Robert Half
Finance Business Partner
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Robert Half Talent Solutions are seeking a Commercial Project Finance Business Partner for an expanding services organisation in Cardiff
Commercial Project Finance Business Partner
Location: Cardiff
Salary: £45,000 to £60,000
Reporting to: Finance Manager
Sector: IT Services
About the Role
We are looking for a commercially minded Project Finance Business Partner to join our finance team within a growing services business. This is an excellent opportunity for a part-qualified or newly qualified accountant looking to develop their commercial finance and business partnering experience in a project-led environment.
Working closely with project managers, account managers, operational teams, and senior stakeholders, you will provide financial insight and support to help ensure projects are delivered profitably, revenue and costs are accurately forecast, and commercial opportunities and risks are clearly understood.
Alongside your project finance responsibilities, you will play an important role in supporting the monthly management accounts process, gaining broad exposure to financial reporting and the wider finance function.
Key Responsibilities
Project Finance & Commercial Business Partnering
- Act as the finance business partner to project and operational teams, providing financial insight and support throughout the project lifecycle.
- Work closely with Project Managers and Account Managers to understand project performance, budgets, forecasts, and commercial drivers.
- Monitor project revenue, costs, margins, utilisation, and profitability against budget and forecast.
- Support the preparation and review of project budgets and financial forecasts.
- Identify and communicate financial risks, opportunities, and variances, helping operational teams understand their financial impact.
- Provide regular financial analysis and commentary on project performance.
- Support project managers with financial decision-making, including resource planning, subcontractor costs, project expenditure, and margin management.
- Review project financial performance and challenge assumptions where appropriate.
- Assist with project set-up, ensuring appropriate financial controls, budgets, and reporting structures are in place.
- Support the identification and management of unbilled revenue, accrued costs, work in progress, and other project-related accounting items.
- Assist with revenue recognition and ensuring project accounting is consistent with company policies and accounting standards.
- Support commercial reviews, including analysis of project profitability, contract performance, and potential change requests.
- Develop strong relationships with non-finance stakeholders and help improve financial awareness across the business.
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Monthly Management Accounts
- Assist with the preparation of the monthly management accounts.
- Prepare and post month-end journals, including accruals, prepayments, and project-related adjustments.
- Support balance sheet reconciliations and investigate discrepancies.
- Assist with revenue and cost analysis and ensure transactions are recorded accurately in the appropriate accounting periods.
- Prepare monthly variance analysis against budget and forecast.
- Produce supporting schedules and management information for month-end reporting.
- Provide clear commentary on key movements and financial performance.
- Assist with the preparation of monthly reporting packs for senior management.
- Contribute to improving the accuracy, efficiency, and timeliness of the month-end process.
Financial Analysis & Continuous Improvement
- Produce ad hoc financial analysis to support commercial and operational decision-making.
- Develop and maintain financial models, reports, and dashboards.
- Identify opportunities to improve financial processes, controls, and reporting.
- Help develop more consistent project reporting and forecasting processes across the business.
- Support finance and wider business projects as required.
About You
We are looking for someone who is commercially curious, analytical, and keen to develop their career in a business partnering environment. You will ideally have:
- Part-qualified or newly qualified accounting status, such as ACA, ACCA, or CIMA.
- Experience within a commercial finance, management accounting, project accounting, or finance business partnering environment.
- Strong Excel skills and confidence working with large datasets.
- Good understanding of management accounts, budgeting, forecasting, and variance analysis.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Excellent attention to detail and a structured approach to work.
- The confidence to work with and challenge non-finance stakeholders.
- Good communication skills, with the ability to explain financial information clearly to non-financial colleagues.
- A proactive approach and willingness to take ownership of tasks and issues.
- The ability to manage competing priorities and work to tight month-end deadlines.
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Experience within an IT services, professional services, consulting, or project-based business would be advantageous, although not essential.
What We're Looking For
This role would suit an accountant who wants to move beyond traditional reporting and develop into a commercial finance business partner. You will have the opportunity to gain exposure to:
- Project and contract accounting
- Commercial decision-making
- Revenue and margin management
- Budgeting and forecasting
- Project profitability
- Management accounts
- Financial modelling and analysis
- Senior stakeholder business partnering
The role offers a broad platform for someone looking to build a long-term career within commercial finance and progress towards a more senior Finance Business Partner or Commercial Finance Manager position.
Key Competencies
- Commercial mindset: Understands how financial performance links to operational and commercial decisions.
- Analytical thinking: Able to interpret financial information, identify trends, and investigate variances.
- Business partnering: Builds effective relationships and communicates confidently with non-finance stakeholders.
- Attention to detail: Maintains a high level of accuracy, particularly during month-end and financial reporting.
- Ownership: Takes responsibility for delivering high-quality work and follows issues through to resolution.
- Communication: Can translate financial information into clear, practical business insight.
- Continuous improvement: Looks for better ways of working and opportunities to improve financial processes and reporting.
The Opportunity
This is a hands-on commercial finance role offering exposure to both project finance and core financial reporting. It is ideally suited to someone early in their accounting career who wants to develop strong commercial and business partnering skills within a dynamic IT services environment.
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