Commercial Finance Business Partner | Education

Job Description

Organisation Profile

\n

Our client is a globally recognised not-for-profit organisation delivering large-scale humanitarian and development programs across multiple regions. With a diverse funding base spanning government grants, philanthropic partnerships and emerging investment models, the organisation is evolving its approach to funding and is investing in a newly created, high-visibility role within its finance function.

\n

Role Overview

\n

This is a critical and highly visible Commercial Finance Business Partner role, reporting directly to the GM Finance. Unlike a traditional finance role centred on reporting and financial control, this position is built around business partnering and strategic decision support. You'll be the lead finance adviser on funding opportunities across grant funding, donor partnerships and other emerging funding models, shaping and assessing propositions before they go to market.

\n

This is a genuine step up for finance professionals with international development or NGO experience looking to move beyond compliance and reporting into true commercial partnering, working closely with Impact, Business Development, Philanthropy and Executive Leadership to develop funding models, business cases, budgets, pricing approaches and investment structures.

\n

Key Responsibilities

\n

\n
• Act as lead finance partner for new funding opportunities across grants, donor partnerships and investment initiatives
\n
• Develop proposal budgets, financial models and business cases to support funding and investment decisions
\n
• Provide proactive commercial advice on deal structures, funding models and match funding arrangements
\n
• Assess cash flow implications, funding restrictions, reporting obligations and financial risks before commitments are made
\n
• Lead financial management of grants and funded programs, including budget monitoring, donor reporting, acquittals and compliance
\n
• Provide financial reporting and business partnering support to Business Development and Impact/Programs teams
\n
• Review, redesign and modernise existing reporting processes and dashboards to improve the quality and usefulness of financial insights
\n
• Advise on the financial and accounting implications of complex and emerging funding arrangements
\n
• Maintain consistent budget costing standards so pricing is competitive, donor-compliant and aligned to cost recovery policy
\n
• Support donor accreditation, audits and compliance activities relating to institutional funding
\n
• Build financial guidance, tools and templates that help teams design fundable, deliverable propositions
\n

\n

Why This Role Stands Out

\n

\n
• A rare opportunity to work at the intersection of grant funding, donor partnerships and emerging investment models in a genuinely diverse and evolving funding landscape
\n
• Direct partnering with senior leaders on major funding and investment decisions, not just month-end reporting
\n
• High-visibility mandate reporting into the GM Finance, with real scope to modernise reporting and shape how new funding flows into the organisation
\n
• Broad external stakeholder exposure with institutional donors, philanthropic advisers, investment partners and international network contacts
\n
• Mission-driven organisation with a genuine track record of global impact and a strong, values-led culture
\n
• Attractive not-for-profit salary packaging benefits on top of base salary
\n

\n

Ideal Candidate

\n

You're a CA/CPA qualified finance professional with genuine commercial acumen. You are comfortable shaping and challenging business cases and funding propositions, not just reporting on them. You've built your experience within an international aid, development or not-for-profit setting, and you bring hands-on exposure to grant funding, donor income or impact-related investment structures. You're proactive, visible and genuinely driven by mission-led work, with the confidence to build trusted relationships with program, executive and external stakeholders from day one, and a strong instinct for turning data into insight rather than just producing reports.

\n

Key Requirements

\n

\n
• CA or CPA qualified with strong accounting foundations
\n
• Demonstrated commercial acumen and experience shaping deal structures, funding propositions or business cases
\n
• Experience in one or more of: institutional grants finance, philanthropic income, or impact investing
\n
• Experience within an international aid, development or not-for-profit organisation highly regarded
\n
• Proven ability to design donor budgets and financial sections of major proposals
\n
• Strong understanding of financial risk, restricted funding and match funding arrangements
\n
• Experience improving or redesigning financial reporting and dashboards highly regarded
\n
• Advanced Excel
\n
• Excellent written and verbal communication, with the ability to make financial insight useful to non-finance stakeholders
\n