Finance Business Partner

Would you like to be part of a forward-thinking, innovative college? Join us as a Finance Business Partner offering financial insights, analysis, and strategic guidance to support non-finance stakeholders across the college.

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Job Details

As a member of the College Management Team, the Finance Business Partner will report to the Chief Finance Officer (CFO).

This role is responsible for managing the Finance business support function, including budget forecasts and planning, payroll management, monthly reconciliations, and budget control, ensuring efficient and effective resource deployment.

The Finance Business Partner will maintain extensive contact with both internal and external customers, providing effective leadership and management, and leading financial support for all college budget managers.

Additionally, the role supports the CFO in strategic leadership and planning to ensure USP College delivers its financial plan and maintains strong financial health.



Duties & Responsibilities

  • Financial Strategy and Analysis: Develop and implement the college’s financial strategy, including budgeting, forecasting, and performance analysis aligned with strategic goals.
  • Budgeting and Forecasting: Prepare annual and periodic budgets and forecasts and develop financial plans.
  • Stakeholder Collaboration: Partner with college Curriculum and Business Support departments to understand their needs and ensure financial strategies align with college objectives.
  • Financial Stability and Compliance: Ensure legal compliance, financial solvency, and risk management through robust controls and alignment with audit and funding standards.
  • Team Leadership: Line manage the Payroll Officer and collaborate with the Finance Manager and Finance Team in preparing monthly management accounts and annual year-end processes.
  • Process Improvement: Continuously review and enhance financial procedures and internal control processes for greater efficiency and accuracy.
  •         Strategic Participation: Actively contribute to the College Management Team and support strategic projects including capital investments and procurement initiatives.
  •         Communication & Training: Clearly communicate financial information to diverse audiences and provide training to non-finance staff.
  •         Reporting & Analysis: Conduct in-depth financial analysis, prepare management reports, and offer data-driven recommendations.
  •         Service Delivery: Deliver high-quality, customer-focused financial services across campuses, ensuring accessibility and responsiveness.
  •         External Relationships: Maintain effective relationships with external stakeholders including auditors, banks, regulators, and contractors.
  •         Flexibility & Professionalism: Demonstrate adaptability, professionalism, and effective time management in a dynamic, multi-disciplinary environment.

Job Requirements:

Essential:

  •          Part Qualified/Studier or qualified by experience
  •          Knowledge and experience of payroll and payroll systems
  •          Proficiency in financial software and systems
  •          Experience of working successfully with external stakeholders and partners
  •          A solid understanding of financial concepts, accounting principles, and budgeting processes

Desirable:

  •     Educated to degree level and ACA/ICAEW/ICAS or Relevant post-graduate qualification
  •          Experience gained from FE, ideally from a grade 2 college
  •          Knowledge of funding in the FE sector
  •          Experience of change management, restructures, mergers and acquisition

The right candidate will have:

  • High standards of communication and interpersonal skills
  • Strong analytical and communication skills with the ability to present clear, fact-based analysis
  • Comprehensive knowledge and understanding leadership strategy and demonstrable leadership skills
  • Commitment to educational values
  • Ability to work flexibly to meet changing needs
  •  Ability to work effectively as a team member
  • High level of personal integrity and confidentiality
  • Commitment to equality of opportunity
  •  Appropriate professional appearance
  • Ability to work at an accelerated pace and implement change
  • Ability to multitask and remain motivated in a high-pressure environment

Why choose us?

Our strategy is to create a Career Focused, Digital Learning environment, ensuring that the learner experience and our relationship within our community, local and regional employers, are at the heart of everything we do. We are proud to be selected as finalists for the AoC Beacon awards for effective use of digital Technology in FE. Providing a high achieving, focused learning environment allowing our students to achieve the grades they need for higher educations, or the skills and aptitude required to secure a suitable role in their chosen career. Our college is set in the leafy suburbs of Essex, with easy access to surrounding areas and amenities, we are based in a well-connected location both by road and rail.

What we offer:

* subject to terms & conditions

This role is considered exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975, 2013 and 2020. Which means that when applying for certain jobs and activities certain spent convictions and cautions are ‘protected’, so they do not need to be disclosed to employers, and if they are disclosed, employers cannot take them into account. Further information about filtering offences can be found in the DBS filtering guide.  It is an offence to apply for the role if you are barred from engaging in regulated activity relevant to children.

Shortlisted candidates will be required to complete a self-declaration of their criminal record or information that would make them unsuitable to work with children. Self-declaration is subject to Ministry of Justice guidance on the disclosure of criminal records, further information can be found on GOV UK

USP College is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults, we therefore expect all staff to share this commitment. The successful applicant will be required to undertake an enhanced disclosure via the Disclosure and Barring Service, and any other checks that the role requires to ascertain suitability for working with children and/or vulnerable adults, which may include online searches.

We will hold and process any personal data, including sensitive (special category) personal data, relating to you in accordance with our legal obligations, in the manner set out in the Privacy Notice for staff and in accordance with our Data Protection Policy, which is set out on the College’s website, found here. You should familiarise yourself with our Data Protection Policy (and all other subsidiary policies to it) and comply with them at all times. Neither the Privacy Notice for Staff nor those policies form a part of your contract of employment.