Description:
The Finance Business Partner (FBP) is a key member of the finance team, providing strategic and financial insights to support the business's objectives. This role involves partnering with various departments to deliver value-added analysis, financial planning, and decision support to drive business performance. The FBP is responsible for ensuring that financial considerations are integrated into business decision-making processes, providing robust financial analysis and modelling, and contributing to the overall strategic direction and profitability of the organization.
Key Responsibilities
- New clients – provide support to the FD with the commercial response on all new client opportunities; price preparation, presentation and negotiation of price and contract review and negotiation on terms. Managing the process of client onboarding and transition to delivery.
- Existing clients – provide support to the FD to ensure ongoing contract compliance. Assist with management of client audits (as applicable), management of all client reporting requirements and negotiation of new ratecards as contract / opportunity allows.
- Revenue forecasting – work with the client Business Leads to maintain the ongoing revenue position by client, ensuring that all material movements are shared and explained to the FD. Assist the FD with the preparation of the FP, budget and quarterly revenue submissions into IPG and all supplementary decks, analysis and commentary.
- Month end reporting – prepare the actual revenue submission to IPG monthly (assisting the transactional team with all postings as required), ensuring all revenue is recognised in line with IPG policy. At quarter end points manage the additional IPG reporting requirements.
- Balance sheet – regularly review EBU and pre-bill balances to ensure accuracy and take timely actions to ensure prompt invoicing and client reporting of pre-bill balances if required
- Internal and external audits – prepare all revenue related information to internal and external auditors (PWC) and promptly respond to all related queries.
- Profitability – prepare the two key agency performance metrics of Utilisation and Realisation on a monthly basis for review by the FD. Support the FD to ensure optimal resource allocation and maximisation of client contribution margin on all clients. Work with the PM and BL teams to affect change and profitability improvement through pricing review and advise, ways of working improvements and, as required, assist the FD with client facing discussions to improve commercial terms.
- Resourcing – provide support to the client teans where needed to ensure the resourcing and workflow system (Screendragon or similar) is fully up to date and provides accurate information on resource allocation and by-client project commercial performance. Review freelance resource requests as and when required ensuring all incremental revenue spend is both strictly necessary and best value.
- Skills development – lead the new staff induction process on all relevant finance procedures and systems. Assist the FD with preparation of materials for ongoing refreshers and periodical training courses covering various topics in the areas of agency commercial management and commercial acumen to ensure all relevant staff are well-informed and are able to make, as appropriate, optimal commercial decisions for the agency.
Required behaviours and competencies
Must have:
- Previous experience in a similar finance or accounting role (e.g. Finance Business Partner, Business Analyst, Revenue Analyst, Budget Controller)
- Proficiency in Excel (v-lookups, pivot tables, INDEX matching)
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
- Excellent attention to detail and organisational skills
- Effective teamworking skills and ability to communicate complex financial information to non-finance colleagues
Nice to have:
- Ideally, previous experience in a similar role in the Marketing Comms sector
- CIMA / ACCA qualified or working towards
- Ability to work in a fast-paced and dynamic environment.