The Finance Business Partner is a key position within our Management Accounting Team, responsible for overseeing the Schools Block, Early Years Block, and Central Schools Services Block within the Dedicated Schools Grant service area. This role provides expert advice and support in financial planning, reporting, costing, and training, ensuring the effective and efficient management of financial resources.
Working collaboratively across multiple service areas and support functions, the Finance Business Partner will build strong, productive relationships with budget managers and develop a deep understanding of their respective service areas. Key responsibilities include setting and monitoring budgets, ensuring accurate financial closures at year-end, and supporting the Head of Finance in identifying and implementing continuous improvements to the finance support function.
The successful candidate will play an integral part in delivering high-quality, cost-effective children’s services, contributing to the overall success of the organization. Opportunities for professional development and on-the-job learning are available through our robust Learning and Development Offer.
About the role
We are seeking a proactive and skilled Finance Business Partner to join our dynamic Management Accounting Team. In this pivotal role, you will take the lead in a designated service area, providing expert advice and support across financial planning, reporting, costing, and financial training and development.
Key Responsibilities:
- Maintain and manage separate Council models of Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) budgets, ensuring school and early years budget allocations are accurately calculated based on pupil number estimates.
- Reconcile Education Funding Agency (EFA) notifications of DSG allocations to authority models, ensuring alignment between the general ledger and EFA actual allocations, and proposing virements where necessary.
- Collaborate with budget holders to support them in understanding their budgets and provide accurate budget monitoring information.
- Prepare and present regular reports to Schools Forums, demonstrating the affordability of formula funding and SEN top-up funding against projected DSG income, highlighting variances, and recommending appropriate actions.
- Lead the preparation of Section 251 Budget and Outturn Statements, ensuring allocations align with Department for Education (DfE) guidelines and that school budgets balance to DSG allocations.
For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Louise Dutton on: louise.dutton@achievingforchildren.org.uk
About you
As part of a supportive and collaborative team, you will work closely with budget managers and colleagues across various service areas to streamline and support financial processes. This is a fantastic opportunity to make a meaningful impact on financial management, drive continuous improvements, and contribute to delivering high-quality services that align with our organisational objectives.
Key Experience and Skills:
- Proven experience in producing budgets and forecasting in partnership with colleagues across services, utilising activity data and other insights to inform financial reporting and decision-making.
- A track record of building strong, collaborative working relationships and creating efficient processes with key stakeholders.
- Experience in a similar role within the public sector, ideally in Children’s Services (though this is not essential).
- Proficiency in using a range of ICT and digital solutions, including financial modeling tools, to support effective work.
- The ability to identify opportunities for developing new metrics, ensuring that relevant reporting, data, and information are available to operational managers and remain aligned with organisational needs.
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