Finance Business Partner - Advisory

The KPMG Business Services function is a cornerstone of our UK business. Operating from 20 UK locations and sitting with KPMG Central Services, we do work that matters. Within Central Services, we are part of a community of experts across a wide range of critical activities who help grow, run, and protect KPMG in the UK.

With a turnover in excess of £2 billion and a payroll of close to 17,000 partners and staff across 22 UK offices, our Finance team covers a huge spectrum of work. It spans everything from being closely involved in supporting the organisation's business strategy to tightly managing critical business functions like employee payroll, expenses, accounts payable and billing.

What will you be doing?

• Acquire a thorough understanding of the business area being supported.
• Build strong and trusting relationships with key stakeholders.
• Tracking and reporting of all performance KPIs - especially those that have a P&L impact.
• Prepare commentaries, MI packs and briefing papers, both standardised and ad hoc, in accordance with business priorities.
• Drive standardisation and efficiency in use and production of MI in general, challenging exceptions.
• Manage deep dive performance reviews as required on a routine basis clearly articulating outcomes and actions that need taking.
• Support Deal Board and other pre-engagement forums; especially around engagement budgeting and forecasting.
• Manage in-flight commercial reviews to gain a deeper understanding of margin leakage and commercial learning points.
• Lead the Finance work-stream in relation to Business planning, budgeting and forecasting.
• Responsible for deploying processes to the lowest required level, co-ordinating activity and working with stakeholders as appropriate.
• Stewardship over the P&L, ensuring that the accounts accurately reflect the financial position of the business.
• Manage cost management processes and spend controls.
• Ensuring that the BP team take appropriate action to understand and challenge all cost items and escalate issues.
• Ensure Finance processes and policies are adhered to. Challenge deviation and always be forward thinking about improvements.
• Own the Working Capital KPIs for the business area being supported and, with the Working Capital Managers, ensure the business is taking sufficient action on WIP and debt items and EL/EM underperformance is escalated.
• Day to day management of team, including understanding and supporting training needs and dealing with performance issues.
• Manage the workload of the team through effective demand management and prioritisation.
• Support recruitment across Business Finance as required.
• Play a role in the leadership of the finance community, including active participation in manager meetings and similar forums.
• Be an advocate for change programmes delivered by Finance / KBS, including automation tools, self-service, standardisation and any other changes in ways of working.

What will you need to do it?

• A qualified accountant (CIMA / ACCA / ACA) or significant relevant experience of accounting in an operational or professional services environment.
• Experience in a similar role.
• Resilient and able to work with multiple and highly demanding stakeholders.
• An ability to work at both a strategic and a granular level – choosing when each is appropriate.

We are open to talk to talent across the country but our core Central Service hubs for this role are: Watford, Birmingham, Manchester, Bristol. With 20 sites across the UK, we can potentially facilitate office work, working from home, flexible hours, and part-time options. If you have a need for flexibility, please register and discuss this with our team.