Finance Business Partner

Finance Business Partner

Salary: £44,000 - £48,000
Location: Cambridge

An established education trust is seeking a proactive and commercially minded Finance Manager to oversee the financial management of a portfolio of schools and support the delivery of a high-quality finance service across the organisation.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced finance professional to take ownership of academy budgets, financial reporting and forecasting, while working closely with school leaders to support effective financial planning and decision-making.

Alongside your technical responsibilities, you will lead, develop and support finance staff across your allocated schools, helping to build a knowledgeable, effective and collaborative finance function.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the preparation of academy budgets, financial forecasts, reforecasts and year-end accounts across your allocated schools.
• Oversee the production of accurate and timely month-end management accounts, ensuring financial information is reliable and delivered to deadlines.
• Work closely with academy leaders and budget holders to monitor expenditure, track performance against budgets and support effective financial planning.
• Produce detailed financial analysis and reports to support executive leaders and school management teams in making informed decisions.
• Line manage, train and develop Finance Officers, promoting high standards of financial management and professional development.
• Maintain robust financial controls, ensuring compliance with internal policies, accounting procedures and relevant external financial regulations.
• Monitor cash flow, aged debt, creditor and debtor balances, VAT, control accounts and other key financial processes.
• Authorise supplier payment runs and oversee ad hoc payments, ensuring appropriate financial controls are maintained.
• Maintain fixed asset registers, monitor capital expenditure and oversee financial records across allocated schools.
• Support internal and external audits, ensuring recommendations are implemented and supporting documentation is provided when required.
• Contribute to the continued development of financial systems, processes and reporting across the trust.

About You

• Experience working within a finance function, ideally within an education setting, multi-academy trust or similarly complex organisation.
• Strong technical accounting skills, including management accounts, budgeting, forecasting and financial reporting.
• Experience managing, supporting or developing finance staff.
• The ability to build effective relationships with senior leaders, budget holders and non-finance stakeholders.
• A strong understanding of financial controls, compliance, audit requirements and financial governance.
• Excellent analytical skills, with the ability to interpret financial information and communicate it clearly to support decision-making.
• A proactive and solutions-focused approach, with a commitment to continuous improvement and delivering a high-quality finance service.