Goodman Masson is thrilled to be supporting a leading charity that does amazing work in the fight against homelessness. We are excited to present an opportunity to join a dedicated finance team as a Finance Business Partner, that plays a crucial role in supporting the organisation's mission. If you are passionate about making a difference and have the skills to drive financial excellence, this role could be the perfect fit for you.
Key Responsibilities
- Finance Support: Provide financial support to assigned operations management by preparing monthly management accounts, annual budgets, and forecasts, attending meetings, and assisting with tenders and business cases.
- Budget Setting: Lead the budget-setting process for your regions. Collaborate with budget holders to prepare cost centre budgets based on contract and rent income and actual performance, identifying key cost drivers.
- Budget Interpretation: Analyse the budget at a directorate level to help understand key financial drivers across the organisation.
- Forecast Setting: Oversee the forecast-setting process for your regions. Work with budget holders to prepare cost centre forecast reports, analyse variances from the budget, and project the year-end outcome.
- Forecast Interpretation: Review forecasts at a directorate level to support understanding of key financial drivers and variances across the organisation.
- Budget Management: Engage in monthly discussions with budget holders to manage cost centre budgets, ensuring expenditures are correctly coded and supporting budget holders in understanding their financial performance.
- Financial Reporting: Produce monthly finance reports with insightful commentaries on performance in line with the group's timetable.
- Value for Money Reviews: Conduct quarterly value-for-money reviews with Regional Directors.
- Financial Activity Reviews: Lead reviews of financial activity, including trend analysis, and provide reports and presentations on an ad hoc basis to assist managers in decision-making.
- Contract Bids and Negotiations: Work with the bids team to present and negotiate bids for new and existing contracts with commissioners, providing accurate and timely service costings for new contracts in your regions.
- VAT Compliance: For all new contracts, agree on VAT treatment with the Finance Controller (Tax) and ensure proper reflection in the bid.
- Contractual Reporting: Prepare reports comparing actual activity to budgeted activity to meet contractual reporting requirements.
- Contract Negotiations: Provide accurate, up-to-date information, analysis, and recommendations to successfully negotiate contract prices that maximise the organisation's benefits.
- Relationship Management: Develop strong working relationships with operations managers and external funders.
- Rent and Service Charge Support: Assist the Rent and Service Charge Accountant in the annual rent and service fee review, including monthly rent and void reviews and budgeting for new properties.
- Training and Support: Offer both ad hoc and formal training to operations managers, ensuring they can effectively monitor financial performance and interpret their project's financial data.
- Financial Management Meetings: Actively participate in regular financial management reporting meetings.
- System and Procedure Development: Support the Finance team in the ongoing development and enhancement of financial systems and procedures to meet evolving regulatory requirements and organisational needs.
- Policy Compliance: Ensure compliance with the organisation's latest financial policies and procedures.
- Year-End Accounts Preparation: Assist in preparing year-end group accounts for submission to external auditors, acting as a main point of contact for the year-end audit.
Essential Requirements
- CCAB qualification.
- Proven experience in preparing management accounts, budgets, and forecasts.
- Strong ability to interpret and analyse financial results, with the capability to effectively communicate these insights to non-finance staff both in writing and in person.
- Understanding of management accountancy within an organisation providing low-margin services to public sector bodies.
- Ability to perform effectively under pressure and meet tight deadlines.
- Experience in contributing to the review and development of policies, procedures, and systems.
- Proficiency in developing and utilising computerised accounting and financial systems.
- Excellent Microsoft Office skills, with particular expertise in Excel.
- Strong analytical, influencing, and negotiation skills.
- Experience in managing or supervising staff, or a clear willingness and ability to develop management skills and oversee staff.
In our company values we aim for equity at all stages of the recruitment process, please let us know if we can do anything to make the process more accessible to you.