E&E Finance Business Partner

The British Council Malaysia; Kuala Lumpur; Hybrid; MYR 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Job summary

The British Council Malaysia is seeking a finance professional to partner with the English & Exams business, delivering financial insight, planning, budgeting and forecasting to optimise commercial performance.

You will work with operational teams across Teaching Centres and delivery models, building business cases, scenario analyses and multi‑year planning to inform strategic decisions and drive performance. Hybrid work is available with UK‑based processes and English language standards.

Qualifications

• Intermediate experience in financial management, FP&A, or management accounting.
• Strong financial modelling, forecasting and analytics skills.
• Experience providing financial support to operational teams with positive feedback.
• Strong communication skills, including story telling supported with data, and the ability to explain financials to non‑finance colleagues.
• Experience handling multiple deadlines and working with a portfolio of activities.
• Experience in Exams, Teaching, or broader education environments.
• Experience with SAP or similar ERP platforms.
• Experience with Anaplan or similar EPM platforms.

Responsibilities

• Partner with Finance Directors and Market Leads, providing decision support and profitability analysis.
• Enable stakeholders to understand financial performance and identify cost drivers, KPIs, risks and opportunities.
• Manage multiple stakeholder requests prioritising by risk and business impact.
• Develop financial analysis and business cases for Teaching Centres and delivery models.
• Produce cost‑benefit, ROI and payback analyses to optimise pricing and delivery channels.
• Conduct scenario and financial modelling for regulatory and organisational changes.
• Support annual planning, forecasting and scenario modelling across regions.
• Provide management reporting, KPI dashboards and variance analysis.

Skills

Financial modelling

Forecasting

Analytics

Communication skills

Multi‑tasking

Education sector knowledge

SAP

Anaplan

Tools

SAP

Anaplan

Job description

We support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide. For 90 years we have shaped brighter futures through education, arts, culture, language, and creativity.

Working with people in over 200 countries and territories, we are on the ground in more than 100 countries.

We connect. We inspire.

The Role:

This role partners with the English & Exams (E&E) business to provide financial insight, planning, budgeting, forecasting, and performance analysis. Working closely with operational teams, it supports informed decision-making, risk management, and commercial performance, acting as a collaborative finance partner to maximise business impact.

Accountabilities:

Business Partnering & Stakeholder Engagement

• Serve as a trusted finance partner to Finance Directors and Market Leads, providing decision support, financial insights, and profitability analysis to drive commercial performance and strategic outcomes.
• Enable stakeholders to understand financial performance by identifying cost drivers, KPIs, risks, and opportunities while building strong relationships across finance, programme delivery, and corporate services.
• Manage multiple stakeholder and product support requests, effectively prioritising work based on risk, business impact, urgency, and competing demands.

Operational Decision Support

• Develop financial analysis and business cases for Teaching Centres, delivery models, market expansion, property changes, and investment opportunities to support strategic decision-making.
• Produce cost-benefit, ROI, and payback analyses, alongside operational and commercial models, to optimise pricing, utilisation, and delivery channels.
• Conduct scenario and financial modelling to assess regulatory, tax, and organisational changes, supporting multi-year planning through revenue, margin, and cost forecasts.

Financial Planning, Budgeting & Forecasting

• Support annual planning, forecasting, reforecasting, and scenario modelling by consolidating inputs across business units and regions, ensuring accuracy, consistency, and alignment with approved assumptions and strategy.
• Provide clear financial guidance to non-finance stakeholders, explaining variances, managing budget and forecast queries, and supporting expenditure tracking and financial processes.
• Prepare and deliver accurate management reporting, KPI dashboards, variance analysis, and performance insights, highlighting trends, key drivers, and emerging issues across Exams and Teaching.
• Produce ad hoc analysis and reporting to support business decisions, performance reviews, and leadership requirements, while ensuring data accuracy through close collaboration with the CoE and reporting teams.

Role specific knowledge and experience:

• Intermediate experience in financial management, FP&A, or management accounting.
• Strong financial modelling, forecasting and analytics skills.
• Experience providing financial support to operational teams with positive feedback.
• Strong communication skills, including story telling supported with data, and the ability to effectively explain financials to non‑finance colleagues.
• Experience handling multiple deadlines and working with a portfolio of activities.
• Experience in Exams, Teaching, or broader education / commercial service environments.
• Experience with SAP or similar ERP platforms.
• Experience with Anaplan or similar EPM platforms.

Role specific skills:

• Business Partnering: able to build trust and communicate financial information clearly to non‑finance teams.
• Financial Acumen: solid understanding of budgeting, forecasting and financial performance drivers.
• Analytical Skills: able to prepare meaningful internal variance analysis and identify early warning indicators.
• Multi‑tasking and prioritisation: able to manage multiple demands and deadlines.
• Collaboration: strong relationship‑building skills across dispersed teams.
• EPM System Expertise (preferably Anaplan): confident in both planning and reporting functions.

Language Requirements:

The British Council systems and global processes operate in English. Written and verbal proficiency in English is required.

Closing Date:

Applications will close at 23:59 IST on Sunday, 11 October 2026

• Business Division: Finance and Corporate Services
• Pay Band: 7-F
• Contract Type: Indefinite Contract (Permanent)
• Proof of Identity requirements/right to work in country: Candidates should ensure they have the pre-existing legal right to live and work in the country where the role is based.Mobility / relocation / visa sponsoring support will not be provided.

British Council supports working in new ways such as hybrid working, subject to full approval by line management and conditional upon our ability to provide the appropriate level of service. This may not be appropriate for all roles but can be explored at interview.

A connected and trusted UK in a more connected and trusted world.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Statement

We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and welcome applications from all sections of the community as we believe that a diverse workforce gives added depth to our work. The British Council is a Disability Confident Employer. The Disability Confident scheme helps challenge attitudes, increase understanding of disability and ensure staff are drawn from the widest possible pool of talent. We guarantee an interview for disabled applicants who meet the minimum role requirements. We welcome discussions about specific requirements or adjustments to enable participation and engagement in our work and activities.

Safeguarding Statement

The British Council is committed to safeguarding children, young people and adults who we work with. We believe that all children and adults everywhere in the world deserve to live in safe environments and have the right to be protected from all forms of abuse, maltreatment and exploitation as set out in article 19, UNCRC (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child) 1989. Appointment to positions where there is direct involvement with vulnerable groups will be dependent on thorough checks being completed in line with legal requirements and with the British Council’s Safeguarding policies for Adults and Children.

The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We create friendly knowledge and understanding between the people of the UK and other countries. We do this by making a positive contribution to the UK and the countries we work with – changing lives by creating opportunities, building connections and engendering trust.

We work with over 100 countries across the world in the fields of arts and culture, English language, education and civil society. Last year we reached over 80 million people directly and 791 million people overall including online, broadcasts and publications. Founded in 1934, we are a UK charity governed by Royal Charter and a UK public body.

The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We create friendly knowledge and understanding between the people of the UK and other countries. We do this by making a positive contribution to the UK and the countries we work with – changing lives by creating opportunities, building connections and engendering trust.

We work with over 100 countries across the world in the fields of arts and culture, English language, education and civil society. Last year we reached over 80 million people directly and 791 million people overall including online, broadcasts and publications. Founded in 1934, we are a UK charity governed by Royal Charter and a UK public body.