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Finance business partnering, without the full-time hire

An experienced finance professional working alongside your managers, projects and finance team. Systems, processes, purchase-to-pay and reporting, for as many days a month as you need.

  • Finance management since 2013
  • BA (Hons) History & Registered on CIMA Finance Leadership
  • Ex-forces, data analysis since 2001
  • By the day, project or retainer
  • On site in the North West or remote

What it is

Finance that sits with the business

A finance business partner turns the numbers into decisions. That means working with budget holders and project leads, not just producing reports for them.

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Most smaller organisations can't justify a full-time senior finance hire for a system change, a process fix or a busy year. You bring me in for the work that needs doing, and I hand it back documented and running.

It suits you if

  • You're replacing or upgrading your finance system
  • Your purchase ledger or supplier data is out of control
  • Managers don't trust or use the reports they get
  • A project or grant needs proper cost tracking
  • Your finance lead has left or is overstretched

Where I help

Five areas of work

Systems

Finance system implementation

From choosing a system to go-live.

  • Migrations to Xero, as a Xero migration specialist
  • Chart of accounts redesign
  • Data migration and opening balances
  • Testing, training and go-live support
P2P

Purchase-to-pay and AP

Faster, safer supplier payments.

  • Process redesign and approval workflows
  • Supplier onboarding with VAT and Companies House checks
  • Duplicate payment and fraud controls
Projects

Project and change accounting

Know what every project really costs.

  • Budgets, forecasts and actuals by project
  • Capital and revenue split
  • Business cases and benefit tracking
Reporting

Management reporting

Reports managers read and act on.

  • Monthly management accounts
  • KPI packs and board reporting
  • Cash flow forecasting
Interim

Interim cover

Steady hands while you recruit or restructure.

  • Interim AP or finance team lead
  • Backlog clear-downs
  • Month-end and year-end support

Recent work

What this looks like in practice

Client names withheld. References available on request.

Finance system replacement

Organisation
UK housing association
The work
Delivering a new finance system and redesigning the chart of accounts around how the business reports.
Result
Nominal codes cut from 1,185 to 394, giving simpler coding and cleaner reports.

Supplier database overhaul

Organisation
UK housing association
The work
Cleansing the supplier master file, with automated checks against VAT records and Companies House.
Result
Around 1,600 supplier records verified, with duplicates and out-of-date details removed.

AP function recovery

Organisation
UK housing association
The work
Interim accounts payable manager, brought in specifically to fix the function.
Result
Processes and controls rebuilt, then handed back to a permanent team.

How an engagement runs

From first conversation to handover

  1. Discovery

    A short review of your systems, processes and the problem you want solved.

  2. Scope and price

    A written plan with outcomes, timescales and a fixed price or agreed days.

  3. Delivery

    Regular check-ins with your managers, and progress you can see each week.

  4. Handover

    Documented processes and training, so your team runs it without me.

Ways to work together

Pick what fits

No VAT added to any fee.

Day rate

£300 per day · invoiced monthly

For short pieces of work, reviews and ad hoc support.

Monthly retainer

£550 a month for 2 days · £6,600 a year

A regular finance partner for reporting, budgets and board packs.

Background

Who you'll work with

I'm ex-forces. I've worked in data analysis since 2001, starting in the armed forces, and in finance management since 2013, including accounts payable, purchase-to-pay and project accounting roles since 2015, across pharmaceuticals, housing, waste management and engineering services. I hold a BA (Hons) in History, which trained me to analyse evidence, test assumptions and reach conclusions I can defend. My current work is in projects and change: finance systems, charts of accounts and supplier data.

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I hold a BA (Hons) and I'm registered on the CIMA Finance Leadership programme, and I run two businesses of my own, so I understand both the finance team's view and the business owner's.

Sectors

  • Housing associations
  • Charities and CICs
  • Construction and engineering
  • Hospitality
  • Manufacturing and distribution
  • SMEs with 10 to 250 staff

Questions

Common questions

Can you support our finance team rather than replace it?

Yes. Many organisations bring us in to clear a backlog, run accounts payable during a busy period, or lead a finance project such as a new system or chart of accounts. You choose a fixed project, a monthly retainer or day rate.

Do you work on site?

Yes, across the Wirral, Merseyside, Cheshire and North Wales. Most engagements mix on-site days with remote work.

Can you work in our existing finance system?

Yes. I work in the system you already have, and recent work includes a full finance system implementation.

How is this different from hiring an interim through an agency?

You deal with me directly, with no agency margin, and the work is scoped to an outcome rather than an open-ended contract.

How soon can you start?

We'll agree a start date when we agree the scope. Short reviews can usually begin quickly.

Next step

Tell me what needs fixing

A short conversation is enough to work out whether I can help and what it would cost.

Same-day call back. Weekday evenings until 10pm, weekends until 8pm. No call centre.

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