Join to apply for the Finance Business Partner - Lead role at Financial Innovation for Impact (Fii)Location: UK / Hybrid (HQ in Cambridge, UK)About Financial Innovation for Impact (Fii)Financial Innovation for Impact (Fii) is an international, not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the advancement of scalable, sustainable, and evidence-based financial and regulatory innovation.We work with academic institutions, digital finance ecosystem partners, and other stakeholders to create knowledge and apply data-driven insights to inform the development of fintech and the decision-making of central banks, securities regulators, and other financial authorities.Fii generates research, develops digital tools, and delivers capacity building at scale through technical assistance programmes to benefit financially excluded, marginalised, and disadvantaged populations.Fii was spun out of the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF) and incorporated in the United Kingdom in 2023. CCAF is a research centre at the University of Cambridge Judge Business School. CCAF’s mission is to create and transfer knowledge addressing emergent gaps relating to technology-enabled financial innovation, and to support evidence-based decision making by market participants, regulators, and related stakeholders.Fii achieves its mission through a symbiotic collaboration with CCAF as one of its Principal Collaborators, and leveraging a global network of expertise, academic relationships, and data science capabilities to deliver impact in countries that we work in.The RoleThe Finance Business Partner - Lead will be responsible for operationalising our new Business Partnering team. You will report directly to the Finance Manager who you will work closely in this endeavour. The role will directly report to the finance function, but you will also be closely aligned with Operations and HR, ensuring a seamless transition between the programmatic team and Fii’s support functions.You will be regarded as the second in command in the finance team, and we expect this role to evolve over time.In the short term: this role will help the Finance Manager continue to build the financial function. You will need to be willing to pitch-in for a variety of areas, from Management reporting, financial reporting, External Audit management, Project reporting and stakeholder management. This will give you a great understanding of the finance function and the wider business – giving you great foundations to grow into your role and into you career with Fii.In the long term: you will be focusing on building the Business Partnering function of Fii, with guidance and support from the Finance Manager. As you grow into your role, you will need to build strong relationships with various stakeholders, understand their needs and blind spots, and turn this into elegant, effective solutions. This will primarily be from a financial perspective, but you will also need to understand other practical needs and ensure these are communicated effectively across the entire support function if needed.Your primary goal will be to grow the Business Partnering function, with the view that you will be able to successful establish a strong team that you lead, with increasingly less input for the Finance Manager.Your responsibilitiesBuilding robust financial models, to understand how programmatic decisions and adjustment impact project budgets – ensuring all stakeholders are kept abreast of all the factors they need to be aware of while making decisions, primarily through the identification and management of risk.Developing and reviewing new project budget proposals and business cases for new products.Build strong relationships across the organisation, building trust between the operational team internally and with other stakeholders such as the programmatic teams, funders and engagement partner. You will need to be a strategic advisor to these key stakeholders and on some occasions be the translator between different stakeholders.Operationalising reporting frameworks, ensuring they are appropriate for each stakeholder and recommending amendments when it\'s necessarily to improve the quality of the information being given to key management personnel.Agree reporting frameworks with key funders, ensure compliance with funding obligations which may vary from funder to funder and complete grant reporting effectively and on-time.Undertake due diligence and other pre-contract work for potential sub-awardees and partners, ensuring partners understand their funding and reporting obligations to Fii. This will include reviewing partner’s financial reporting to identify non-compliance with our terms.Disrupting how things are done; you will be responsible for driving efficiency, embedding compliance and building resilience within our programmatic teams as well as across the wider organisation. You will need to be able to help identify risk and report this to the appropriate stakeholder for consideration.You will be expected to help prepare for the annual external audit and help the Finance Manager manage the relationship with the auditors.Requirements and qualificationsThe individual in this role must have strong background in general accounting and be able to show a desire to work in a not-for-profit, social benefit entity.A relevant, level 7 Accounting Qualification i.e., ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalentStrong background using excel, with experience using arrays, power queries and other “non-basic” functionsStrong understanding of FRS 102 1A, and UK GAAP.Ability to develop strong links with relevant stakeholders both internal and externalExcellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to effectively convey complicated financial and operational information to non-technical audiencesAbility to work collaboratively in a multidisciplinary team environment, as well as take instruction, delegate and work independently when requiredDriven and committed, demonstrating initiative and self-motivationAbility to organise/prioritise work and meet deadlines within a fast-paced environment with multiple and competing demandsCan-do attitude; you’ll sometimes need to pitch in, in areas you might not expectFlexible, innovative approach to problem solving – just because “it’s not how things are done”, doesn’t mean we want to rule out solutions which could drive efficiency, improve reporting and make our lives easierExperience putting together financial models and budgets– although ongoing training will be providedExperience working on international projects, over multiple currencies and legal jurisdictionsExperience working for other charities or not-for-profit organisations in some capacity, either in industry or practiceGood understanding of financial and business risk, particularly in areas such as fraud, bribery, conflict of interests etc.Working familiarity with various taxation areas, such as business tax, employment tax and VATSome post-qualified experience either in practice or industry; although this is not essential at allWhat we offerA job and a team with a purpose. This is a chance to work within an organisation looking to tackle challenges in the financial sector that greatly affect our economies and society, and to contribute to real impactExposure to leading thinkers, researchers, and solution creators in the financial and technology space and academia10% Employer Pension ContributionsFlexible working practices, ability to work from home as suits and temporary ability to work from abroad, if desiredCompetitive compensationSeniority levelMid-Senior levelEmployment typeFull-timeJob functionFinance, Sales, and Accounting/AuditingIndustriesResearch Services, Financial Services, and AccountingWe’re unlocking community knowledge in a new way. Experts add insights directly into each article, started with the help of AI. #J-18808-Ljbffr