Senior Finance Partner FP&A, Innovation, Procurement & Projects

Location: TBC - Stoke-on-Trent or Dudley; with travel expected.

Salary: £70,000

Contract Type: Permanent, Full time, 37 Hours, All Year Round

Are you a finance professional who wants your numbers to make a difference? We are seeking a proactive and detail-oriented Senior Finance Partner to join our growing Finance Shared Services team. In this role, you won’t just be managing spreadsheets; you’ll be a vital business partner to our academies, providing the financial insight and operational support that directly enables improved outcomes for our pupils.

The Role

• Leads Trust-wide financial planning and analysis (FP&A), innovation, strategic projects and procurement, providing high-quality forward planning, forecasting, scenario modelling, commercial insight and strategic financial leadership across St Gabriel the Archangel CMAT.
• Provides strategic oversight of the Trust's procurement function, ensuring procurement activity is commercially robust, compliant and focused on securing sustainable value for money.
• Directly line manages and develops the Procurement Manager, providing strategic direction while ensuring effective delivery of the Trust's procurement strategy, category management approach, procurement pipeline and contract management framework.
• Drives the development of an insight-led performance culture and leads finance contributions to major transformation programmes, including the mobilisation and continuous improvement of Finance Shared Services and improvements to financial systems, reporting, data, automation and procure-to-pay processes.
• Serves as the direct line manager and professional mentor for the Senior Financial Planning Analyst and Procurement Manager.
• Acts as the Trust's finance champion, building financial and commercial literacy across the organisation and equipping local and regional governors with the training and insight required for effective strategic oversight.

Core Accountabilities

• Strategic Leadership: Provide strategic leadership for FP&A, innovation, projects and procurement, acting as the Trust's senior finance lead for these disciplines and ensuring they support the Trust's strategic objectives and long-term financial sustainability.
• Team & Line Management: Directly line-manage, develop and performance-manage the Senior Financial Planning Analyst and Procurement Manager, providing clear strategic direction and cultivating a culture of high professional standards, service excellence, commercial awareness, accountability and continuous improvement.
• Financial Planning & Insight: Lead Trust-wide budgeting, forecasting, scenario modelling and financial analysis, ensuring senior leaders and governors have timely, accurate and forward-looking insight to support strategic decision-making.
• Procurement & Commercial Leadership: Provide strategic oversight of the Trust's procurement function, ensuring procurement activity is compliant, commercially robust and aligned with organisational priorities.
• Innovation & Transformation: Lead major finance transformation and improvement initiatives, using technology, automation, artificial intelligence and data to improve efficiency, control, insight and service quality.
• Project Leadership: Lead and govern complex finance-owned and cross-Trust projects, ensuring clear objectives, robust governance and successful delivery to time, cost and quality.
• Governance & Compliance: Ensure robust governance, internal controls and compliance with Trust financial regulations, relevant procurement requirements, ESFA requirements and the Academies Trust Handbook.
• Shared Services: Support the design, mobilisation and continuous improvement of the Trust's Finance Shared Services model, standardising processes, strengthening controls and improving efficiency, service and insight.
• Stewardship & Value for Money: Work collaboratively with Trust leaders, academy Principals and operational teams to deliver strong financial stewardship, commercial effectiveness and demonstrable value for money.
• Governance Championship: Act as a key bridge between the finance directorate and wider governance, demystifying school finance and advocating transparent, driver-based financial planning and effective commercial scrutiny.
• Executive Support: Contribute to Trust-wide finance leadership priorities and deputise for the Chief Finance Officer as required.

About You

You are a collaborative professional who balances technical accuracy with a solution-focused approach. To thrive in this role, you should demonstrate:

• Integrity & Professionalism: High standards of financial governance and a commitment to the Trust’s mission.
• Technical Proficiency: Experience with month-end activities, reconciliations, and financial reporting.
• Adaptability: A willingness to learn, adapt to new systems, and support academies through change.
• Communication Skills: The ability to explain financial information clearly to non-finance stakeholders.

Why Join Us?

This is a fantastic opportunity to develop your career within a large, forward-thinking Trust. You will benefit from a collaborative team environment, professional development opportunities, and the knowledge that your work supports the education of the next generation.

Safeguarding Commitment

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. All appointments are subject to an enhanced DBS check, satisfactory references, and pre-employment medical clearance. In line with Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE), online searches will also be carried out for shortlisted candidates. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.