Senior Finance Business Partner
Creative Education Trust, London, WC2E 9JD17 days remaining to apply
Start date details
As soon as possible
Closing date
11 October 2026 at 11:59pm
Date listed
24 September 2026
Job details
Job role
- Administration, HR, data and finance
Visa sponsorship
- Visas cannot be sponsored
Working pattern
- Full time: Monday to Friday, 37 hours
Contract type
- Permanent
Full time equivalent salary
- Salary dependent upon experience
What skills and experience we're looking for
Following an internal promotion, we're seeking an experienced and highly credible Senior Finance Business Partner to join our Finance team. This is a fast-paced, high-impact role where you'll work closely with school leaders to navigate complex challenges, drive improvement and support strategic decision-making. We're looking for someone who can quickly build trust, thrive in a dynamic environment and make a positive impact from day one.
About You:
You're a qualified finance professional with strong commercial acumen and a passion for partnering with stakeholders to drive performance and improvement. You have a proven track record of building credible relationships, influencing decision-making and translating complex financial information into clear, actionable insight.
This is a highly visible, relationship-focused role. You'll regularly work alongside leaders in our secondary schools, typically visiting schools each week, with occasional visits to primary schools and other Trust locations. As such, you'll be someone who enjoys building relationships in person, quickly establishes credibility through sound judgement and is confident providing both support and constructive challenge to senior stakeholders.
Proactive, resilient and solutions-focused, you thrive in a fast-paced environment where priorities can shift and competing demands are the norm. You enjoy bringing clarity to complex situations, balancing multiple priorities and identifying opportunities for improvement before issues escalate. Adaptable and highly organised, you're comfortable navigating change and driving continuous improvement. Most importantly, you're motivated by the opportunity to use your financial expertise to make a meaningful difference to the outcomes and opportunities available to young people.
In this role, you will:
- Act as a trusted advisor to school leadership teams, influencing strategic and operational decision-making.
- Lead budgeting, forecasting and long-term financial planning.
- Deliver insightful financial reporting that supports informed decision-making.
- Lead and support improvement initiatives that enhance financial processes, reporting and value across the Trust.
- Support procurement activity, business cases and income generation initiatives.
- Champion strong financial controls, compliance and best practice across your academies.
You’ll thrive in this role if you:
- Enjoy building trusted relationships with a wide range of stakeholders and quickly establish credibility with those you work with.
- Are commercially minded and confident providing both support and constructive challenge to decision-makers.
- Have a proactive approach, identifying opportunities and addressing issues before they escalate.
- Can translate complex financial information into clear, practical recommendations that drive action.
- Remain resilient and effective when managing competing priorities in a fast-paced and evolving environment.
- Enjoy bringing clarity and structure to complex situations and supporting leaders through change.
- Are passionate about making a meaningful impact through strong financial leadership.
About the Finance Department:
The Finance Department is a collective of over 20 finance professionals and play a pivotal role in strengthening Creative Education Trust’s ability to deliver exceptional opportunities for young people. As a strategic partner to schools, central teams and the Executive Board, the department provides the insight, leadership and financial stewardship that ensure resources are used wisely and aligned with the Trust’s ambition for improvement and long‑term sustainability. The Team’s work enables confident decision‑making and ensures every financial choice supports the mission to improve opportunities across all of the communities we serve.
Alongside its strategic leadership, the department maintains the robust financial operations that underpin the Trust’s resilience and effectiveness. From planning and reporting to the vital Accounts Payable and Receivable functions, the team ensures high‑quality, timely and transparent processes that uphold strong financial governance and support colleagues and partners with professionalism and reliability. Together, this purposeful approach empowers Creative Education Trust to operate with clarity, integrity and ambition - ensuring resources reach the classrooms and students where they make the greatest difference.
What the school offers its staff
About Creative Education Trust:
Creative Education Trust is a growing network of 17 schools, educating over 13,500 children and young people across England. Since 2010, we’ve worked in partnership with communities to deliver an education that inspires ambition, promotes equity, and unlocks opportunity for every learner.
We believe every child has talent, every community has strength, and every school can be a place where excellence thrives. Our curriculum is rich, broad, and inclusive - designed to build knowledge, nurture creativity, and prepare students for the future.
We are united by a shared purpose: to transform lives through education. Our schools are places where students feel safe, supported, and empowered to lead their own lives with confidence. Through collaboration, high expectations, and purposeful leadership, we ensure that success is both expected and achieved - together. Visit our Trust website to explore how we support our staff and discover more about our mission, values, and opportunities.
Further information about the job
Ready to Join Us?
Submit your application directly through our website. We warmly welcome visits to our school, and if you'd like to arrange a visit or confidential conversation with the Line Manager, our friendly HR/Recruitment team is here to help. Reach out to us at recruitment@creativeeducationtrust.org.uk, and we'll be delighted to assist you. Want to stay connected? Join our Talent Pool here and be the first to hear about future opportunities.
Essential Information:
Creative Education Trust (CET) is committed to Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our children and young people by keeping them safe, we expect all our colleagues to share in this responsibility.
All shortlisted candidates are subject to online checks prior to interview.
The CET Recruitment Policy follows the guidance set out by Keeping Children Safe in Education, where all offers of employment are subject to an Enhanced DBS Check, separate Barred List Check, References and where appropriate a Prohibition from teaching search.
This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (ROA) 1974.
CET is committed to developing, maintaining, and supporting an inclusive culture and environment for the benefit of its employees and the communities it serves.
Commitment to safeguarding
Our organisation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff, volunteers and trustees to share this commitment.
Our recruitment process follows the keeping children safe in education guidance.
Offers of employment may be subject to the following checks (where relevant):
childcare disqualification
Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS)
medical
online and social media
prohibition from teaching
right to work
satisfactory references
suitability to work with children
You must tell us about any unspent conviction, cautions, reprimands or warnings under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975.
Applying for the job
Apply for the job by following the link below.
CVs will not be accepted for this application.
View advert on school website (opens in new tab)Additional documents
If you need these documents in an accessible format, please contact the school.
About Creative Education Trust
- Type
- Multi-academy trust
- Email address
- katy.youngman@creativeeducationtrust.org.uk
Arranging a visit to Creative Education Trust
To arrange a visit and increase the chance of a successful application email katy.youngman@creativeeducationtrust.org.uk.
Head office location
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