Portfolio Finance Manager

Global University Systems (GUS); Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Pension scheme 5% personal + 3%Company

Private medical insurance

25 days annual leave

Season ticket loan

Eye care vouchers

Training & development opportunities

Staff discount

Employee assistance programme

Refer a friend scheme

Job summary

Global University Systems (GUS) is seeking a commercially minded Portfolio Finance Manager to join our growing Value Creation team. You will support newly acquired institutions as they join the portfolio, partnering with asset CFOs and senior leaders to translate financial information into actionable insights.

The role covers financial planning, budgeting, forecasting and 3–5 year models, with a focus on performance management and strategic finance.

Qualifications

• Professional accounting qualification (ACA/ACCA/CIMA) or equivalent finance experience.
• Experience in private equity-backed businesses or acquisitive environments.
• Strong FP&A, commercial finance, or portfolio finance experience.
• Experience building budgets, forecasts, models and strategic plans.
• Ability to translate complex financial information into actionable recommendations.
• Strong stakeholder management with senior leaders.
• Proactive hands-on approach; comfortable with ambiguity.
• Experience supporting business transformation or value creation initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Act as the primary finance partner to newly acquired institutions transitioning into the portfolio.
• Build trusted relationships with asset CFOs, finance teams and leadership.
• Support development of annual budgets, rolling forecasts and long-term plans.
• Develop 3–5 year financial models to support planning and value creation.
• Analyse performance against budgets, forecasts and investment cases.
• Produce clear financial insights and recommendations for senior leadership.
• Support monthly P&L, balance sheet and cash flow reporting across institutions.
• Develop investment appraisals and capital expenditure proposals.
• Strengthen financial planning and commercial finance capabilities where needed.
• Support transition of acquired assets into GUS reporting and governance.
• Collaborate with Group Finance, Asset Management and Value Creation teams to drive performance.
• Contribute to acquisition integration activities and post-acquisition planning.

Skills

ACA/ACCA/CIMA

Private equity experience

FP&A

Budgeting & forecasting

Financial modelling

Stakeholder management

Advanced Excel

Ambiguity handling

Education

Accounting qualification (ACA/ACCA/CIMA)

Tools

Excel

Job description

Portfolio Finance Manager

About Global University Systems

Global University Systems (GUS) is one of the world's leading education groups, bringing together a diverse network of higher education institutions, academic partners and student recruitment organisations across multiple countries.

With more than 11,000 colleagues and 36 academic institutions worldwide, we combine global scale with an entrepreneurial mindset, creating opportunities to innovate, grow and make an impact. As an ambitious international organisation, we continue to evolve, invest and expand, giving our people the chance to help shape what comes next and to change lives through education.

The Role

We are looking for a commercially minded Portfolio Finance Manager to join our growing Value Creation team.

This is a highly visible role supporting newly acquired institutions as they join the GUS portfolio. Working closely with asset CFOs, institutional leadership teams and senior stakeholders across GUS, you will help build financial capability, improve performance visibility and support strategic decision-making during a critical phase of integration and growth.

This is not a traditional corporate finance role. We operate in a fast-paced, acquisition-led environment where no two assets look the same. You'll work across multiple institutions, helping translate financial information into action, supporting long-term planning and ensuring leaders have the insight they need to make informed decisions.

The role combines financial planning, business partnering, performance management and strategic finance, making it ideal for someone who enjoys variety, ownership and exposure to senior stakeholders.

What you'll be doing

• Acting as the primary finance partner to newly acquired institutions as they transition into the GUS portfolio.

• Building trusted relationships with asset CFOs, finance teams and institutional leadership teams.

• Supporting the development of annual budgets, rolling forecasts and longer-term strategic plans.

• Building and maintaining 3-5 year financial models to support business planning and value creation initiatives.

• Analysing performance against budgets, forecasts and investment cases, identifying key risks and opportunities.

• Producing clear financial insight and recommendations for senior leadership and investment stakeholders.

• Supporting monthly P&L, balance sheet and cash flow reporting across portfolio institutions.

• Developing investment appraisals, business cases and capital expenditure proposals.

• Helping institutions strengthen financial planning and commercial finance capabilities where required.

• Supporting the transition of acquired assets into GUS reporting, governance and performance management processes.

• Working alongside Group Finance, Asset Management and Value Creation teams to drive performance improvements across the portfolio.

• Contributing to acquisition integration activities and post-acquisition planning where required.

What we're looking for

You will be an experienced finance professional who combines strong technical capability with excellent commercial judgement and stakeholder management skills.

Ideally, you will bring:

• A professional accounting qualification (ACA, ACCA or CIMA) or equivalent finance experience.

• Experience within private equity-backed businesses, buy-and-build organisations, consolidators or acquisitive environments.

• Strong FP&A, commercial finance, group finance or portfolio finance experience.

• Experience building budgets, forecasts, financial models and strategic plans.

• The ability to translate complex financial information into practical business recommendations.

• Strong stakeholder management skills and confidence working with senior leaders.

• A proactive, hands-on approach and the ability to operate with ambiguity.

• Experience supporting business transformation, integration or value creation initiatives.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities.

• Advanced Excel and financial modelling skills.

Experience within education is not essential. We are particularly interested in professionals who have worked in environments where acquiring, integrating and improving businesses is a core part of the operating model.

What you'll gain

This is an opportunity to join a newly established Value Creation function at an exciting stage of its development. You'll work directly with senior leaders across GUS, gain exposure to acquisitions and portfolio management, and play a key role in helping institutions realise their growth potential.

What we offer:

• Hybrid working - most roles offer hybrid or flexible arrangements to support work-life balance.

• Contributory Pension Scheme - 5% personal contribution & 3% Company contribution, so you can build long-term financial security with added benefits of the company contributions.

• Private Medical Insurance (T&C's apply) - prioritising your wellbeing with speedy access to healthcare whenever you need support.

• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays - time to rest, recharge, and balance life beyond work.

• Season Ticket Loan (T&C's apply) - spread the cost of your commute with an interest-free travel loan.

• Eye Care Vouchers - support for regular eye tests and essential eyewear.

• Training & Development opportunities (T&C's apply) - access to short courses via FutureLearn and Group-wide professional development programmes.

• Staff Discount Scheme - via My Rewards Hub, from various retailers - Fashion, Grocery, Health & Beauty, Travel, Automotive, Furniture, Dining, Sports and Leisure, Electronics, etc

• Employee Assistance Programme - confidential support for your wellbeing, whenever you need it.

• Refer a Friend Scheme for staff members (T&C's apply) - earn rewards for helping us bring great talent into the team

GUS is an equal opportunities employer and positively encourages applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, or religion or belief.

Our data privacy policy can be viewed here.