Finance Business Partner in London

We’re looking for a collaborative, analytical and detail-oriented Business Partner to join our Finance Team located at our Head Office in Islington.

Want to feel in control of your career? You’ll feel at home here. Making you feel at home here means helping you thrive in every way. That’s why we offer a wide range of benefits, award-winning Learning & Development and a culture that welcomes all. These aren’t token gestures - we’ve thought long and hard about how best to support our team. After all, our people are doing something amazing: helping to transform lives every day.

Our benefits include:

• Annual leave increasing up to days with length of service
• Free DBS
• Exclusive discounts and cashback via Reward Gateway and opportunity to buy a Blue Light Card
• Fully paid induction programme and further training
• ILM courses and Apprenticeship Programmes
• Cycle to work scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme for confidential support
• Online wellbeing resources
• A generous pension – we will contribute up to % and life assurance cover up to £ (T&Cs apply)
• Quarterly Staff Awards to reward & recognise our amazing staff’s commitment and contribution

All applicants must be legally eligible to work in the UK by the start of employment as Look Ahead are not able to offer sponsorship. We reserve the right to close the job advertisement early, so we encourage you to apply at your earliest convenience.

This role encompasses two critical functions:

• Business Partner to Central Services - Assisting head office functions in managing their budgets.
• Financial Planning & Analysis - Supporting the Senior Manager for FP&A in overseeing the budgeting, forecasting, and business planning processes.

What you’ll do:

• Lead the end-to-end month-end process, collaborating closely with Central Services (Head Office) colleagues to review management accounts regularly.
• Ensure financial risks are clearly identified and mitigation actions are developed.
• Act as a key liaison between Central Services and the Finance team, supporting colleagues in accessing the appropriate finance support and advocating on behalf of operational teams where necessary.
• Facilitate a better understanding of financial policies, concepts, and processes across departments.
• Lead the annual budgeting and quarterly forecasting process for Central Services, ensuring accuracy, alignment with strategic objectives, and timely delivery.
• Support the Senior FP&A Manager in leading the organisation-wide budgeting, forecasting, and year business planning processes, ensuring robust financial planning and long-term sustainability.
• Act as Deputy to the Senior FP&A Manager as required. This may involve working directly with the CFO on budgeting analysis, financial modelling, and strategic planning.
• Maintain and continuously improve all budgeting and forecasting templates and reports, ensuring they remain relevant, user-friendly, and aligned with the organisation’s changing needs.
• Identify and implement process improvement opportunities across financial planning and analysis functions, driving greater efficiency, accuracy, and consistency.
• Support the financial evaluation of new business opportunities, assessing their impact on Look Ahead’s long-term financial viability and contributing to informed decision-making.

This is not an exhaustive list of all the duties and responsibilities that may be required from time to time and is subject to change in accordance with the needs of Look Ahead.

About you:

• Previous experience of planning and budgeting and delivery of key reports in a large organisation.
• Be capable of managing (sideways and upwards) senior individuals across multiple disciplines and have extensive, demonstrable people management experience and a clear understanding of the people implications and people agenda on the success of the business.
• Financial expertise to understand requirements, produce reports, provide financial analysis and to identify underperformance and risks.
• Confident, ability to lead, and communicate with others to influence business decisions and financial performance.
• Meticulous, accurate and attention to detail.
• Experience in business modelling and financial forecasting.
• Advanced skills in using Excel and to learn specific planning systems such as Bricks.

What you’ll bring:

• Essential:
• ACA, ACCA, CIPFA, CIMA or equivalent full professional qualification.
• Ability to analyse complex financial information, identify issues, recommend solutions and express them clearly to “lay” managers.
• Ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of individuals and all levels internally and externally.
• Able to work under pressure and to tight deadlines.
• Constructive contributions and relevant recommendations to senior management to improve the performance.
• Desirable:
• Experience in business partnering of FP&A.

About us:

Look Ahead is a leading, not-for-profit care and support provider in London and the South East. Our vision is to build better lives through social care and housing in local communities. As an organisation we deliver over services, providing support to thousands of customers each year. Our mission is to co-design and deliver services that offer innovative social care solutions and support people to thrive. We work across mental health, homelessness and complex needs, young people and care leavers and learning disabilities so there are plenty of opportunities to grow and progress your career with us.

We have a strong social purpose and we live and work by our values:

• We focus on Excellence and innovation.
• We are Caring and Compassionate.
• We are Inclusive and Trusted.
• We work in Partnership and are One-Team.

Look Ahead is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and adults at risk, and expects all employees, workers and volunteers to share this commitment.

If your application for this role is unsuccessful, but we feel that you would be suitable for another role, we may contact you to discuss alternative opportunities. If this occurs you would not need to submit another application for the alternative role.

We reserve the right to close this advert early if we are able to appoint to the vacancy before the advertised closed date. We are committed to diversity and inclusion at work and are accredited with Silver in the Inclusive Employers Standard. We are a proud member of the Employers Domestic Abuse Covenant and encourage applications from a diverse range of applicants of all backgrounds.