Finance Business Partner (Nations)

Weekly Working Hours: 37

Fixed Term Contract: End Date: FTC for 18 Months

Job Description: 

About the Role

The Open University is the UK’s largest university, a world leader in flexible part-time education combining a mission to widen access to higher education with research excellence, transforming lives through education. Find out more about us and our mission by watching this short video (you will be taken to YouTube by clicking this link).

The focus of this role is to support and assist the Senior Finance Business Partner to work with a team of Finance colleagues, in a Finance Business Partnering Hub. The role will require you to successfully build relationships and partnerships with senior management and stakeholders across The Open University in Ireland, Scotland and Wales and the wider University on a cross-section of financial, business, accounting activities and projects; leading the input and contribution into institutional projects and initiatives will be key to our ongoing success.

The aim is to drive impact and understanding of financial reporting on business performance and analysis, enabling a link to financial data to inform business strategies, while preparing and supporting business cases and financial analysis as needed. Provide advice, professional opinion and assisting with decision making will help ensure financial sustainability is maintained.

Key Responsibilities

• Preparation, continuous review, agreement and challenge of unit / faculty level budgets and forecasts, considering unit and cross university impact.
• Challenge and approval of resourcing decisions based on unit / faculty needs.
• Advice and modelling of complex proposals (e.g. curriculum, strategic business cases / programmes, major external projects etc.)
• Recommend and review the financial control and reporting frameworks in contracts considering delivery, mitigation, and risk, both financial & non-financial.
• Lead detailed financial planning / budget setting for business units ensuring any potential differences to the IEM are understood and agreed before publication.
• Lead zero based budgeting for high volume / complex non-staffing budgets.
• Establish level of risk and uncertainty in financial forecast and quantify potential financial impact.
• Establish early significant position changes for budget / forecasts on an ongoing basis in order to flag and influence financial decisions.
• Authoring (by exception for complex projects), reviewing and approving claims to funder.
• Involvement and approval of significant / material contracts, bids and tenders.
• Consider implications of external drivers and challenges and implement change, as required.
• Support corporation tax analysis as required.
• Line Management and develop of team of Finance colleagues.

Skills and Experience

• Strong understanding of accounting principles and financial reporting and legislation.
• Excellent analytical skills along with the ability to create and present detailed reports and deliver PowerPoint presentations.
• Ability to work and communicate effectively with all levels of management.
• Adept at financial modelling and forecasting.
• Knowledge of the Higher Education sector would be beneficial.
• Extensive accounting experience and qualified in CCAB/CIMA.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office suite, especially with Excel.

Essential Requirements

Work location: This role is available with a contractual location of either Milton Keynes, Belfast, Edinburgh or Cardiff.  It is anticipated that a hybrid working pattern can be adopted for this role, where you will be required to work on-site 1-2 days per week with travel to other OU office locations quarterly and in response to business needs. Travel expenses will be paid for all location except the chosen contractual location.

Flexible working: We are open to discussions about flexible working. Whether it’s a job share, part time, compressed hours or another working arrangement. Please reach out to us to discuss what works best for you.

How to apply: To apply for this role please submit the following as separate documents;

• CV 
• Supporting statement, up to 1,000 words, you should set out in your statement why you’re interested in this role and provide examples of where your skills and experience meet the required competencies for this role as detailed in the job and person specification.

Early closing date: We may close this job advert earlier than the published closing date where a satisfactory number of applications are received. We would therefore encourage early applications. 

The Open University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion which is reflected in our mission to be open to people, places, methods and ideas. We aim to foster a diverse and inclusive environment so that all in our OU community can reach their potential. We recognise that different people bring different perspectives, ideas, knowledge, and culture, and that this difference brings great strength.  We strive to recruit, retain and develop the careers of a diverse pool of students and staff, and particularly encourage applications from all underrepresented groups. We also aspire to make The Open University a supportive workplace for all through our policies, services and staff networks.