Finance Business Partner - Generative Biology Institute
Join us at EIT:
At the Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT), we’re on a mission to translate scientific discovery into real world impact. We bring together visionary scientists, technologists, engineers, researchers, educators and innovators to tackle humanity’s greatest challenges in four transformative areas:
- Health, Medical Science & Generative Biology
- Food Security & Sustainable Agriculture
- Climate Change & Managing CO₂
- Artificial Intelligence & Robotics
This is ambitious work - work that demands curiosity, courage, and a relentless drive to make a difference. At EIT, you’ll join a community built on excellence, innovation, tenacity, trust, and collaboration, where bold ideas become real-world breakthroughs. Together, we push boundaries, embrace complexity, and create solutions to scale ideas from lab to society. Explore more at www.eit.org.
Welcome to the Generative Biology Institute:
The Generative Biology Institute (GBI) at the Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT) aims to overcome two major challenges in making biology engineerable: 1) the ability to precisely synthesize entire genomes, and 2) understanding which DNA sequences will create biological systems that perform desired functions. Solving these challenges will unlock the potential of biology for transformative solutions in health, sustainability, agriculture, and more. GBI will house 30 groups and over 600 researchers, supported by cutting-edge facilities and sustained funding to address global challenges and advance biology engineering.
Your Role:
EIT Oxford is seeking a talented and confident Finance Business Partner (FBP) to play a pivotal role within the Finance – Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) team. In this role, you will help shape, analyse, and communicate the financial and operational performance of the Generative Biology Institute (GBI).
As a fully embedded partner to the GBI team, you’ll ensure that operational plans are well‑costed, forecast accurately, and aligned with the institute’s ambitious goals. This is a highly visible role where your insights will influence strategic, commercial, and operational decision‑making. If you enjoy bringing clarity, building strong partnerships, and making an impact, this role offers that opportunity.
Your Responsibilities:
Business Partnering
- Act as a trusted partner at the heart of the GBI team, providing financial leadership, generating clear insights, and serving as the main point of contact for all finance matters. This includes supporting sensitivity analysis and risk management.
- Collaborate closely with cross‑functional teams to align financial strategies with broader business priorities, ensuring resources are used effectively and transparently.
- Provide financial expertise to support investment proposals and business‑case development.
- Develop creative and practical solutions to complex challenges, supporting GBI’s long‑term growth.
- Contribute to continuous improvement across Finance processes and management practices.
Budgeting, Forecasting & Monthly Reporting
- Lead the month‑end management accounts process, ensuring accuracy and strong alignment with budget owners.
- Prepare annual budgets and quarterly reforecasts, offering meaningful commentary on trends and variances while meeting key deadlines.
- Develop clear, insightful presentation materials to explain financial assumptions and drivers.
- Produce monthly reporting for budget holders and leadership, offering thoughtful variance analysis and actionable insights.
- Support system enhancements to improve automation, accuracy, and transparency while partnering with operational teams on system rollouts.
- Maintain long‑range (5+ years) financial models and explore alternative strategic scenarios.
- Build and refine driver‑based forecasting tools to deepen understanding at both workstream and project levels.
Requirements
Essential Skills, Qualifications & Experience
- Qualified accountant (ACCA/CIMA or equivalent) with a strong academic foundation.
- Demonstrable experience as a Finance Business Partner with a career showcasing continuous development and increasing responsibility.
- Skilled in preparing financial and performance reports, with knowledge of management information (MI) principles.
- An inclusive and confident communicator able to challenge constructively, influence senior stakeholders, and foster strong working relationships.
- Experience with ERP, planning, and reporting platforms; Oracle Fusion experience is advantageous.
- Comfortable preparing and delivering management information to a range of audiences.
- Experienced in management accounting and able to translate complex financial concepts for non‑financial colleagues with clarity and ease.
- Results‑driven, with a track record of improving business performance.
- Strong numerical skills and advanced proficiency in Microsoft PowerPoint and Excel.
- Capable of building effective relationships across functions and levels, creating a collaborative and supportive working environment.
- A proactive, organised self‑starter with excellent attention to detail and the ability to manage a varied workload.
- Able to handle unstructured issues with initiative and confidence.
- Forward‑thinking, curious, and committed to efficiency and continuous improvement.
- Adaptable and energised by working in a fast‑paced, growing organisation.
Benefits
Our Benefits:
- Competitive salary + travel allowance + bonus
- Enhanced holiday + options to buy additional days
- Pension
- Life Assurance
- Income Protection
- Private Medical Insurance
- Hospital Cash Plan
- Therapy Services
- Perk Box
- Electric Car Scheme
- Childcare benefit
Working Together – What It Involves:
- You must have the right to work permanently in the UK with a willingness to travel as necessary. In certain cases, we can consider sponsorship, and this will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
- You will live in, or within easy commuting distance of, Oxford (or be willing to relocate).