Finance Business Partner
14 days ago
Southampton
Shape commercial performance and partner with leaders in a dynamic Finance role with real impact. Are you a commercially minded finance professional who enjoys partnering with the business, challenging performance and driving value? Do you want to use your financial expertise to support a leading consultancy on its journey towards a more sustainable future? Hays are recruiting a Finance Business Partner/Business Controller on behalf of a major global consultancy, based in Southampton, offering flexible working, a great benefits package and clear career development in the future. Your new roleAs Finance Business Partner/Business Controller, you will join a specialist finance team supporting the UK business and collaborating closely with colleagues across the UK and internationally. You will be a key partner to senior management, providing insightful financial analysis, challenge and guidance to support decision-making and improve performance. Your key responsibilities will include: Business Controlling & Advisory • Act as a proactive, forward-looking finance partner focused on value creation, • Attend management meetings and present financial results and insights, • Proactively identify and flag risks and opportunities, and follow up on agreed actions, • Manage and analyse working capital, including WIP analysis and contingency managementReporting & Analysis, • Oversee Income Statement reporting and deliver clear variance analysis, • Perform root cause analysis on key drivers including staff costs, margins, billing ratio and non-productive time, • Prepare management reporting packs and commentary for senior stakeholders, • Support ad hoc financial reporting, including year-end audit requirements, • Lead project analysis and reporting, including customer and project profitability, project mix versus targets, and risk/opportunity assessmentPlanning & Forecasting, • Manage the budgeting and forecasting process in consultation with business leaders, • Ensure budgets and forecasts are robust, accurate and owned by managementContinuous Improvement, • Take an active lead in identifying and implementing finance and process improvement initiatives, • A strong academic background with a recognised professional finance qualification (ACA, CIMA or equivalent) or working towards, • Proven commercial finance / business partnering experience, • Good understanding of project accounting, financial and management accounting principles, • Strong analytical and financial modelling skills, particularly in Excel, • The ability to engage, challenge and influence stakeholders at all levels while maintaining strong commercial awareness, • A flexible, hybrid working environment, • Competitive employer pension contribution, • Life assurance / death in service, • Income protection insurance, • Annual bonus scheme (performance-based), • Option to buy or sell holiday, • Enhanced family leave policies (maternity, adoption, paternity), • Private medical insurance or medical cash plan (role-dependent), • Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), • Cycle to Work scheme, • Season ticket loans, • Discount platform / employee perks portal, • Ongoing investment in your professional development, • Supportive leaders who are guided by clear leadership principles, • An inclusive, open and collaborative culture where you are valued as an individual, • The opportunity to work on inspiring projects alongside experts across buildings and related sectors