Advert Reference Number: 1205
Job Location: Milton Keynes
Department: BP - Commercial
Salary: £47,389 to £56,535
Closing Date: 17 November 2025
Weekly Working Hours: 37
Contract Type: Permanent
Change your career, change lives
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About the Role
The focus of this role is to support and assist the Senior Finance Business Partner to lead a team of Finance colleagues, in a Finance Business Partnering Hub. The role will require you to successfully build relationships and partnerships with senior management and stakeholders across the University on a cross-section of financial, business, accounting activities and projects; leading the input and contribution into institutional projects and initiatives will be key to our ongoing success.
The aim is to drive impact and understanding of financial reporting on business performance and analysis, enabling a link to financial data to inform business strategies, while preparing and supporting business cases and financial analysis as needed. Provide advice, professional opinion and assisting with decision making will help ensure financial sustainability is maintained.
Key Responsibilities
* Preparation, continuous review, agreement and challenge of unit / faculty level budgets and forecasts, considering unit and cross university impact.
* Challenge and approval of resourcing decisions based on unit / faculty needs.
* Advice and modelling of complex proposals (e.g. curriculum, strategic business cases / programmes, major external projects etc.)
* Recommend and review the financial control and reporting frameworks in contracts considering delivery, mitigation, and risk, both financial & non-financial.
* Lead detailed financial planning / budget setting for business units ensuring any potential differences to the Income and Expenditure Model (IEM) are understood and agreed before publication.
* Lead zero based budgeting for high volume / complex non-staffing budgets.
* Establish level of risk and uncertainty in financial forecast and quantify potential financial impact.
* Establish early significant position changes for budget / forecasts on an ongoing basis in order to flag and influence financial decisions.
* Authoring (by exception for complex projects), reviewing and approving claims to funder.
* Involvement and approval of significant / material contracts, bids and tenders.
* Consider implications of external drivers and challenges and implement change as required.
* Support corporation tax analysis as required.
* Line Management and development of a small team of Finance colleagues.
About You
Essential:
* Fully qualified member of a Finance professional body e.g. ACCA,CIMA with extensive accounting experience.
* Experience of stakeholder management and the ability to develop strong working relationships with stakeholders.
* Strong understanding of accounting principles and financial reporting and legislation.
* Excellent analytical skills along with the ability to create and present detailed reports and deliver PowerPoint presentations.
* Ability to work and communicate effectively with all levels of management.
* Adept at financial modelling and forecasting.
* Proficient in Microsoft Office suite, especially with Excel.
Desirable:
* Knowledge of the Higher Education sector would be beneficial.
What's in it for you?
At The Open University, we offer a range of benefits to recognise and reward great work, alongside policies and flexible working that contribute towards a great work life balance. Get all the details of what benefits we offer by visiting our (clicking this link will open a new window).
Flexible working
We are open to discussions about flexible working. Whether it’s a job share, part time, compressed hours or another working arrangement. Please reach out to us to discuss what works best for you.
It is anticipated that a hybrid working pattern can be adopted for this role, where you can work from home and the office. However, as this role is contractually aligned to our Milton Keynes office it is expected that some attendance in the office will be required when necessary and in response to business needs. We’d expect this to be 2-3 times per week.
How to apply
If you are interested in applying for this position, please click the 'Apply' link above where you will be directed to our Careers webpage.
We may close this job advert earlier than the published closing date where a satisfactory number of applications are received. We would therefore encourage early applications.
The Open University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion which is reflected in our mission to be open to people, places, methods and ideas. We aim to foster a diverse and inclusive environment so that all in our OU community can reach their potential. We recognise that different people bring different perspectives, ideas, knowledge, and culture, and that this difference brings great strength. We strive to recruit, retain and develop the careers of a diverse pool of students and staff, and particularly encourage applications from all underrepresented groups. We also aspire to make The Open University a supportive workplace for all through our policies, services and staff networks.