Head of Faculty Finance Business Partnering - Mat Cover

The Finance Department within the Manchester Metropolitan University is looking for a proactive Head of Finance Business Partnering to lead and manage the University's Faculty Finance Business Partnering team. Whilst leading a team of Faculty Business Partners and Assistant Business Partners, you will play a prominent role in supporting strategic decision making by the Faculties. As the Head of Faculty Finance Business Partnering, you will collaborate with and ensure delivery of a strategic, seamless and high-quality service to all stakeholders and departments.

In this role, you will:

• Be responsible for providing robust and timely forecasting and management information for the University to deliver on its strategic priorities.


• Lead delivery of end-to-end professional support to budget holders including provision of management reporting and support with planning and compliance.


• Co-ordinate Faculty Finance Business Partnering activity, ensuring a best practice and a consistent approach.


• Develop a deep knowledge of diverse business areas, their needs, and priorities, making sure that the business understands the financial implications of decisions and available choices.


• Acting in an intelligent customer role to actively work with the business to understand cost drivers and performance priorities and interpret financial implications of decisions.


• Building, maintaining and influencing strong relationships with key stakeholders and budget holders, acting as the link with colleagues, ensuring that variances, forecasts and planning assumptions are reported and understood.


• Supporting the financial analysis of business areas to prepare for the business planning processes.


• Identifying sustainable cost savings targets and initiatives as part of the business planning cycle, along with understanding and articulating the impact of reforms and their ultimate effect on the business.


• Supporting on the construction of business cases through financial challenge and the identification of commercial implications of options considered.


• Building financial and commercial awareness of non-finance staff within the business.


• Support the Assistant Director of Finance - Financial Management, attending meetings and forums as appropriate, providing practical and operational knowledge.
  
  An excellent communicator, particularly when dealing with complex financial information and a non-financial audience.


• Able to influence the behaviour of senior managers to ensure they deliver the expected financial performance for their area of responsibility.


• Good at networking, both internally and externally, and building relationships at all levels of the organisation.


• Proven ability to motivate, lead and develop a professional team.


• Able to analyse large amounts of data and producing summaries which provide clear insights.


• Commercial in their approach to finance, balanced with a clear understanding of the non-financial objectives of the University.


• Able to work autonomously across a large and complex organisation.


• Hold a first degree or equivalent qualification and/or be a ACCA, CIMA, ICAEW or equivalent qualified accountant.
  
  Supporting the University in a series of increasingly dynamic, demanding and competitive environments, our work sees us involved in a growing number of partnerships and communities, across the city but also nationally and internationally. Our financial professionals play a key role in helping shape our strategic direction, making a key contribution to the long-term financial sustainability of a great global university. The work is intellectually challenging, exciting and hugely rewarding.


If you would like to join our people and share our ambition, we would love to hear from you. To apply, please submit your CV and covering letter (detailing your suitability for the role) via our application portal., Manchester Met University is committed to creating an intentionally inclusive culture of belonging that promotes equity and celebrates diversity. We understand the importance of having a diverse workforce and the benefits it can bring to ensuring diversity of thought and innovation in everything we do. We, therefore, encourage applications from people from ethnic minority groups, disabled people and people who identify as LGBTQIA+.