Head of Finance Business Partnering at British Council

The Role 

The Cultural Engagement (CE) Head of Business Partnering acts as the deputy and strategic partner to the Director of FP&A – Cultural Engagement, providing leadership across finance business partnering for the CE sectors enabling functions and the Geographic Directorate. The role is responsible for delivering high-quality Business Decision Support (BDS), financial planning, forecasting, reporting and analysis to support effective decision-making during a period of significant organisational change. It also oversees financial support to the Grant-in-Aid Board, ensuring that grant funding is allocated, monitored and utilised in line with British Council strategic priorities and FCDO settlement requirements.

The postholder plays a key role in driving strategic alignment and influencing decision-making across CE and improving financial planning capability across the organisation. A major focus of the role is to champion finance transformation initiatives, including adoption of the new financial planning tool, enhancement of business partnering capability, and continuous improvement of reporting and planning processes.

Operating within the FP&A Business Decision Support (BDS) team, the role supports a complex global portfolio spanning Arts, Education, English programmes, research, commercial activity, grant-funded programmes, and mixed-funding models. The successful candidate must bring strong commercial finance expertise, international business partnering experience, excellent analytical and communication skills, and the ability to translate complex financial information into clear strategic insights that support the British Council’s global cultural engagement objectives.

Main responsibilities

Acting as the right hand to the Director of FP&A – CE, the role leads CE’s global Business Partnering team of 14 in providing a consistent, high-quality business partnering service  and financial oversight across the Cultural Engagement (CE) portfolio  The role works across the CE matrix of regional grant programmes, enabling functions, and the Geographic Directorate to drive aligned financial planning, governance, performance management, and strategic decision-making, while representing CE’s consolidated finance interests within the wider global finance community.

The position also has responsibility for management reporting, financial analysis, and strategic planning, overseeing global budgeting, forecasting, variance analysis, investment appraisal, scenario modelling, grant-in-aid reporting, and financial risk management. It ensures the delivery of timely, accurate, and insightful management information across grant funded and commercial activities, translating complex financial and programme trends into actionable strategic recommendations for senior stakeholders and supporting CE transformation initiatives through robust financial analysis and performance insights. It also ensures that CE is aware of material financial risks and provides support and solutions as to how these risks will be mitigated.

The role acts as the key liaison between CE and Corporate Finance, ensuring that strategic alignment, governance, and compliance are maintained through senior-level engagement.

Role specific skills

• Financial Acumen: solid understanding of budgeting, forecasting and financial performance drivers.
• Business Partnering: strong interpersonal and influencing skills, ability to communicate complex financial issues in accessible language.
• Management Reporting & Financial Analysis: able to extract, analyse and interpret complex data.
• Ability to multi‑task effectively, managing simultaneous financial cycles, reporting requirements and deadlines across a diverse portfolio of grant programmes.
• Ability to identify financial risks and propose mitigations.
• EPM System Expertise (preferably Anaplan): confident in both planning and reporting functions.
• Building relationships at all levels in the organisation.

Role specific knowledge and experience

Minimum/essential

• Min. 10 years’ experience in financial management, FP&A, management accounting or grant finance.
• Professional accounting qualification (CIMA, ACCA, ACA or equivalent).
• Demonstrable experience supporting complex programmes or portfolios, ideally involving funded work.
• Demonstrable experience of business partnering senior business stakeholders (Executive leadership or Board level)
• Experience working with multiple stakeholders in a matrix or multi‑country organisational context.
• Team leadership and staff development of global teams (10+ staff).
• Demonstrable experience of delivering finance process improvements and efficiencies.

Desirable 

• Strong capability in financial modelling, forecasting and analytics.
• Experience in Cultural Engagement, development programmes or non‑profit grant management.
• Experience with SAP or similar ERP platforms.
• Experience with Anaplan or similar EPM platforms.

Language Requirements

• The British Council systems and global processes operate in English. Written and verbal proficiency in English is required”.

Education

• Educated to degree level

Professional Qualification and Certification

• Recognised International Accounting or Finance qualification