Senior Finance Business Partner

JCDecaux UK; Greater London; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

JCDecaux UK is seeking a senior finance leader to act as the chief Finance partner to an executive team, turning business priorities into robust plans, forecasts and investment decisions.

You will own FP&A, manage P&L, balance sheet and capital expenditure, and guide cross-functional teams with clear cash, cost and productivity improvements. Strong Excel modelling, ERP/BI tooling and experience influencing senior stakeholders are essential, with coaching capability for Analysts.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in Finance Business Partnering, FP&A or commercial/operational finance.
• Strong understanding of P&L, balance sheet, cash flow, working capital and capex.

Responsibilities

• Lead planning and forecasting, including annual budget, latest estimates and multi-period plans with clear assumptions, risks and opportunities.
• Provide decision-ready insights by turning financial and operating data into concise options and recommendations for senior leaders with clear trade-offs and actions.
• Drive performance reviews focused on root cause, forward impact and corrective action—not just variances.
• Own financial stewardship: oversee P&L, balance sheet, cash, working capital and capex; challenge outcomes and resolve issues.
• Shape investment cases using whole-life cost, cash, return, risk and strategic value; track benefits and advise on adjustments.
• Improve value and productivity by reducing cost, strengthening cash, simplifying processes and improving resource allocation with measurable delivery.
• Strengthen data and controls through standardisation, automation and better reporting and models.
• Lead through influence, maintaining Finance independence while coordinating across Finance and the business.
• Develop capability by coaching Finance Analysts and setting clear priorities.

Skills

Finance Partnering

FP&A

Commercial finance

Excel modelling

AI tools experience

Education

ACCA/CIMA/ACA

Tools

SAP

Power BI

Job description

This is a senior commercial finance role turning business priorities into clear plans, better decisions and measurable financial outcomes. As the lead Finance partner to an executive leader and their leadership team, you will act as a trusted adviser and constructive challenger. You will translate strategy and operational activity into robust plans, forecasts and investment choices, then ensure agreed actions deliver improvements in profitability, cash, capital efficiency, productivity and control. You will own the quality of Finance Business Partnering across your remit, coordinating specialist support from Accounting, Controlling and FP&A rather than performing routine transaction processing.

What you'll be doing...

• Lead planning and forecasting: deliver the annual budget, latest estimates and multi-period plans, using operational drivers and clearly documented assumptions, risks and opportunities.
• Provide decision-ready insight: turn financial and operational data into concise options and recommendations for senior leaders, with clear trade-offs, owners and actions.
• Drive performance: lead regular performance reviews focused on root cause, forward impact and corrective action-not simply reporting variances.
• Own financial stewardship: oversee the P&L, balance sheet, cash, working capital and capital expenditure for your remit; challenge accounting outcomes and ensure material issues are resolved.
• Shape investment choices: assess business cases using whole-life cost, cash, return, risk and strategic value; track approved benefits and recommend when to fix, rescope, pause, stop or scale activity.
• Improve value and productivity: identify practical opportunities to reduce cost, strengthen cash, simplify processes and improve resource allocation, then follow through to measurable delivery.
• Strengthen data and controls: improve reporting, models, data quality and controls through standardisation, automation and responsible use of technology.
• Lead through influence: build trusted relationships while maintaining Finance independence, coordinating effectively across Finance and the wider business.
• Develop capability: where applicable, manage and coach Finance Analysts, setting clear priorities and assuring the quality and usefulness of their work.

What success looks like

• Leaders receive timely, forward-looking insight and clear recommendations that improve decisions.
• Budgets and forecasts are driver-based, credible and owned by the business, with risks and actions visible.
• Financial results are accurate, explainable and connected across profit, cash, working capital and capital expenditure.
• Investments and improvement activity have clear outcomes, owners, measures and follow-through.
• Processes, models and controls become simpler, more consistent and more reusable over time.

Additional focus:

• Build clear cost-driver insight across labour, contractors, fleet, facilities, energy, maintenance, print production, stock and other material operational costs.
• Partner with operational leaders on capacity, suppliers, service levels and resource choices, identifying what should stop, be deferred, redesigned, automated or accelerated.
• Lead Finance support for capital planning, project forecasting and post-investment review, maintaining a dependable view of commitments, phasing and forecast-to-complete.
• Improve stock, fleet, print production, working-capital and cost-allocation decisions through robust data, transparent assumptions and practical recommendations.
• Provide reliable Technical Operations cost evidence for contract profitability, tenders, renewals and portfolio decisions.

A little bit about you...

Required

• Substantial experience in Finance Business Partnering, FP&A, commercial finance or operational finance, independently supporting a complex senior-leader remit.
• Strong understanding of P&L, balance sheet, cash flow, working capital, capital expenditure, accruals, provisions and management reporting.
• A record of leading budgets, forecasts, analytical projects and improvement activity through to practical action and measurable outcomes.
• Excellent analytical and financial-modelling capability, with strong Excel skills and experience of ERP, planning or business-intelligence tools. Experience of using AI tools to support effectiveness.
• The judgement and confidence to influence and constructively challenge senior stakeholders, communicating complex issues simply.
• Strong prioritisation, project leadership and attention to detail, including timely escalation when delivery, assumptions or controls are at risk.
• Experience developing others, or clear readiness to coach, delegate and assure the quality of an analyst's work.

Preferred

• A professional accounting qualification such as ACCA, CIMA or ACA, or strong equivalent relevant experience.
• Practical experience with SAP and Power BI.
• Experience leading cross-functional transformation, governance or benefits-re