Creative Education Trust
Senior Finance Business Partner
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Senior Finance Business Partner
Following an internal promotion, we're seeking a commercially focused Senior Finance Business Partner to join our Finance team. A trusted advisor to senior leaders, you'll build strong relationships, drive positive change and provide the insight that shapes strategic decision-making across our Trust.
Job Title: Senior Finance Business Partner
Location: Ideally based in or near the Northamptonshire / Buckinghamshire area or Norfolk / Suffolk area.
Salary: Dependent upon experience
Start Date: ASAP
Contract Type: Permanent
Working Pattern: Full Time
Application Closing Date: Sunday 9th August 2026
Interview Date: Wednesday 19th August 2026 – location TBC (this will be either London, Milton Keynes or Northamptonshire)
About You:
You're a qualified finance professional with strong commercial acumen and a passion for partnering with stakeholders to drive performance and improvement. You have a proven track record of building credible relationships, influencing decision-making and translating complex financial information into clear, actionable insight. Proactive, solutions-focused and highly organised, you thrive in a fast-paced environment where you can challenge thinking, identify opportunities and support strategic objectives. Most importantly, you're motivated by the opportunity to use your financial expertise to make a meaningful difference to the outcomes and opportunities available to young people.
In this role, you will:
- Act as a trusted advisor to school leadership teams, influencing strategic and operational decision-making.
- Lead budgeting, forecasting and long-term financial planning.
- Deliver insightful financial reporting that supports informed decision-making.
- Lead and support improvement initiatives that enhance financial processes, reporting and value across the Trust.
- Support procurement activity, business cases and income generation initiatives.
- Champion strong financial controls, compliance and best practice across your academies.
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You’ll thrive in this role if you:
- Enjoy building trusted relationships with a wide range of stakeholders.
- Are commercially minded and confident challenging and influencing decision-makers.
- Have a proactive approach and enjoy driving positive change.
- Can translate complex financial information into clear, practical recommendations.
- Take pride in delivering high-quality work and managing competing priorities effectively.
- Are passionate about making a meaningful impact through strong financial leadership.
About the Finance Department:
The Finance Department is a collective of over 20 finance professionals and play a pivotal role in strengthening Creative Education Trust’s ability to deliver exceptional opportunities for young people. As a strategic partner to schools, central teams and the Executive Board, the department provides the insight, leadership and financial stewardship that ensure resources are used wisely and aligned with the Trust’s ambition for improvement and long-term sustainability. The Team’s work enables confident decision-making and ensures every financial choice supports the mission to improve opportunities across all of the communities we serve.
Alongside its strategic leadership, the department maintains the robust financial operations that underpin the Trust’s resilience and effectiveness. From planning and reporting to the vital Accounts Payable and Receivable functions, the team ensures high-quality, timely and transparent processes that uphold strong financial governance and support colleagues and partners with professionalism and reliability. Together, this purposeful approach empowers Creative Education Trust to operate with clarity, integrity and ambition - ensuring resources reach the classrooms and students where they make the greatest difference.
About Creative Education Trust:
Creative Education Trust is a growing network of 17 schools, educating over 13,500 children and young people across England. Since 2010, we’ve worked in partnership with communities to deliver an education that inspires ambition, promotes equity, and unlocks opportunity for every learner.
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We believe every child has talent, every community has strength, and every school can be a place where excellence thrives. Our curriculum is rich, broad, and inclusive - designed to build knowledge, nurture creativity, and prepare students for the future.
We are united by a shared purpose: to transform lives through education. Our schools are places where students feel safe, supported, and empowered to lead their own lives with confidence. Through collaboration, high expectations, and purposeful leadership, we ensure that success is both expected and achieved - together. Visit our Trust website to explore how we support our staff and discover more about our mission, values, and opportunities.
Ready to Join Us?
Submit your application directly through our website. We warmly welcome visits to our school, and if you'd like to arrange a visit or confidential conversation with the Line Manager, our friendly HR/Recruitment team is here to help. Reach out to us at recruitment@creativeeducationtrust.org.uk, and we'll be delighted to assist you. Want to stay connected? Join our Talent Pool here and be the first to hear about future opportunities.
Essential Information:
Creative Education Trust (CET) is committed to Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our children and young people by keeping them safe, we expect all our colleagues to share in this responsibility.
All shortlisted candidates are subject to online checks prior to interview.
The CET Recruitment Policy follows the guidance set out by Keeping Children Safe in Education, where all offers of employment are subject to an Enhanced DBS Check, separate Barred List Check, References and where appropriate a Prohibition from teaching search.
This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (ROA) 1974.
CET is committed to developing, maintaining, and supporting an inclusive culture and environment for the benefit of its employees and the communities it serves.
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