Finance Business Partner

Finance Business Partner

Reports to: Financial Planning Manager

Location: West London (with flexible working available)

Contract: Permanent

Pattern: Full Time (standard hours 9am – 5.30pm)

Closing date: 25/09/2026

1st round interviews (virtually): w/c 05/10/2026

2nd round interviews (in person): w/c 12/10/2026

Salary: £40,000 to £45,000 (depending on experience)

About the role:

We are looking for a resilient and flexible Finance Business Partner who can thrive in a busy environment, confidently managing competing demands and priorities while remaining calm and solutions focused. You will partner with a range of teams across the Ark network, including our income-generating ventures, donor-funded departments and operational functions.

You will play a key role in supporting budget holders with high-quality management information, budgeting and forecasting, helping them to understand financial performance and make informed decisions. You will also work closely with budget holders to identify opportunities to improve efficiency, while supporting the reporting and understanding of external funding.

To be successful in this role, you will combine strong Excel skills and financial expertise with the ability to communicate financial information clearly and effectively. You will be confident building strong relationships, challenging constructively and using your financial insight to support better decision-making across the Ark network.

The Finance Business Partner will report into Financial Planning Manager. This role is currently operating hybrid working in our West London Office on a permanent basis working full time.

1st round interviews will be taking place virtually w/c 5th October 2026 with 2nd round interviews taking place in person w/c 12th October 2026.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide efficient Finance Business Partnering support to various programme teams to facilitate timely recognition of planned Income and Expenditure for effective delivery of forecasts and budgets
• Lead on month-end management accounts for the departments in Ark Schools under your remit, including posting balance sheet adjustments and producing commentary alongside reporting
• Effectively communicate the monthly finances for your specified departments with the Financial Planning Manager and Head of Central Finance
• Regular meetings with budget holders to take them through their year-to-date figures and ensure that they understand the financial position of their department, undertaking additional analysis as necessary
• Support budget holders and the Financial Planning Manager with the reforecast and budgeting processes
• Work with the Fundraising team to support the Financial Planning Manager in reporting on Network reserves and external donations ringfenced to programmes
• Lead on reporting requirements for external funders and assist the Financial Accounting team on any statutory reporting requirements for funds received
• Develop finance training materials for your departments, to ensure they are supported through forecast and budgeting processes

Key Requirements:

• Right to work in the UK
• Part-qualified or newly qualified Accountant / 1-2 years PQE
• A degree-level qualification
• Strong knowledge of budgeting and forecasting and their role in supporting effective financial decision-making
• Experience of producing and presenting finance reports
• Excellent numerical and financial skills
• Strong computer skills using Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Outlook) and financial databases
• Ability to communicate effectively and explain finance to non-finance professionals
• Meticulous attention to detail and capable of meeting strict deadlines
• Team player who is flexible and adapts well to change
• Ability to plan, prioritise workload ensuring service and deadlines are met

Benefits

• Our flexible working model offers the best of both worlds, balancing in person collaboration, either in our state of the art West London office or through visits to our schools, with the flexibility of remote working.
• In addition to flexible working arrangements, employees can request to work fully remotely for up to 10 working days a year, whether this be in the UK or abroad.
• Our flexitime policy allows you to work your hours around our core hours of 10.00 - 16.00, helping you prioritise your work-life balance and personal commitments.
• 27 days annual leave plus bank holidays, rising with each year of service up to 30 days after 3-years’ service. This entitlement is pro rata for part time employees. This entitlement excludes bank holidays.
• Full office closure between Christmas and New Year.
• As an Ark employee, you will have the opportunity to be part of the TPT (The Pension Trust) scheme, our workplace pension scheme where we make an 11% contribution; you are not required to contribute towards this scheme unless you choose to. Depending on your role you may also be entitled to LGPS which is a defined benefit scheme where you contribute a percentage based on how much you earn (as do we) in exchange for a guaranteed amount in your pension pot every year.
• Access to high-quality professional learning throughout your career, offering both face-to-face sessions and a bespoke online learning platform.
• Access to Ark Rewards scheme offering savings from over 3,000 major retailers, interest-free loans available for season tickets or a bike, gym discounts offering up to 40% off your local gym and free eye tests.

About Us

Ark is an education charity that exists to make sure that all children, regardless of their background, have access to a great education and real choices in life. Our network of 39 schools reaches traditionally underserved communities in Birmingham, Hastings, London and Portsmouth. We educate 30,000 pupils and have nearly 3,000 teaching staff across our network. We also incubate and scale innovative ventures, which we roll out beyond our network of schools for the benefit of teachers, pupils and the education system as a whole. Current Ventures include Ark Curriculum Plus, which equips teachers with the subject expertise needed to ensure students succeed, and Ark Start, a growing chain of nurseries offering affordable, high-quality early years education.

Recently, Ark moved to new offices at EdCity – a unique not-for-profit development in West London, in partnership with Hammersmith & Fulham council. EdCity is designed to bring mission-aligned organisations together to focus on improving the lives of children, especially through education. It offers leased offices, a range of venues for training and events, and an innovation hub for the education sector to connect, collaborate and learn together.

Diversity and inclusion:

We aim to build a diverse and inclusive organisation where everyone – staff and students – can do their best work and achieve their full potential. We want to reflect and represent diverse perspectives across our organisation because we know that doing so will make us stronger and more effective. To know more about Ark’s diversity and inclusion commitments, please click on this link.

Safeguarding Statement:

Ark is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people in its academies. In order to meet this responsibility, its academies follow a rigorous selection process to discourage and screen out unsuitable applicants.

Ark requires all employees to undertake an enhanced DBS check. You are required, before appointment, to disclose any unspent conviction, cautions, reprimands or warnings under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975. Non-disclosure may lead to termination of employment. However, disclosure of a criminal background will not necessarily debar you from employment - this will depend upon the nature of the offence(s) and when they occurred. To read more about Ark’s safer recruitment process, please click this link.

Please note we will be reviewing applications on an on-going basis and this role may close earlier than advertised depending on the level of response. We strongly encourage to submit your application at your earliest convenience.

For any questions, please contact recruitment@arkonline.org.