Finance Business Partner

A leading organisation is seeking a Finance Business Partner to provide expert financial insight and analytical support across multiple sites in the UK and Ireland. This pivotal role offers you the opportunity to work closely with site General Managers, supporting operational management to align with financial targets and drive performance. You will play a crucial part in delivering accurate budgets, forecasts, and variance analysis.

What you'll do:

As a Finance Business Partner, you will immerse yourself in all aspects of financial planning and analysis across several supply chain locations. Your day-to-day activities will involve close collaboration with operational teams to ensure that financial targets are not only met but exceeded through insightful analysis and robust reporting. You will be responsible for developing budgets and forecasts that reflect both current realities and future ambitions, while your variance analyses will inform critical decisions at the highest levels. In addition to routine responsibilities such as journal preparation and report generation, you will have significant involvement in evaluating capital projects—assessing their viability from inception through post-implementation review. Your ability to foster strong relationships with stakeholders will be essential as you help drive continuous improvement initiatives that enhance efficiency and deliver tangible cost benefits. By actively engaging with sustainability efforts and supporting broader business objectives through your analytical acumen, you will make a meaningful impact on both daily operations and long-term strategy.

• Deliver accurate and timely budget and forecast models for multiple supply chain sites, ensuring insightful variance analysis that enables informed commercial decision-making with key stakeholders.
• Analyse movements in profit and loss lines for each site, comparing budget versus prior year as well as forecasts versus budget, contributing valuable insights for senior management presentations.
• Prepare comprehensive periodic reporting packs for senior management, including detailed variance analysis at the site level to support ongoing performance reviews.
• Manage the preparation and posting of journals while continuously seeking ways to improve processes through greater automation of reporting, allowing more time for deeper analysis and actionable insights.
• Support capital expenditure activities by analysing maintenance capex performance against budget or forecast on a regular basis, assisting with financial modelling for large-scale or one-off projects.
• Conduct return on investment assessments for capital projects, presenting findings to investment committees or boards for approval and managing post-implementation reviews to ensure objectives are met.
• Collaborate with Financial Control teams regarding cashflow budgeting, forecasting, and periodic variance analysis to maintain robust financial oversight.
• Monitor and analyse key performance indicators for each site, confidently articulating the drivers behind variances to both finance colleagues and operational leaders.
• Work alongside the SCC leadership team to prepare new initiatives aimed at driving efficiency, cost savings, and continuous improvement throughout the supply chain function.
• Assist with sustainability reporting requirements by providing relevant information that supports group-wide legislative compliance.

What you bring:

Your background as a Finance Business Partner equips you with the technical knowledge required to interpret complex financial data while maintaining a keen eye for detail. You bring proven experience from fast-moving consumer goods or supply chain sectors where you have supported major capital projects from initial assessment through delivery tracking. Your interpersonal skills enable you to build trust quickly among diverse stakeholders—whether collaborating on budgets or explaining the rationale behind key performance indicators. You are adept at using modern ERP systems like Microsoft Dynamics 365 alongside advanced Excel modelling techniques to streamline processes and generate actionable insights. Your ability to communicate clearly ensures that your recommendations are understood at every level of the organisation. Above all, your commitment to continuous improvement means you are always looking for ways to add value—whether by automating routine tasks or supporting sustainability initiatives that align with broader business goals.

• Qualified accountant (ACA/ACCA/CIMA or equivalent) with substantial post-qualification experience in finance roles within FMCG or supply chain environments.
• Demonstrated expertise in technical accounting principles combined with advanced analytical skills for interpreting complex data sets.
• Proven track record of building collaborative relationships across operational teams to deliver shared business goals through effective finance business partnering.
• Exceptional communication abilities enabling you to present complex financial information clearly to both finance professionals and non-finance stakeholders alike.
• High proficiency in Excel, PowerPoint or equivalent tools for financial modelling, scenario analysis, and presentation of results.
• Experience working with ERP systems—ideally Microsoft Dynamics 365—enabling efficient navigation of large volumes of transactional data.
• Strong attention to detail ensuring accuracy when handling large data sets while maintaining focus on key business drivers.
• Ability to manage competing priorities effectively under tight deadlines without compromising quality or stakeholder satisfaction.
• Comfortable operating across multiple organisational levels—from site-based teams up to senior management—demonstrating adaptability in approach as required.
• A proactive mindset focused on identifying opportunities for process improvement, automation of reporting tasks, and implementation of best practices.

Robert Walters Operations Limited is an employment business and employment agency and welcomes applications from all candidates