Finance Business Partner

Job title: Finance Business Partner

Contract Type: Permanent

Location: Shoreditch, London

Reporting into: Finance Director

Hybrid/ Remote: WFH Monday & Friday. In the office Tuesday-Thursday

Purpose of the Role

The Finance Business Partner acts as the financial lead for two agencies within the group. The role provides commercial financial insight, owns agency P&L reporting, supports project financial management and ensures accurate revenue recognition, forecasting and statutory reporting. Acting as back-up for Finance Manager for payroll.

Key Responsibilities

1. Agency Financial Leadership

· Act as the finance lead for two agencies.

· Partner with leadership teams provide financial insight and challenge.

2. P&L Ownership

· Own the monthly P&L for assigned agencies.

· Prepare monthly management accounts and provide variance analysis and valuable commentary.

3. Revenue Recognition & Gross Profit

· Identify, drive and deliver improvements in Gross Profit

· Ensure revenue is recognised in line with client agreements and accounting policies.

· Review WIP, accrued income and deferred income balances.

4. Client Profitability & Utilisation

· Deliver reporting on client profitability and staff utilisation.

· Provide the FD with regular updates on actions taken to improve profitability

· Run regular post project review sessions identify learnings and ensure that they are applied to future projects

· Work with leadership teams to improve margins.

5. Revenue & GP Forecasting

· Maintain rolling revenue and gross profit forecasts.

· Update forecasts regularly with input from client teams.

6. Financial Planning

· Lead the annual budgeting process for assigned agencies.

· Provide budgets to the Operations head and monitor budgeted spend.

· Prepare quarterly financial reforecasts reflecting current performance and pipeline.

· Present budget and forecasts to the Finance Director, meeting the board deadlines set.

7. Work in Progress & Project Financial Management

· Monitor WIP balances ensuring timely billing.

· Ensure that there are regular WIP reviews with project teams.

8. Client Billing

· Ensure invoices are issued promptly in line with project milestones.

· Ensure no jobs close with unbilled costs.

9. Debtor Management

· Liaise with outsourced finance function on debtor chasing.

· Monitor aged debt and support collection of overdue balances.

· Maintain database of client payment terms.

10. Statutory Reporting

· Support the statutory audit process providing information to Auditors/Finance Manager as required to agreed deadlines.

11. Other

· Lead on finance system improvements and enhancements.

· Be the finance system super user, whilst ensuring rest of finance team are trained to a high level of system knowledge.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

6-Month KPIs

· Deliver accurate monthly P&L reporting within four working days of month-end.

· Deliver quarterly forecast within set deadlines.

· Establish regular utilisation, profitability and post project review sessions.

· Establish weekly revenue and gross profit forecasting processes.

· Ensure WIP reviews completed regularly for all major projects.

· Maintain aged debt over 60 days close to zero through proactive follow-up .

12-Month KPIs

· Deliver annual budget for assigned agencies in line with agreed timelines.

· Complete three quarterly reforecasts with forecast accuracy within 10–15%.

· Improve client profitability visibility and margin performance across key accounts.

· Maintain WIP ageing under agreed targets and improve billing discipline.

· Deliver at least one finance process improvement or efficiency gain.

Skills

· Qualified Accountant.

· Knowledge of working with international divisions an advantage.

· Exposure to working in a large group an advantage

· Strong commercial finance and analytical skills.

· Excellent attention to detail.

· Excellent communication with non-finance stakeholders.

· Strong Excel and financial modelling capabilities.

· Ability to influence operational decision-making.