At Knovia, we bring together a group of specialist education and training businesses united by a shared ambition: to make a meaningful difference through education, skills and opportunity.
We believe in the power of Impact, Growth and Change. These values shape how we work, how we make decisions and how we create opportunities for our people, our learners and the sectors we serve.
As a growing group, we are continually looking for ways to improve, innovate and deliver sustainable success. We want talented people who share our ambition, challenge conventional thinking and are excited by the opportunity to make a genuine difference.
Role:
Head of Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A)
Location:
Remote
Salary:
From £80,000 depending on experience
Working Hours:
Monday – Friday 36.5 hours per week
Are you a strategic finance leader who can turn complex financial data into clear commercial insight and drive better business decisions? We’re looking for an ambitious, commercially minded Head of Financial Planning and Analysis to join Knovia and play a pivotal role in shaping the financial future of our group.
Reporting to the Chief Finance Officer, you’ll lead financial planning, budgeting, forecasting and strategic analysis across our businesses, ensuring we have the insight, financial discipline and forward-looking plans needed to deliver our ambitions. This is an opportunity to move beyond the numbers and become a trusted strategic partner to senior leadership, executive colleagues and our brand CEOs.
You’ll challenge assumptions, identify opportunities, anticipate financial risks and help ensure our resources are invested where they can have the greatest impact. Working within the unique financial landscape of the further education and skills sector, you’ll balance commercial performance and financial sustainability with our commitment to delivering high-quality education and positive learner outcomes. You’ll also champion the use of technology, AI and innovative financial modelling to improve the speed, accuracy and effectiveness of our planning processes.
If you’re passionate about combining financial expertise with strategic influence, enjoy solving complex challenges and want your work to contribute to something bigger, this is an opportunity to make your mark.
In this role you will:
- Take ownership of the group’s financial planning and analysis activities, providing the insight and direction needed to support sustainable growth and strong financial performance.
- Lead the development of annual budgets, forecasts and long-term financial plans, ensuring alignment with the group’s strategic objectives, adjusting as necessary, using AI and technology to speed up the process and improve sensitivity and variance analysis.
- Work closely with senior leadership, department heads, executive colleagues and brand CEOs to create a comprehensive and sustainable financial plan, balancing educational and sector priorities with financial viability.
- Prepare regular financial forecasts, advising on potential challenges and providing recommendations to address them.
- Analyse key performance indicators (KPIs), such as EBITDA, cost of acquisition and QAR.
- Monitor and manage cash flow and reporting, ensuring that all financial planning and reporting comply with government regulations, funding requirements (e.g., Ofsted or DFE), and accounting standards.
- Work with external auditors and regulatory bodies as required to ensure compliance with financial reporting requirements and providing financial reporting for audits as required, ensuring timely submission.
- Ensure that financial planning processes comply with internal controls, regulations, and accounting standards.
- Develop and maintain robust financial models to predict future income, expenses, and cash flow, considering changes in learner occupancy, government funding and other external factors, adjusting as required.
- Oversee the identification of cost-saving opportunities across the group, ensuring efficient use of resources without compromising educational quality or learner and customer experience.
- Communicate complex financial data and analysis to non-financial stakeholders, ensuring clarity and understanding of financial matters.
- Mentor and develop colleagues within the FP&A team and wider finance department, on financial planning and analysis, fostering a culture of continuous improvement, development and professional growth.
- Continuously improve FP&A processes, systems, and tools enhancing efficiency and effectiveness ensuring the provision of timely, accurate, and actionable financial information.
- Awareness of GDPR legislation and Data Protection policies.
- Regularly review own performance and maintain own CPD record.
- Proactively promote and safeguard the welfare of children and young people you are responsible for or come into contact with.
What we are looking for:
We’re looking for a finance professional who combines strong technical expertise with commercial awareness, strategic thinking and the confidence to influence at senior level. You’ll be comfortable navigating complex financial information, challenging assumptions constructively and translating data into meaningful business decisions. Just as importantly, you’ll be collaborative, solutions-focused and motivated by the opportunity to support the sustainable growth of our businesses.
Qualifications, Experience, Skills And Abilities
- Bachelor’s degree in finance or accounting.
- Accounting qualification (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or CIPFA) desirable.
- Demonstrable experience in a senior financial planning & analysis role.
- FP&A consulting experience would be beneficial.
- In-depth knowledge and experience of financial planning, analysis, budgeting, and forecasting across a group of companies.
- Experience working remotely and completing tasks to a high standard, without close supervision.
- Strong understanding of the financial challenges and funding mechanisms ideally related to the Further Education sector.
- Experience in preparing financial reports and presentations for executives, CEOs and board members.
- Exceptional communication skills – both written and verbal.
- Strong analytical skills with the ability to extract meaningful insights from financial data.
- Ability to communicate and present complex financial information clearly to non-financial audiences, including senior leadership, executive and board members.
- Advanced problem-solving skills, with an awareness of project management techniques.
Why should you consider joining Knovia?
This is more than a financial planning role. It’s an opportunity to influence the direction of a growing group of education and training businesses and help shape the decisions that underpin their long-term success, and you’ll have the opportunity to:
- Help ensure financial decisions support high-quality education, skills development and positive learner outcomes.
- Work closely with the Chief Finance Officer, senior leaders and brand CEOs, contributing directly to business planning and decision-making.
- Help identify opportunities, strengthen financial performance and ensure our businesses are equipped for the future.
- Challenge existing approaches, introduce improvements and help build a more effective, insight-driven finance function.
- Mentor colleagues, strengthen relationships across the group and continue developing your own strategic and commercial expertise.
Benefits
- 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays.
- Additional annual leave with length of service.
- Holiday purchase scheme.
- 4pm finish every Friday.
- Flexible working options.
- Up to 3 days paid volunteering leave.
- Perkbox discounts, lifestyle benefits and wellbeing tool.
- 3% matched employer pension contribution.
- Enhanced maternity benefits after two years’ service.
- Income protection and life assurance.
- £500 employee referral scheme.
- Ongoing CPD and development opportunities.
- Employee Assistance Programme.
- A supportive and collaborative culture where people genuinely enjoy working together.
We have a number of benefits that are handpicked for you such as….
The Knovia Group is committed to safeguarding, protecting and promoting the welfare of learners, children, young people and vulnerable adults. Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility.
We expect all colleagues to share this commitment and to contribute to a culture where people feel safe, respected and able to achieve their potential. As part of our safer recruitment processes, appropriate pre-employment checks, including DBS, right to work, reference and social media checks where required, will be undertaken.
We’re a Disability Confident Employer and have a guaranteed interview scheme in place to ensure that nobody is overlooked or discriminated against because of their disability. If you meet the minimum criteria when you apply and you have informed us in your application that you have a disability, you will be guaranteed an interview for that role.
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