The company:

My client is one of Australia's leading financial institutions, renowned for its innovation, customer focus and continued investment in finance transformation.

The organisation is currently evolving its finance operating model, with a strong focus on strengthening commercial business partnering, improving decision support and ensuring finance delivers meaningful insight to the business.

This is an opportunity to step into a high-profile finance leadership position at an important point of transition, partnering with senior leaders across a broad Corporate Functions portfolio, whilst leading a small, high-performing team.

The role:

We are seeking an experienced Senior Finance Business Partner to step into an interim leadership role for an initial 3-6 month period (with the potential to convert to permanent employment for the right individual).

This is not a caretaker role. You will be expected to quickly establish credibility, support delivery, provide commercial challenge and bring clarity to the team and its stakeholders during a period of operating model change.

As the Senior Finance Partner to Corporate Functions leadership, you will work across areas including technology, operations, transformation and broader corporate/staff functions.

Key responsibilities include:

• Act as a Senior Finance Business Partner to Corporate Functions leadership, providing trusted commercial and financial advice
• Lead and support the Corporate Functions finance business partnering team
• Own and shape the expense narrative across actuals, forecasting and planning cycles
• Translate financial results into clear business insights, recommendations and actions
• Provide constructive challenge around investment proposals, productivity initiatives, cost drivers and benefits realisation
• Partner closely with Financial Planning and Financial Control as well as other finance teams to ensure the financial fact base is translated into meaningful business insight and decision support
• Provide senior stakeholders with a clear view of financial performance, risks, opportunities and key cost drivers
• Coach, support and prioritise the work of the finance partnering team, creating clarity around expectations and priorities
• Personally contribute to delivery and analysis where required - this is a genuine player-coach opportunity
• Help embed new ways of working and demonstrate strong ownership, accountability, commercial judgement and constructive challenge

Success in the first few months will mean building credibility quickly, establishing a clear and controlled view of performance, and helping shift conversations from simply reporting financial results to understanding their implications and driving better decisions.

Ideal skills & experience:

You will be an experienced finance leader who is equally comfortable operating strategically with senior stakeholders and getting into the detail when required.

We are looking for:

• Senior Finance Business Partnering/Commercial Finance or FP&A experience
• Demonstrated experience partnering with corporate functions, technology, operations, shared services and/or transformation environments
• Strong understanding of complex cost bases, including FTE and non-FTE expenditure, investment, productivity initiatives and benefits realisation
• Proven ability to translate financial information into clear, commercially relevant insights and recommendations
• Strong stakeholder management skills, with the confidence to influence and constructively challenge senior leaders
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to distil complex issues into concise messages and practical actions
• Previous experience leading, coaching or coordinating a finance team
• A hands-on, delivery-focused approach and willingness to personally contribute where required
• The ability to operate calmly and effectively through ambiguity, change and evolving operating models
• Strong commercial judgement and the ability to distinguish between financial reporting and genuine business insight

Most importantly, you will be someone who can lead from the front - bringing credibility, pragmatism and commercial judgement while supporting the team and maintaining momentum through a period of change.

What's in it for you:

• An opportunity to step into a senior finance leadership role within a large and sophisticated financial services environment
• The chance to make an immediate impact during an important finance operating model transition
• Exposure to senior stakeholders across technology, operations, transformation and broader Corporate Functions
• A genuine leadership opportunity where your experience, judgement and commercial perspective will be valued from day one
• A role combining strategic business partnering, commercial influence, team leadership and hands-on delivery
• The opportunity to help shape and embed a new approach to finance business partnering
• An initial 3-6 month interim engagement, ideal for an experienced finance professional who enjoys stepping into complex environments and making a tangible difference
• Strong potential for permanent employment at the end of the initial contract (if desired)

• Excellent leader who will support you in navigating the business and stakeholders
• CBD location and hybrid work environment

To register your interest, please send through a copy of your resume to Erin Leader via the link.