At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead financial planning, forecasting, and control for a dynamic consulting environment.
- Company: Join BIP Group, a top consultancy transforming businesses through innovation.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, high visibility, and opportunities for strategic decision-making.
- Other info: Collaborative and entrepreneurial culture with significant career growth potential.
- Why this job: Shape financial governance and drive operational performance in a fast-paced setting.
- Qualifications: Strong commercial finance experience and excellent stakeholder management skills.
The predicted salary is between 70000 - 90000 £ per year.
Key Responsibilities
Head of Commercial Financial Planning & Control
Location: London, United Kingdom
Employment Type: Permanent
Reporting to: UK CFO
Salary: Competitive (£70,000–£90,000 dependent on experience)
About BIP
BIP Group is a leading international consultancy focused on transforming businesses through strategy, innovation, technology, and people. Across the UK business, we support clients through complex transformation programmes spanning financial services, public sector, energy, sustainability, and digital transformation.
The Opportunity
We are seeking a highly commercial and operational finance professional to join BIP UK as Head of Commercial Financial Planning & Control. This role will play a critical position within the UK finance function, partnering closely with consulting leadership and the UK CFO to drive financial governance, engagement performance, revenue control, forecasting accuracy, and operational decision-making across the business.
The successful candidate will bring strong experience operating within consulting, professional services, or project-based environments where utilisation, revenue forecasting, margin management, and engagement financial control are central to business performance. This is a hands-on leadership role suited to someone comfortable operating both strategically and operationally within a fast-paced growth environment.
Key Responsibilities
- Commercial Financial Planning & Analysis
- Lead UK commercial financial planning and forecasting processes
- Drive revenue forecasting, backlog tracking, and pipeline visibility across consulting engagements
- Partner with leadership teams to improve commercial performance and financial decision-making
- Deliver accurate financial reporting, forecasting, and variance analysis to senior stakeholders
- Support budgeting, monthly forecasting cycles, and long-range planning activity
- Engagement Financial Control
- Oversee financial governance across client engagements and consulting projects
- Monitor engagement profitability, utilisation, recovery rates, revenue recognition, and margin performance
- Ensure robust controls around project financial management and revenue tracking
- Work closely with consulting leadership to challenge financial assumptions and improve commercial outcomes
- Identify financial risks, leakage, and operational inefficiencies across the portfolio
- Operational Finance Leadership
- Support the UK CFO in driving operational finance initiatives across the UK business
- Improve finance processes, reporting capability, and commercial insight across the organisation
- Drive consistency and governance across engagement financial management
- Support resource planning and workforce forecasting activity from a commercial finance perspective
- Contribute to finance transformation and continuous improvement initiatives
- Stakeholder Management
- Act as a trusted finance business partner to Partners, Directors, and operational leadership teams
- Build strong relationships across consulting and operational functions
- Present financial insights and commercial recommendations clearly to senior stakeholders
- Support leadership teams with data-driven commercial decision-making
Candidate Profile
We are looking for candidates who can demonstrate:
- Strong commercial finance experience within consulting, professional services, or project-based environments
- Experience managing engagement financial performance, revenue forecasting, and operational finance processes
- Strong understanding of project accounting, utilisation metrics, margin analysis, and consulting economics
- Excellent stakeholder management and business partnering capability
- Highly analytical mindset with strong commercial acumen
- Comfortable operating in both strategic and hands-on operational environments
- Advanced Excel and financial modelling capability
- Experience working within fast-paced and growth-oriented businesses
- ACA / ACCA / CIMA qualified
- Previous experience within consulting or transformation-led organisations
- Exposure to resource planning and consulting delivery environments
Why Join BIP?
- Opportunity to play a key role within a rapidly growing consulting business
- High visibility across UK leadership
- Significant exposure to strategic and commercial decision-making
- Ability to shape financial governance and operational performance across the UK business
- Entrepreneurial, collaborative, and growth-focused environment
Commercial Finance Lead: Planning, Forecasting & Control employer: BIP UK
BIP Group is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic and collaborative work culture that empowers employees to drive financial governance and operational performance within a rapidly growing consultancy. With competitive salaries and significant opportunities for professional growth, employees can expect high visibility across UK leadership and the chance to shape strategic decision-making in a fast-paced environment. Located in London, BIP provides a unique platform for finance professionals to thrive and make a meaningful impact on diverse transformation programmes.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Commercial Finance Lead: Planning, Forecasting & Control
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Get out there and connect with people in the finance and consulting sectors. Attend industry events, join relevant online forums, and don’t be shy about reaching out on LinkedIn. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings!
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for those interviews by researching the company and its culture. Understand their financial strategies and challenges, especially in consulting. Tailor your answers to show how your experience aligns with their needs. We want you to shine!
✨Tip Number 3
Practice makes perfect! Do mock interviews with friends or use online resources to get comfortable with common questions. Focus on articulating your commercial finance experience and how it relates to the role of Head of Commercial Financial Planning & Control.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets noticed. Plus, we love seeing candidates who are proactive and engaged. Let’s get you that dream job together!
We think you need these skills to ace Commercial Finance Lead: Planning, Forecasting & Control
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV:Make sure your CV reflects the skills and experiences that match the job description. Highlight your commercial finance experience and any relevant achievements in consulting or project-based environments. We want to see how you can bring value to our team!
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter:Your cover letter is your chance to shine! Use it to explain why you're the perfect fit for the Head of Commercial Financial Planning & Control role. Share specific examples of how you've driven financial governance and improved commercial performance in previous roles.
Showcase Your Analytical Skills:Since this role requires a strong analytical mindset, make sure to highlight your experience with financial modelling and forecasting. We love candidates who can demonstrate their ability to turn data into actionable insights that drive decision-making.
Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you’re considered for the role. Plus, it shows us you’re keen on joining our team at BIP!
How to prepare for a job interview at BIP UK
✨Know Your Numbers
As a Commercial Finance Lead, you'll need to demonstrate your financial acumen. Brush up on key metrics like revenue forecasting, margin analysis, and utilisation rates. Be ready to discuss how you've used these metrics in past roles to drive performance.
✨Showcase Your Stakeholder Skills
This role requires excellent stakeholder management. Prepare examples of how you've built relationships with senior leaders and influenced decision-making. Think about specific instances where your insights led to improved commercial outcomes.
✨Be Hands-On and Strategic
The job calls for someone who can operate both strategically and operationally. Be prepared to discuss how you've balanced these two aspects in previous roles. Share examples of how you’ve driven operational finance initiatives while keeping an eye on the bigger picture.
✨Prepare for Scenario Questions
Expect questions that assess your problem-solving skills in real-world scenarios. Think about potential financial risks or operational inefficiencies you might encounter in consulting environments and how you would address them. This will show your analytical mindset and readiness for the challenges ahead.
