Finance Business Partner

We are working with a well-established organisation in the social housing sector to recruit a Finance Business Partner to lead financial planning and business partnering across a key area of its housing operations.

This is an excellent opportunity for a qualified accountant with strong finance business partnering experience and a good understanding of Housing Revenue Account (HRA) finance. You will play a key role in financial planning, budget management and performance reporting, working closely with senior stakeholders to support effective decision-making across housing services.

About the role

Reporting to the Head of Business Partnering and Planning, you will take ownership of financial planning, management reporting and business partnering across a housing-focused portfolio, with particular responsibility for revenue and capital budgets and longer-term financial planning.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Leading the delivery of monthly management accounts, budget monitoring, forecasting and variance analysis across revenue and capital expenditure.
• Leading the development and maintenance of five-year financial plans, including income and expenditure, balance sheets and cash flow forecasts.
• Supporting the ongoing development and monitoring of the HRA business plan, ensuring financial forecasts are accurate, robust and aligned with organisational priorities.
• Undertaking scenario modelling and stress testing, challenging assumptions and identifying financial risks and opportunities.
• Working closely with operational leads, budget holders and local authority stakeholders to review financial performance, improve value for money and support effective decision-making.
• Overseeing financial monitoring of repairs and maintenance expenditure, savings targets and performance against budgets.
• Preparing financial reports and commentary for senior management, committees and Board-level stakeholders.
• Monitoring cash flow, grant expenditure and financial commitments, ensuring statutory and regulatory returns are completed accurately and on time.
• Managing year-end processes, audit queries, reconciliations and statutory reporting requirements.
• Identifying financial risks and developing appropriate mitigation strategies.
• Managing and developing a direct report, delegating work effectively and maintaining high standards across the team.

About you

We are looking for a technically strong and commercially minded finance professional who combines excellent financial planning skills with the ability to influence operational stakeholders and provide meaningful financial insight.

You will ideally have:

• A recognised professional accountancy qualification, such as ACA, ACCA, CIMA or CIPFA, or equivalent.
• Strong experience in finance business partnering, management accounts, budgeting and forecasting.
• Experience working with Housing Revenue Accounts (HRA), ideally within local government or social housing.
• A good understanding of HRA financial planning, including revenue and capital expenditure, longer-term business planning and budget monitoring.
• Experience developing financial plans, analysing variances and undertaking scenario modelling or financial stress testing.
• The ability to explain complex financial information clearly to non-finance colleagues and senior stakeholders.
• Experience identifying efficiency opportunities, managing financial risks and driving value for money.
• Strong report-writing and presentation skills, with the confidence to challenge assumptions and influence decision-making.
• Experience managing or developing finance team members.
• Excellent Excel skills, strong analytical ability and exceptional attention to detail.

Experience working with local authorities, housing providers or other complex public-sector organisations would be particularly beneficial.

What's on offer

• The opportunity to take ownership of financial business partnering across a key area of housing operations.
• Direct involvement in HRA financial planning, revenue and capital budgets and longer-term business planning.
• Exposure to senior stakeholders and the opportunity to influence financial decisions across housing services.
• A varied role combining technical finance, strategic planning and operational business partnering.
• Responsibility for developing a direct report within a purpose-led organisation.

If you are a qualified accountant with experience in HRA finance and are looking for a role combining financial leadership, business partnering and longer-term housing financial planning, we would be keen to hear from you.

Apply today to find out more.