Finance Business Partner – Professional Services & Cross Cutting

Finance Business Partner – Professional Services & Cross Cutting Finance

The University of Sheffield’s Department of Finance seeks a Finance Business Partner to work closely with research and innovation leaders. You will support the deployment of Knowledge Exchange funding, optimising financial management and reporting to academic and external stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Manage and forecast a portfolio of internal and external funds in partnership with RPI leadership.
• Prepare accurate income and expenditure forecasts on a monthly and quarterly basis, analysing variances and providing recommendations.
• Collaborate with the Internal KE Funding Manager and academic leadership to ensure governance and operational delivery of available funding, including HEIF, Impact Acceleration Accounts and other grants.
• Develop a strong understanding of funding terms and how to deploy them to achieve strategic goals.
• Lead financial reporting and dissemination to academic awardees, schools, RPI and other finance colleagues.
• Attend and contribute to relevant committees, panels and meetings, providing finance reporting and recommendations for future action.
• Advis then – under to advising funding panels on financial risks and opportunities.
• Ensure a streamlined and efficient system for project setup, monitoring, award notification and query resolution.
• Maintain professional relationships with recipients, monitoring progress and spend to identify and resolve problems early.
• Maintain a light‑touch operational approach while enabling impact evaluation.
• Prepare annual and end‑cycle reports to funders, ensuring alignment with policy and operational changes.
• Prepare monthly and year‑end reconciliations, including reserves and other provisions, and coordinate year‑end procedures.
• Line‑manage at least one staff member and support workload allocation across the team.
• Carry out other duties commensurate with the grade and remit of the post.

Person Specification

• Sound working knowledge of key financial management principles, including forecasting, budget monitoring and month‑end routines.
• Qualified or part‑qualified accountant (CIMA, ACCA or equivalent).
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate within a team and consider the impact of working style on others.
• Strategic thinking and optimisation of available funding.
• Commitment to continuous improvement across processes.
• Proactive, capable of meeting multiple deadlines and prioritising workloads.
• Strong professional interpersonal skills, facilitating collaboration across functional areas.
• Proven ability to communicate complex financial information to non‑financial audiences, including high‑quality reports.
• Excellent IT skills, particularly Microsoft Excel, and experience with finance systems and reporting solutions.
• Awareness of higher‑education sector issues and experience managing external funding.

Benefits

• Minimum 41 days annual leave (inclusive of bank holidays and closure days) with the option to purchase more.
• Flexible working opportunities, including hybrid arrangements.
• Generous pension scheme.
• Wide range of retail discounts and rewards.
• Staff network participation (e.g., Race Equality, LGBT+, Women’s and Parent’s networks).
• Recognition awards for outstanding performance.
• Access to learning and mentoring schemes, aligned with the Professional Services Shared Skills Framework.
• Family‑friendly policies (paid time off for parenting and caring emergencies, menopause support, fertility treatment support, and more).

Job Details

• Grade: 7
• Salary: £38,784 – £47,389
• Work arrangement: Full‑time
• Line manager: Finance Manager
• Direct reports: Assistant Finance Business Partner and/or Senior Finance Assistant

Disability Confidence

We are a Disability Confident Leader, and we encourage applicants with disabilities to apply if they meet the essential criteria.

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