers—and take timely corrective action.


• Forecasts for the portfolio are accurate, well-explained, and underpinned by operational drivers (pipeline, utilisation, delivery, pricing).


• Core processes (timesheets, billing, WIP, expenses) operate with high discipline through exception-based management.


• Insights and recommendations are communicated clearly to non-finance stakeholders.

Key responsibilities

• Forecasting and planning: maintain driver-based forecasts; identify gaps to plan and propose actions (pricing, capacity, cost, delivery).


• Performance analysis: interpret results and explain the “so what”; focus on trend, mix, and leading indicators, not just retrospective variance.


• Commercial support: support fee proposals, contract/margin assessments, and post-deal tracking; highlight risks in scope, recovery, and resourcing.


• Working capital and controls: oversee WIP/debt hygiene via exception reporting; elevate issues and agree interventions with owners.


• Process improvement: identify recurring requests suitable for automation; help define standard packs, templates, and data definitions.


• Communication: Deliver results to key stakeholders with clear added value messages.


• Coaching: guide Assistant FBPs and analysts; review their outputs and develop their commercial awareness

Knowing you’re right for us

Joining us as a Finance Business Partner, the minimum criteria you’ll need is Finance Business Partnering experience. It would be great if you had some of the following skills, but don’t worry if you don’t tick every box, we’ll help you develop along the way.

• Qualified or part-qualified accountant (or equivalent experience) with relevant management accounting / FP&A / business partnering background.


• Strong analytical skills (Excel/modelling) and ability to use dashboards/BI to generate insight quickly.


• Good business partnering behaviours: curiosity, constructive challenge, and ability to influence without authority.


• Comfort with AI-enabled ways of working: drafting, summarising, and checking outputs with appropriate validation.

Knowing we’re right for you

Embracing uniqueness, the culture at Grant Thornton thrives on the contributions of all our people, we never settle for what is easy, we look beyond to deliver the right thing, for everyone. Building an inclusive culture, where we value difference and respect our colleagues helps our people to perform at the best of their ability and realise their potential.

Our open and accessible culture means you’ll interact with leaders who are interested in you and everything you bring to our firm. The things that set you apart, we value them. That’s why we give you the freedom to bring your whole self to work and pursue your passions inside and outside of work.

We’re also committed to supporting you through different life stages, with a range of family friendly and wider leave policies. You can find full details of our reward, benefits and leave policies on our website: Reward and benefits.

Beyond the job

Life is more than work. The things that you do, and the people you’re with outside of work matter, that’s why we’re happy to look at flexible working options for all our roles, and we’ll always do our best to keep your work and life in balance.

The impact you can make here will go far beyond your day job. From secondments, to fundraising for local charities, or investing in entrepreneurs in the developing world, you’ll be giving back to society.

It’s that drive to do the right thing that runs through our every move, grounded in our firm’s values – purposefully driven, actively curious and candid but kind.

We’re looking for people who want to contribute, spark fresh ideas and go beyond expectations. People who want to be able to proudly do what’s right, for the firm, our clients, our people and themselves. It’s how it should be.