Senior Finance Business Partner

Vista Global; Greater London; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading private aviation company is seeking a Senior Finance Business Partner to drive financial performance and provide commercial insights across operational departments. This role is vital for optimizing variable direct operating costs, such as fuel and handling. The ideal candidate will be a qualified accountant with significant finance experience, strong skills in financial modeling, and the ability to translate financial data into actionable strategies. The job is attractive for a finance professional eager to influence decision-making and operational efficiency.

Qualifications

• 6-8 years of progressive experience in a finance function including 3 years in a Business Partnering or FP&A role.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel for financial modeling.
• Strong understanding of cost accounting principles and variance analysis.

Responsibilities

• Drive continuous improvement in financial reporting and data integrity.
• Act as a trusted advisor to operational and financial leaders.
• Lead budgeting and forecasting cycles for VDOC cost categories.

Skills

Deep Financial Modelling

Cost Accounting Expertise

Data Proficiency

Commercial Acumen

Influence and Communication

Strategic Thinking

Challenge and Resilience

Stakeholder Management

Education

Qualified Accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA, CPA, or equivalent)

Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or a related field

Tools

Microsoft Excel

ERP Systems (SAP, Oracle)

Business Intelligence Tools (Power BI, Tableau)

Integrated Financial Planning Systems (Anaplan, Hyperion, Tagetik)

Job description

Job Profile

VistaJet is a fast-growing private aviation business, attracting unprecedented demand from customers thanks to the simplicity of its tailored business jet programs and its commitment to operating the world’s largest wholly owned large cabin private jet fleet, embracing the highest levels of service, safety, security, reliability and value.

The Senior Finance Business Partner (VDOC) is a strategic role responsible for driving financial performance, providing commercial insights, and influencing decision-making across operational departments that control the company's Variable Direct Operating Costs, which includes Fuel, Handling, Flight Control and On-Board Telecommunication spend. The role serves as the key bridge between the Finance and Operational functions, translating complex financial data into actionable strategy to optimize efficiency and profitability. The role will be based in Malta, London or Glasgow with regular travel to Malta.

Your Responsibilities

Cost Control and Optimization

• Drive continuous improvement in monthly financial reporting cycles and underlying data integrity in partnership with the Accounting, AP and AR teams
• Develop new reporting capabilities delivering insights into VDOC spend, which includes Fuel, Handling, Flight Control and On-Board Telecommunications
• Identify, quantify, and track cost-saving and efficiency opportunities within the VDOC spend profile, working collaboratively with procurement and operational teams
• Drive a culture of cost awareness and accountability across the business

Strategic Business Partnering & Decision Support

• Act as a trusted advisor to operational and financial leaders
• Proactively challenge cost assumptions, operational plans, and investment proposals to ensure optimal commercial outcomes
• Translate non-financial operational data into relevant financial KPIs and metrics

Financial Planning, Budgeting, & Forecasting

• Lead the comprehensive budgeting and forecasting cycle for all VDOC cost categories
• Develop robust, complex financial models to forecast cost impacts under various scenarios
• Provide timely, detailed, and accurate monthly performance reporting on VDOC variances against budget, forecast, and prior year, focusing on root cause analysis

Required Skills, Qualifications, and Experience

Essential Qualifications

• Qualified Accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA, CPA, or equivalent)
• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or a related field
• Minimum of 6-8 years of progressive experience in a finance function, with at least 3 years in a Business Partnering or FP&A role supporting operational teams

Technical & Business Skills

• Deep Financial Modelling : Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel with proven ability to build and manipulate large-scale, driver-based financial models
• Cost Accounting Expertise : Strong understanding of cost accounting principles, variance analysis, and cost-driver mapping
• Data Proficiency : Experience with large ERP systems (., SAP, Oracle) and Business Intelligence (BI) tools (., Power BI, Tableau) for extracting and visualizing data
• Commercial Acumen : Clear understanding of how operational decisions directly impact the P&L, especially within a high-volume, low-margin industry

Soft Skills & Competencies

• Influence and Communication : Excellent interpersonal, presentation, and communication skills, with a proven ability to explain complex financial concepts to non-finance senior stakeholders
• Strategic Thinking : Ability to see beyond the numbers, connect financial trends to business strategy, and proactively identify opportunities and risks
• Challenge and Resilience : Demonstrable confidence to challenge senior management constructively and push back on suboptimal commercial decisions
• Stakeholder Management : Proven ability to build trusted, collaborative relationships across different functions (Operations, Procurement, Finance,

Desired (But Not Essential) Experience

• Previous experience in the Aviation, Transport, or Logistics sectors, dealing specifically with large, complex variable cost bases (fuel, handling, landing fees).
• Experience with integrated financial planning systems (. , Anaplan, Hyperion, Tagetik).