Senior Finance Business Partner

Teaching Vacancies; Sutton; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading educational trust in the United Kingdom is seeking a Senior Finance Business Partner to provide strategic financial leadership across several Academy Hubs. You will oversee financial management, support trust-wide planning, and act as the lead finance partner for schools, ensuring sustainability and strong outcomes. The ideal candidate will have significant experience in financial leadership, strong analytical skills, and the ability to develop finance teams. A commitment to safeguarding children and young people’s welfare is essential.

Benefits

Pathways for progression

Pension Scheme

Employee Wellbeing support

Employee Discounts

Salary Sacrifice Schemes

Qualifications

• Professional finance qualification or equivalent relevant experience.
• Strong analytical and strategic planning skills.
• Proven experience in financial leadership or business partnering.

Responsibilities

• Act as the lead finance partner for school leadership teams.
• Maintain effective relationships with Local Authorities and governing bodies.
• Oversee key financial processes and ensure compliance.

Skills

Financial leadership

Analytical skills

Strategic planning

Relationship-building

Team management

Education

Professional finance qualification or equivalent experience

Tools

Financial systems (including Arbor)

Job description

What skills and experience we're looking for

We are looking for a Senior Finance Business Partner to provide strategic financial leadership across several Academy Hubs within Orchard Hill College Academy Trust. You will oversee financial management, support trust-wide planning, and act as the lead finance partner for your schools, adding value to development plans and key financial decisions. You will also contribute to major projects, offering professional challenge to ensure strong and sustainable outcomes. If you are an experienced finance professional looking to make a meaningful impact, we’d love to hear from you.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide Strategic Financial Leadership - Act as the lead finance partner for Principals and School Leadership Teams, overseeing financial planning, forecasting, and monthly management accounts to support strong educational and financial outcomes.
• Lead Key Partnerships and Governance Support - Maintain effective relationships with Local Authorities, Local Governing Bodies, and school forums, ensuring accurate funding, strong representation, and proactive issue resolution.
• Manage School Development and Major Projects - Support and challenge strategic decision-making, lead on five-year development plans, estates financial planning, special projects, and grant management.
• Oversee Financial Operations and Compliance - Ensure effective use of financial systems (including Arbor), oversee key financial processes, ensure compliance with Finance Regulations, and support audits, statutory accounts, and cashflow.
• Lead and Develop Finance Teams - Line-manage Finance Business Partners and Finance Officers, support collaboration with HR and school operations teams, manage onboarding of new schools, and maintain high standards of confidentiality and policy compliance.

Key Requirements

• Professional finance qualification or equivalent relevant experience.
• Proven experience in financial leadership or business partnering, ideally within education or a complex multi-site organisation.
• Strong analytical and strategic planning skills, with the ability to interpret financial data, influence decisions, and support long-term planning.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills, able to work effectively with senior leaders, Principals, Local Authorities, and governing bodies.
• Experience managing and developing finance teams, with the ability to lead, motivate, and ensure high-quality financial operations and compliance.
• Willingness to travel to multiple academy sites as required

What the school offers its staff

OHC&AT is an exciting, forward-thinking organisation, and we offer many benefits to attract and keep our staff, contributing towards maintaining and improving wellbeing, and encouraging our required behaviours, achievements, values, and skills. Below is just a selection of the benefits available to our employees:

Rewards & Benefits

• Pathways for progression within the trust, ensuring you can grow and thrive in a supportive and inclusive environment.
• Pension Scheme - you will be enrolled in either the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) or the Teachers' Pension Scheme (TPS), both offering life cover and financial protection for your family.
• Salary Sacrifice Schemes (Cycle Scheme and Home Electronics Scheme)
• Employee Wellbeing - We support employee wellbeing with access to counselling, mental health support, generous leave, flexible working, and enhanced parental leave including Employee Assistance Programme, MyGym Discounts, Corporate Eyecare Scheme
• Employee Discounts (Blue Light Card, Costco Membership, Discounts for Teachers, and more)
• Other (Season Ticket Loan and Employee Referral Scheme)

Commitment to safeguarding

Our organisation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff, volunteers and trustees to share this commitment. Our recruitment process follows the keeping children safe in education guidance. Offers of employment may be subject to the following checks (where relevant): childcare disqualification Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) medical online and social media prohibition from teaching right to work satisfactory references suitability to work with children You must tell us about any unspent conviction, cautions, reprimands or warnings under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975.