Interim Finance Business Partner
Job description
Original text imported from Reed
Working closely with senior academic and professional services stakeholders, you will provide high-quality financial support, analysis and challenge to aid decision-making, ensure strong financial control and support the delivery of organisational objectives.
This role offers a high degree of flexibility, with predominantly remote working. However, applicants must be able and willing to attend the North London office at short notice when required.
Key Responsibilities-
Partner with senior stakeholders across allocated faculties and professional service areas.
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Lead budgeting and forecasting activities, providing guidance and support to budget holders.
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Produce and review monthly financial reports, forecasts and variance analysis.
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Support business planning, financial modelling and business case development.
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Provide insightful financial advice to support operational and strategic decision-making.
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Build strong working relationships with both finance and non-finance stakeholders.
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Support year-end processes and audit requirements.
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Contribute to the ongoing improvement of financial processes, reporting and systems.
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Fully qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or CIPFA).
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Proven experience operating as a Finance Business Partner within the Higher Education sector.
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Strong management accounting, budgeting and forecasting experience.
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Experience working closely with senior academic and professional services stakeholders.
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Excellent communication and relationship-building skills.
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Ability to present financial information clearly to non-finance audiences.
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Proactive, collaborative and able to work effectively in a changing environment.
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Initial 6-month contract
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Inside IR35 (paid via Umbrella Company)
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Predominantly remote working
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North London office, with attendance required at short notice when necessary
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Immediate start preferred
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Candidates on short notice periods are particularly encouraged to apply
Key skills
AI-extracted from the job advert
Application advice
5 AI-generated recommendations to maximise your chances.
⭐ Lead your CV personal statement with your ACA/ACCA/CIMA/CIPFA qualification and Higher Education sector experience, as both are explicitly listed as essential requirements.
📊 Quantify your budgeting and forecasting scope: e.g. 'Managed £45M faculty budget across 6 cost centres, delivering forecasts with <1% variance to actuals'.
🎯 Explicitly reference experience partnering with senior academic or professional services stakeholders — the advert stresses this context repeatedly, so mirror the language in your CV.
🌐 Highlight your readiness for remote-first working and ability to attend site at short notice, as the advert flags this as a practical requirement for the role.
🤝 Include a bullet demonstrating process improvement in financial reporting or systems, as the advert calls out 'ongoing improvement of financial processes, reporting and systems' as a key responsibility.
Suggested CV bullets
3 bullets our AI drafted for this specific advert, mirroring its ATS keywords.
Add these 3 bullets under your most recent experience:
- •Partnered with 4 academic faculties at a Russell Group university, owning a combined £52M budget and delivering monthly variance analysis reports to Pro-Vice-Chancellor level within 5 working days of period close.
- •Led the annual budgeting and reforecasting cycle for 3 professional services directorates, improving forecast accuracy from 87% to 96% over two consecutive financial years using Adaptive Insights.
- •Developed a financial model supporting a £3.2M business case for a new postgraduate programme, enabling the Academic Board to approve investment 6 weeks ahead of the original decision timeline.
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Letter preview — tailored to Robertson Bell
Dear Hiring Manager,
Robertson Bell's search for an Interim Finance Business Partner within the Higher Education sector aligns directly with my professional background. Having operated as a qualified accountant (CIMA) embedded within HE finance teams, I bring hands-on expertise in management accounting, faculty budgeting, and variance analysis — precisely the capabilities your client requires to hit the ground running on an immediate-start basis.
My background in higher education finance includes partnering with senior academic and professional services stakeholders to deliver monthly reporting packs, lead forecasting cycles across multiple cost centres, and support year-end audit processes. I am equally comfortable presenting financial challenge and insight to non-finance audiences, translating complex data into clear, actionable narratives that support strategic decision-making.
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Interview questions
10 questions generated from this advert.
Technical
- ›How do you approach building a financial model to support a business case for a new academic programme?
- ›Describe your experience with management accounts and variance analysis in a Higher Education setting.
- ›How have you managed the year-end process and liaised with external auditors in a previous role?
- ›What tools and systems have you used for budgeting and forecasting, and how did you improve reporting efficiency?
- ›How do you ensure financial controls remain robust when working predominantly remotely with dispersed stakeholders?
Behavioural
- ›Tell me about a time you had to present complex financial information to a senior non-finance audience — how did you ensure clarity?
- ›Describe a situation where you challenged a budget holder's assumptions — what was the outcome?
- ›Give an example of when you had to adapt quickly to a significant change in organisational priorities mid-year.
- ›Tell me about a time you built a strong working relationship with a difficult or resistant stakeholder.
- ›Describe a process improvement you led within a finance function — what did you change and what was the measurable impact?
STAR answer examples
Model answers using the Situation-Task-Action-Result framework. Adapt to your own experience.
Tell me about a time you had to present complex financial information to a senior non-finance audience — how did you ensure clarity?
Describe a situation where you challenged a budget holder's assumptions — what was the outcome?