Strategic Finance & Insights Analyst

Job Title: Strategic Finance & Insights Analyst

Location: North East London

Department: Finance/Business Operations

Reports to: Chief Operating Officer

Employment Type: Part-Time, 3 days, Hybrid.

Role Summary

Burman Recruitment are seeking a highly analytical and strategic Finance & Insights Analyst to join our client. This role is ideal for someone who thrives at the intersection of finance, data, and strategy, someone who can scope complex work, analyse data, extract insights, assess funding sources, and drive performance improvement through meaningful metrics and financial reporting.

The successful candidate will support strategic planning and decision-making by delivering high-quality analysis and reporting, identifying areas for operational or financial improvement, and helping define key deliverables for business initiatives.

Key Responsibilities

1. Work Scoping & Planning
   
   Collaborate with stakeholders to define the scope, objectives, and deliverables for strategic initiatives.
   
   Break down complex business problems into actionable workstreams.
   
   
2. Data Analysis & Insight Generation
   
   Analyse financial and operational data to identify trends, risks, and opportunities.
   
   Use tools such as Excel, SQL, or BI platforms (Power BI/Tableau) to create meaningful insights.
   
   Translate findings into actionable recommendations and reports.
   
   
3. Financial Reporting
   
   Prepare, maintain, and improve regular financial reports for leadership teams.
   
   Conduct variance analysis and explain key performance shifts.
   
   Ensure reporting is clear, accurate, and aligned with business goals.
   
   
4. Strategic Deliverables
   
   Define and manage key deliverables across financial and business initiatives (e.g., business cases, dashboards, process improvements).
   
   Collaborate across departments to ensure timely delivery.
   
   
5. Funding & Financial Source Assessment
   
   Identify and evaluate sources of funding, including internal budgets, grants, or external investments.
   
   Conduct ROI, cost-benefit, and break-even analysis to support strategic initiatives.
   
   
6. Metrics & Performance Improvement
   
   Design and maintain KPIs aligned with business strategy.
   
   Monitor performance against targets and benchmarks.
   
   Proactively identify underperforming areas and suggest improvements.
   
   Key Skills & Experience
   
   Bachelor's degree in Finance, Business, Economics, Data Analytics, or related field.
   
   3+ years of experience in financial analysis, business strategy, or a related analytical role within Higher Education.
   
   Strong experience with Excel; proficiency in SQL and data visualisation tools (Power BI, Tableau) is a plus.
   
   Strong analytical and critical thinking skills.
   
   Excellent communication and data storytelling abilities.
   
   Comfortable working independently and cross-functionally in a fast-paced environment.
   
   Ability to calculate students per staff head count.
   Experience in strategic finance, corporate planning, or consulting.
   
   Knowledge of financial planning systems or tools (e.g. Adaptive Insights, Oracle, Agresso).
   
   Exposure to budgeting processes and cost analysis in large or complex organisations