Find More Than 10K+
United Kingdom Jobs

Informa is one of the world’s leading knowledge providers. We create and deliver highly specialised information through publishing, events, training, market intelligence and expertise, providing valuable knowledge to individuals, businesses and organisations worldwide.

The Global Support Division is right at the heart of Informa. Global Support ensures the business meets our obligations, protects our assets, collaborates across Divisions and ensures all operations consistently run to the highest standards. The Group Finance function along with Strategy and Business Planning, Technology, Corporate Finance, Group Treasury, Group Tax, HR, Legal and Shared Services ensure together that all operations run consistently across the business, to the highest standards. Globally, Informa has over 150 offices in more than 40 countries and employs over 10,000 staff around the world.

Informa has three businesses serving B2B customers in specialist markets: Informa Markets, Informa Connect & Informa Tech. These three businesses provide valuable knowledge, connections and digital services through a range of formats.

Towards the end of 2021, we announced our intention to divest our Intelligence businesses and to put the full focus of the Group on the two markets where we have scale leadership positions: B2B Markets and Academic Markets. On 1 June 2022, we completed the first of these divestments, with the sale of Pharma Intelligence for £1.9bn.

The Finance Business Partner will support the Corporate Function unit within the Global Support Division and report to the GS CFO.

Driving a culture of accountability and continuous improvement the finance business partner uses commercial insight, analytical, leadership, influencing, communication, and “story telling” skills to manage the unit including constructively challenging the status quo.

You can expect a dynamic environment, managing impacts from causes of change such as acquisitions, disposals and re-organisations.

You can expect your unit to have their own operating structure, running over multiple countries, entities, and ERPs. You can expect the trading divisions to have their own operating structures. You will need to work with your unit and operating divisions to drive end to end cost management.

The role will work closely with the Divisional Head of FP&A, and the Shared Service Centres who are responsible for core accounting activity such as month end close. There will be occasions when the role will be required to deputise for the CFO.

You must ensure that all company policies are adhered to. You must also ensure that duties are carried out within set time limits whilst providing an excellent level of service to all Informa customers and colleagues. Informa takes the security and privacy of company, colleague and customer data seriously and you are responsible for working securely and supporting this within your duties.

Key Responsibilities

The Finance Business Partner is expected to assume the following key responsibilities plus any other reasonable duties as required:

• Trusted partner for the Global Support division and unit supported, maintaining strong relationships with the management team
• Influencing the business and senior leaders through the provision of commercial, tactical, and strategic insights.
• Confident and robust challenge to senior leaders
• Delivering requirements autonomously and under limited supervision
• Effectively dealing with ambiguity, uncertainty, and urgent time critical responses
• Delivering high quality business commentary and presentations right first time, including excellent “story telling” skills.
• Financial ownership of the unit including P&L to operating profit and exceptional items, the balance sheet, working capital and cash.
• Support and lead Business Planning, Forecasting and Budgets submissions for the unit / sub unit (s) supported. Ensuring key assumptions, dependencies, risks and opportunities are understood, articulated, and managed. Production and presentation of supporting material to senior management.
• Support and lead business cases including one off and on-going impacts, consideration of approach taken (i.e. zero based, rolling), advising on reasons for incurring costs, the risk position, returns and benefits realisation, & sign off.
• Support and lead cost base management: working with the unit management team to ensure committed to budgets are delivered. Use of multiple techniques including KPIs, zero based builds, rolling forecasts, and analytical reviews to drive improvement in the cost base.
• Support and lead managing the impact of acquisition and disposal activity on the unit.
• Support and lead cross divisional initiatives and end to end financial management including the unit recharges. Building and maintaining relationships with peers across divisions.
• Support and lead on actuals activity including ensuring performance is managed including effective review, sign off, and high quality commentary to your unit’s management team and the divisional head of FP&A. Maintain effective working relationships with SSC support. Ensure the balance sheet has integrity with no material issues, and support SSC control processes as needed.
• Support the divisions vision and business strategy. Enforce and communicate Informa’s Group Finance policy and ensure adequate governance & controls are in place. Support external and internal audits as needed.
• Support statutory charges and tax compliance as needed

People Management Responsibilities

• May have direct reports
• Lead in Recruitment & Selection processes where needed
• Support people development, focussing on both performance and development
• Plan and prioritise the work ensuring resource management is considered
• Ensure a robust communication structure is in place to ensure all key messages are communicated.
• Escalate team issues where needed
• Act as a role model to others
• Work with HR to ensure all people management processes and policies are being adhered to

Skills & Abilities

• Ability to effective work with a units management team
• Ability to manage stakeholders in a global divisional environment
• Able to demonstrate an innovative approach to work with enthusiasm and innovation, ability to drive change and improvements
• Good analytical and problem-solving skills
• High level and bottom up perspectives, tactical and strategic perspectives
• Able to challenge senior managers around their performance, good commercial acumen
• Self-starter with proactive nature, and ability to work autonomously under limited supervision
• Good influencing skills
• Ability to work in a dynamic, complex, and uncertain environment
• Good project management & prioritisation skills, ability to manage multiple priorities so deadlines are achieved
• Good communication and stakeholder management skills, ability to write reports and create PowerPoint presentations in a succinct and direct manner
• Strong excel skills
• Credibility, professional integrity and gravitas to challenge at unit management level in the organisation

Knowledge & Qualifications

• Excellent knowledge and understanding of Finance processes, systems, and ways of working.
• Excellent knowledge of leadership, coaching and stakeholder management
• Recognised professional accounting qualification (e.g. ACA, ACCA, CIMA)
• A track record of continuous professional and management development
• Knowledge of dealing with acquisitions and disposals

Employee experience is very important to us at Informa. On top of joining a supportive, diverse and ambitious team that welcomes all types of candidates. We are also flexible with different working patterns and prioritize promotions internally.

Our benefits include:

• Learning and development plan to assist with your career development
• 25 days annual leave, 4 days for volunteering and a day off for your birthday!
• Competitive Benefits
• Work with high quality specialist products
• Bright and friendly staff who are all “expert’s experts” and additional training and development for helping you achieve your career aspiration
• Share-Match options - become a shareholder
• Regular social events and networking opportunities

We know that sometimes the 'perfect candidate' doesn't exist, and that people can be put off applying for a job if they don't fit all the requirements. If you're excited about working for us and have most of the skills or experience we're looking for, please go ahead and apply. You could be just what we need! We believe strongly in the value of diversity and creating supportive, inclusive environments where our colleagues can succeed. As such, Informa is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, colour, ancestry, national origin, religion, or religious creed, mental or physical disability, medical condition, genetic information, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, citizenship, or other protected characteristics under local law.

See how Informa handles your personal data when you apply for a job: https://www.informa.com/talent/informa-applicant-privacy-notice/