Finance Business Partner

FINANCE BUSINESS PARTNER

Role Profile

A ground breaking property developer are seeking a Finance Business Partner for a newly created role. This role provides end-to-end financial leadership across the campus development programme, combining business partnering, project finance, governance, modelling, and performance reporting into a single accountable role. The remit includes project cashflow ownership, fundamental to the liquidity management of the group.

The role ensures all Development financial information is accurate, timely, decision-ready and aligned to various stakeholder governance frameworks.

The Finance Business Partner serves as the strategic finance lead for the Development team, providing expert support and delivering financial insight to drive performance management, whilst informing commercial decision-making across a diverse and evolving property portfolio. The postholder collaborates closely with both finance and development stakeholders to ensure rigorous financial planning, reporting, and governance.

Reporting directly to the Finance Director, with a dotted line into the Head of Development Management and Head of Construction, this position often requires dual accountability and sign-off for key deliverables.

Responsibilities

Project Forecasting & Cashflows

• Lead the annual budgeting and quarterly forecasting process for all development programmes and workstreams including the preparation of associated presentations

• Maintain and present monthly project cashflow forecasts, including actuals vs forecast variance analysis

• Work with project managers to gain a detailed insight into individual workstreams, supporting with financial oversight and analysis as required for status updates and budget requests

Governance, Approvals and Controls

• Ensuring and co-ordinating commitments (POs) for all related expenditure, ensuring that this is authorised under company and shareholder governance documentation

• Oversight and review of development payment runs

• Co-ordination and tracking of contingency utilisation requests and new or out of budget requests, ensuring required approvals are in place before commitments are made

Performance Reporting

• Create, maintain and report on development-related key performance indicators

• Preparation and presentation of a quarterly development finance report

• Feed into the quarterly Board CFO Report with development updates and insight

Business Partnering & Decision Support

• Work closely with Development HODs, project managers and cost consultants to deliver insight across budgets, cashflow, performance management and cost to complete.

• Provide scenario planning, sensitivity analysis and financial modelling to support strategic decision-making

• Support development of project business plans and ensure alignment between models, financial record and approved coding structures

• Enhance and refine project cashflow update processes for continuous improvement

Month-End & Ledger Accuracy

• Monthly cost reporting and commentary for inclusion in the Management Pack

• Liaise with the wider finance team to ensure ledger accuracy, correct accounting treatments and consistent coding

• Maintain the development-specific chart of accounts and detailed cost dimensions

• Reconcile business plans and financial records, ensure Asset-under-Construction accruals and capitalisation treatments are correct and compliant

• Maintain the forecasting model using version control and file hygiene to ensure one single source of truth

Person Specifications

• Core Behaviours

o Proactive, methodical and highly organised

o Calm under pressure, with excellent attention to detail

o Warm, empathetic and effective with all levels of management

o Trustworthy, confidential, diplomatic and dependable

o Energetic, sociable and confident engaging in meetings

• Skills & Technical Expertise

o Accounting qualification (ACA/CIMA/ACCA) preferred but not essential

o Strong communicator with excellent written and verbal confidence

o Advanced excel user with modelling capability; strong PowerPoint and Word skills

o Able to work autonomously and as part of a multidisciplinary team