Lead Specialist, Finance Business Partner

Pearson is a global education company, and they are seeking a Senior Finance Business Partner to lead financial planning and investment analysis across their Corporate Functions. This role involves providing strategic insights and decision support to senior leaders, ensuring effective resource allocation and financial governance.

Responsibilities:

• Partner with senior leadership teams to translate strategic objectives into operational and financial plans
• Support investment prioritisation activities, ensuring resources are allocated effectively to maximise business value
• Act as a trusted advisor, providing financial insight and commercial challenge to support decision-making
• Provide broader business and operational perspectives alongside financial analysis
• Lead the financial evaluation and quantification of investments designed to improve services, drive growth and enhance profitability
• Develop business cases and financial models to support investment decisions
• Track investment performance against approved plans and identify risks, opportunities and required corrective actions
• Monitor benefit realisation and return on investment outcomes
• Ensure accurate financial reporting, forecasting and planning across Corporate Functions
• Maintain visibility of financial risks and opportunities, ensuring senior stakeholders are aware of key drivers of performance
• Partner with finance teams across the organisation to ensure alignment and consistency in planning and reporting activities
• Support ongoing performance reviews and financial analysis
• Ensure an effective financial control environment is maintained across all locations and functional areas
• Work closely with shared service finance teams to deliver high-quality support and reporting
• Ensure financial risks are identified, understood and appropriately controlled
• Oversee divisional allocations to ensure they are accurate, timely and well governed
• Deliver clear, concise and insightful reporting to senior leadership teams
• Present recommendations, findings and business insights in a way that supports executive decision making
• Analyse complex financial and operational data sets to identify key trends and opportunities
• Facilitate discussions that drive action and improve business outcomes

Requirements:

• Undergraduate degree in Finance, Accounting or a related discipline
• Demonstrable experience in Finance Business Partnering, Commercial Finance or Financial Planning & Analysis
• Strong financial analysis, forecasting and business modelling skills
• Experience operating within complex, global matrix organisations
• Strong understanding of both operating expenditure (OPEX) and capital expenditure (CAPEX)
• Excellent stakeholder management, influencing and communication skills
• Proven ability to analyse large and complex data sets and translate findings into actionable recommendations
• Strong commercial mindset with a focus on business performance and value creation
• Ability to adapt quickly within changing business environments
• Professional accounting qualification (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent)
• Experience supporting strategic investment and transformation programmes
• Previous experience working with senior leadership teams in large global organisations