At a Glance
- Tasks: Act as a financial co-pilot, turning data into actionable insights for growth.
- Company: Join Impact Food Group, a leading school caterer on a mission for positive food culture.
- Benefits: Enjoy 25 days annual leave, staff discounts, pension scheme, and monthly incentives.
- Other info: Be part of a fast-growing team dedicated to improving student food quality.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on students' wellbeing while developing your finance skills.
- Qualifications: Newly qualified or part-qualified accountant with 2-4 years of relevant experience.
The predicted salary is between 58500 - 71500 £ per year.
The Finance Business Partner (FBP) acts as the primary financial co-pilot and strategic advisor to key operational and commercial stakeholders.
Rather than just reporting on past performance, the FBP is an embedded partner who seeks to understand the "why" behind the numbers, providing clarity on the past, insight for the present, and foresight for the future.
The ultimate goal of this role is to turn robust financial data into actionable commercial insight, enabling operational teams to drive growth, protect margins, and deliver measurable financial improvements.
- What you ll be Doing Role Responsibilities Strategic Partnering & Influence
- Strategic Partnering & Influence
- Commercial
Advisory: Act as the dedicated point of contact for financial advice to non-finance operational directors and managers, translating complex data into clear, actionable business recommendations.
- Challenge & Collaboration: Build strong, collaborative relationships across departments while maintaining the commercial diplomacy to constructively challenge operational assumptions and plans when necessary.
- Budgeting, Forecasting & Foresight
- Agile Planning: Lead the annual budgeting and rolling reforecasting processes for assigned operational divisions, ensuring alignment with overall corporate strategy.
- Scenario
Modelling: Build and maintain flexible, multi-tab financial models to stress-test business variables (such as volume shifts, supply chain changes, and macroeconomic cost pressures).
- Commercial Performance & Benchmarking
- Post-Mobilisation
Reviews: Conduct "Actual vs.
Business Case" performance reviews on recently launched contracts or initiatives to measure financial success and feed lessons learned back into future models.
- KPI Development: Design and track forward-looking operational benchmarks (e. g., gross profit percentages, labour efficiency ratios, and volume uptakes) to guide teams toward maximum profitability.
- Systems, Data & Process Excellence
- Data Leverage: Work closely with systems specialists to fully exploit core financial platforms, automating routine reporting to maximize time spent on high-value analysis.
- Consistency of Output: Adhere to and help refine standardised operational procedures to ensure absolute consistency and quality of commercial finance outputs across the team.
- What We Are Looking For Technical & Professional Credentials
- Finance Background: Newly qualified or part-qualified accountant (CIMA / ACCA / ACA) with strong foundational knowledge of P&L mechanics, margin analysis, and cost allocation.
- Proven Experience: 2 4 years of experience in a highly commercial pricing, FP&A, or business partnering role. Ideally within a fast-paced, multi-site, or contract-led industry.
- Advanced Financial Modelling: Superb Excel skills with a proven track record of building robust, clean, and easily navigable commercial models.
At Impact Food Group, we re more than just a school caterer.
We re on a mission to create a positive food culture and help more students enjoy healthier, better-quality food.
Making a positive social impact is at the heart of everything we do.
We re constantly learning, evolving, and improving every way, every day.
We one of England s fastest-growing school food providers, serving around one million students every day across more than 1,500 schools.
We are dedicated to delivering high-quality, nutritious meals that support student wellbeing and enjoyment.
Our brands include Innovate, Cucina, Chapter One (Independent Schools), Hutchison, and Dolce, reflecting our breadth of experience and reach across the school catering sector.
Guided by our values, integrity, bold, impactful, humble and community; you will help us shape a workplace and culture we can all be proud of.
- 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays
- Staff discount scheme across 850+ retailers
- Pension scheme and other great company benefits
- Monthly incentives and recognition for top performers
- Our Team
IFG are committed to the safeguarding of children, and our employees share this commitment.
Successful candidates are required to undergo an enhanced DBS check, which IFG will pay for.
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Finance Business Partner in Knaphill employer: Impact Food Group
At Impact Food Group, we pride ourselves on being more than just a school caterer; we are dedicated to fostering a positive food culture that enhances student wellbeing. Our vibrant work environment in Surrey encourages continuous learning and growth, offering employees access to extensive training and development opportunities, along with competitive benefits such as 25 days of annual leave and a staff discount scheme. Join us in making a meaningful impact on the lives of students while enjoying a supportive and dynamic workplace.
