Change Cost Finance Business Partner

Location: Manchester

Working pattern: Hybrid

Are you at your best in a fast-paced, constantly evolving environment where priorities can shift, plans need to be remapped and senior leaders rely on Finance to bring clarity? We are looking for a commercially minded Change Cost Finance Business Partner to provide strategic financial leadership across a major portfolio of transformation and change activity. This is a high-profile role with exposure to senior executives and Programme Directors, supporting investment decisions across a significant Technology and Change budget. You will provide insight, challenge and structure in an environment where change moves quickly and ambiguity is part of the day-to-day.

The role involves taking ownership of financial planning, forecasting, reporting and investment governance across the Change portfolio. Acting as a trusted partner to senior stakeholders, you will connect project costs, benefits, risks, scope changes and delivery outcomes to explain the wider impact on business performance and EBITDA.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Leading budgeting, forecasting and strategic planning across a complex portfolio of change programmes
• Reviewing and challenging programme business cases, investment proposals and benefit assumptions
• Partnering with Programme Directors, Technology leaders and senior executives to improve decision-making
• Assessing the financial impact of changing priorities, revised delivery plans, scope changes and emerging risks
• Producing high-quality month-end reporting, forecasts, variance analysis and executive-level commentary
• Establishing clear planning timetables and ensuring stakeholders provide accurate and timely information
• Tracking project costs, FTE, non-staff spend, benefits, capitalisation and associated BAU impacts
• Identifying risks, opportunities and efficiencies that improve performance and deliver greater value
• Working closely with Controllership to maintain accurate, robust and auditable financial processes

The portfolio covers approximately £100m of Technology spend and £75m of Change investment, making this a highly influential role with genuine visibility across the organisation.

About you: You will be a resilient and highly organised Finance Business Partner who is comfortable operating at pace and without always having every answer immediately available. You will need to be:

• Comfortable working through ambiguity, change and evolving priorities
• Able to quickly remap forecasts and plans when programmes or assumptions change
• Highly organised, methodical and confident managing multiple deadlines
• Resilient and calm under pressure
• Commercially curious, with a strong understanding of how change impacts financial performance
• Confident challenging and influencing senior stakeholders
• Able to turn complex financial information into clear, straightforward insight
• Proactive, accountable and persistent in following up actions
• Credible with both finance and non-finance audiences

You must be a qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA or CIMA) with strong Excel and PowerPoint skills. Experience of business partnering, cost planning or supporting Technology and Change portfolios would be particularly valuable.

This is an opportunity to work at the centre of a significant transformation agenda, influencing major investment decisions and helping senior leaders maximise value from strategic change. You will join a dynamic environment where no two months are the same, your insight will be listened to, and your work will have a clear impact on business performance.