Finance Business Partner - 6 month FTC

WPP is the transformation company. We use the power of creativity to build better futures for our people, planet, clients, and communities.

Working at WPP means being part of a global network of more than 109,000 accomplished people in 110 countries. WPP has headquarters in New York, London and Singapore and a corporate presence in major markets worldwide.

We create transformative ideas and outcomes for our clients through an integrated offer of communications, experience, commerce, and technology.

WPP and our award-winning agencies work with most of the world's biggest companies and organisations – from Ford, Unilever and P&G to Google, HSBC, and the UN. Our clients include 61 of the FTSE 100, 317 of the Fortune Global 500, all 30 of the Dow Jones 30 and 62 of the NASDAQ 100. WPP are the leader in the Bloomberg Gender Equality Index and 8th in the FTSE 100 rankings for Women on Boards.

Why we're hiring:

At WPP, technology is at the heart of everything we do, and it is WPP IT’s mission to enable everyone to collaborate, create and thrive. WPP IT is undergoing a significant transformation to modernise ways of working, shifting to cloud-first based service for our infrastructure, introducing zero-trust networks and continuing to roll-out our real estate-led Campus consolidation strategy to give our clients and people the very best experience of what WPP has to offer.

As we progress on this journey, finance plays a critical partnership role to ensure we deliver an effective transformation by steering our organisation through a challenging time as we come to the end of our main outsourced IT contract. We are renegotiating a new contract and looking to move towards a fundamentally different operating model that is focussed on building internal capabilities which are a pre-requisite to a multi-partner environment which is the strategic aim over the next few years.

The implementation of this new contract will involve expert accounting and financial skills, with a thorough understanding of commercial contract structures and mechanisms. You will act as the dedicated Finance Business Partner to this renegotiated contract and be responsible for the stand-up of new processes across 28 countries. This will involve frequent interaction with the IT Operations Director and WPP IT CFO.

As part of this you will have frequent interaction with the business’s programme and project leads, take a lead of the month-end process, supported by Junior Finance Business Partners in the wider team. You will also prepare the quarterly re-forecasts of the contract’s budget.

You will also have a wider responsibility to act as an experienced member of the team and will act as a mentor and pro-actively develop the Junior Finance Business Partners in the team.

What you'll be doing:

• Finance Business Partner who will lead the day-to-day accounting and management reporting of the new global IT contract providing insight and financial management of the cost base of that contract both in terms of the base cost and the large amount of transformation project spend that is included.
• Take responsibility for a smooth month-end process, ensuring the system accurately reflects the position of the contract, including base fees, variable charging and a significant transformation programme, all performed across multiple countries and currencies.
• Take the lead on preparing the quarterly re-forecasts of the annual budget through set-piece meetings with key stakeholders inside and outside of the finance team. In addition, working with FP&A and other Finance Business Partners to develop the monthly rolling forecast process.
• A senior and strategic advisor to the various Leadership teams who will be utilising the services within this contract.
• Work collaboratively with the wider IT Finance team and the other Finance Business Partner’s to ensure there are no gaps or duplication between areas in an environment with a high level of structural change.
• Improve data quality, insight, and economic drivers to identify opportunities for efficiency, cost reduction, and ensure every $ spent is value for money for WPP.
• Providing support to Procurement and Finance teams across key WPP in relation to the new contract.
• Operate in a highly complex environment with changing stakeholders.

What you'll need:

• Qualified accountant, minimum of 3 years PQE (i.e. ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent)
• Degree or equivalent (i.e. MBA) desirable but not essential
• Demonstrable experience of owning and controlling the financials as an experienced Finance Business Partner or Senior Management Accountant of a distinct department or large cross-cutting area of a business.
• Experience working on a large-scale multi-country and currency contract would be an advantage.
• Experience working on the setting-up and implementation of a new contract being a strong advantage.
• Excellent communicator with a track record of operating, partnering with and influencing stakeholders, from both a financial and non-financial background.
• Collaborative approach with a focus on business and client needs
• You will be flexible, and comfortable working simultaneously across a wide range of projects, BAU and stakeholders, sometimes beyond your formal job description as needed by the business.
• Ability to operate in a fast-paced organisational transformation and is comfortable navigating organisational / geographical complexity, across different functions (Operational, Commercial and Financial)
• Ability to manage pressure and execute critical decision making as well as being self-motivating whilst operating in an ambiguous environment
• Tenacity, whilst acting high integrity and strong ethics.
• Management reporting, options analysis, and strategic advice to support business-critical decision-making.
• Data-led approach to solving problems, driving new insights and identifying value opportunities
• Strong organisational and prioritisation skills

Who you are:

You're open: We are inclusive and collaborative; we encourage the free exchange of ideas; we respect and celebrate diverse views. We are accepting: of new ideas, new partnerships, new ways of working.

You're optimistic: We believe in the power of creativity, technology and talent to create brighter futures or our people, our clients and our communities. We approach all that we do with conviction: to try the new and to seek the unexpected.

You're extraordinary: we are stronger together: through collaboration we achieve the amazing. We are creative leaders and pioneers of our industry; we provide extraordinary every day.

What we'll give you:

Passionate, inspired people – We promote a culture of people that do extraordinary work.

Scale and opportunity – We offer the opportunity to create, influence and complete projects at a scale that is unparalleled in the industry.

Challenging and stimulating work – Unique work and the opportunity to join a group of creative problem solvers. Are you up for the challenge?