Job Description

THE ROLE
Unite Students have an exciting opportunity for an experienced Finance Business Partner to join our high performing Finance team in Bristol.
The Finance Business Partner (New Growth & Funds) will be responsible for preparing and communicating financial analysis relating to our investment funds (USAF and LSAV), and new growth opportunities (i.e. Developments and University Joint Ventures).
You will be responsible for commercial analysis, decision support, reporting, planning and forecasting. The role further manages reporting and distributions to investors and supports capital raising and transaction activity within the funds.
The role reports to the Property FP&A Manager with additional stakeholders outside of this team including Head of Asset & Fund Management, New Growth teams, and fund and JV investors and administrators.
What You`ll Be Doing

• Prepare quarterly performance reports for Unite Students` two investment funds, USAF and LSAV.
• Own in-year, one year and five year forecasts for the funds and monitor performance against these throughout the year. Investigate variances internally and provide explanation to investors.
• Analysis of asset level performance, including working closely with the investment finance team to understand returns drivers.
• FP&A support regarding new funds and JVs with university or investment partners, including returns modelling, forecasting income and costs, and acting as link between FP&A and development teams.
• Monthly cash flow reviews against Group and Fund targets.
• Analysis of investor returns, including comparison to other funds, and previous years` performance.
• Act as primary contact for investors on the performance of the funds, and support the Head of Asset & Fund Management in communicating financial impact of decisions to investors (i.e. capital or debt raising activities).
• Prepare quarterly board packs and present on quarterly performance in LSAV and USAF investor and board meetings.
• Working with wider finance team to streamline recurring reporting processes.
• Ownership of quarterly investor questionnaires and regulatory submissions for funds.
• Ownership and management of cash distributions to investors, ensuring sufficient capital remains within the vehicles to meet future commitments.
• Understanding of obligations under fund documents, and actions required to comply with these.
• Ownership of quarterly NAV reporting for USAF, ensuring NAV note is distributed to investors on time.
• Provide forecasts, analysis and clarity on the calculation of fees received from funds and JVs, and potential impact of ownership changes.

What We`re Looking for in You

• Qualified Accountant (e.g. ACA, ACCA, CIMA) with post qualification experience gained within a commercial environment.
• Excellent communication skills including inspiring trust and influencing; communicating technical financial information in a clear and commercial manner; adapting style and content for different audiences; and demonstrating a confident, credible and accomplished presentation style.
• Flexible and capable of undertaking travel to London and other UK locations on a regular basis.
• Evidence of working in a fast paced, high change environment and able to manage multiple demands effectively whilst maintaining a high level of accuracy, quality and attention to detail.
• Excellent analytical skills and advanced Excel skills.
• Willingness to learn about the wider business. Curiosity and personal drive to be better.
• Possesses and promotes a positive attitude, with the ability to adapt swiftly and a willingness to undertake challenging tasks.

What You`ll Get in Return

• A discretionary annual bonus so you can share in the company`s success
• 25 days` paid holiday and an annual holiday buying scheme, with 5 additional days awarded for long service
• A generous pension scheme - employer contributions between 5% and 11% depending on how much you save
• Various benefits to support your health and wellbeing including a Healthcare Cash Plan, an Employee Assistance Programme, a Wellbeing platform and a Gym benefit that you can share with your family and friends
• Enhanced Family Leave including 18 weeks full pay for birthing parents and 4 weeks for non-birthing parents
• Lots of other great benefits including an annual ShareSave scheme, Employee Life Assurance, a discounts portal and more!

About Unite Students
Founded in 1991, Unite Students is the UK`s leading provider of purpose-built student accommodation. You can find us in 23 leading university towns and cities, with 70,000 students calling US home! We are driven by our values, culture, and a commitment to develop diverse and inclusive teams, filled with positive energy and new ideas.
Instinctive inclusion. We know that to create and maintain a happy healthy organisation, we have to work hard to ensure inclusion isn`t just what we do but who we are.
People make Unite Students. Employees, students and neighbours all contribute to building environments where we can all thrive.
Room for Everyone
We`re proud to be an employer that embraces individuality, and we`re passionate about building inclusive teams. We focus on creating a collaborative culture where you can be you, where your voice is heard, and where you can truly belong. We take great pride in being rated Gold Investors in People and are constantly striving to provide the highest standard of learning and development opportunities and professional pathways for our people. Building a home for success, for both our employees and students, requires exceptional people with a passion for creating room for everyone, doing what`s right, keeping US safe, and raising the bar. Join us as we build better experiences for students that live with us.
We are US.

Skills Required