Finance Partner / Client Manager
3 days ago
Birmingham
Position: Finance Partner / Client Manager Location: Birmingham, UK (Hybrid) Start date: April 2026 Contract: Full-time Application closing deadline: 31 January 2026 The Opportunity This is a senior, client-facing role for an experienced accountant who wants to operate as a Finance Partner and Virtual Finance Director to growing property and construction businesses. As a Finance Partner at Bluewater, you will help clients make better financial decisions, improve profitability and cashflow, and build confidence in their numbers. You will be supported by a delivery team, allowing you to focus on insight, advice, and outcomes, not day-to-day preparation. This is a true advisory and leadership role. What’s in it for you? • Generous salary package of £50k - £65k (depending on experience), • Up to 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays and 3 days over Christmas and new year, • Pension scheme contributions and professional subscriptions paid, • Free parking space near the office, • Hybrid working for work-life balance, • A collaborative and innovative team culture, • Quarterly team activities, • Real opportunities for career progression Role Purposes: To own client outcomes and financial decision support, acting as the client’s trusted finance lead while ensuring delivery quality, commercial discipline, and team performance. Your Role Client Partnership & Advisory • Act as Finance Partner / Virtual FD for a portfolio of clients, • Lead management and board-level meetings, • Challenge assumptions and influence decision-making, • Translate financial information into clear, actionable insight, • Help clients improve profit, cashflow, and financial control Forecasting, Cashflow & Decision Support • Build and review 3-way integrated forecasts (P&L, cashflow, balance sheet), • Lead cashflow forecasting and scenario planning, • Work with clients to develop and stress-test assumptions, • Support funding, investment, and growth decisions Commercial & Portfolio Ownership Own client relationships, service quality, and satisfaction Ensure work remains in scope and within budget Identify upsell and value-add opportunities appropriately Protect portfolio profitability and margins Leadership & Quality Oversight • Act as escalation point for technical and delivery matters, • Lead and develop Client Accountants, • Review management accounts and executive summaries, • Support onboarding of complex or strategic clients About You: • ACA/ACCA/CIMA fully qualified, • At least 8 years’ experience in practice, industry, or outsourced finance, • Confident working with business owners and boards, • Commercially minded and comfortable challenging clients, • Experienced in leading and developing others, • Experience working with construction, property, or other project-based businesses (including exposure to WIP, cashflow-led planning, or contract-driven environments) is desirable. What Success Looks Like • Clients seek your advice before making decisions, • Meetings focus on the future, not historic clean-up, • Delivery runs smoothly without senior intervention Progression Path Finance Partner → Senior Finance Partner → Leadership Why Join Bluewater? At Bluewater, we’re a fast-growing, tech-driven firm passionate about helping clients in the property and construction sectors achieve their goals. Starting as a one-person venture, we’ve expanded to a team of 8, with ambitious plans to triple in size over the next five years. Joining us means you’ll be part of a flexible, supportive environment where your ideas are valued, and as we grow, so will your opportunities for career progression and leadership within the firm.