Senior Finance Business Partner

Who are we?

Dnata is one of the world’s largest air and travel services providers. We provide a comprehensive range of inflight catering, onboard retail, supply chain and logistics services at all major and regional airports across the UK. Dnata Catering provide expertly crafted inflight catering services, delivering fresh and high-quality meals at major and regional airports across the UK. As the leading Halal caterer in the UK, we also provide tailored experiences to meet each customer’s unique needs. We’re a leader in VIP catering, offering bespoke inflight to private and charter clients.

The Role

Responsible for maintaining robust financial control, ensuring accurate and timely financial reporting, and supporting budgeting and forecasting activities across multiple business units within the South region. This role partners closely with the Regional Operations Director and Executive Team to monitor financial performance, identify opportunities for improvement, and drive operational efficiency.

Key Responsibilities

• Setting, analysing and driving improvement in operational & financial KPI's.
• Continually improve the quality, accuracy and timeliness of financial information to key stakeholders
• Support and challenge regional forecast/budgets and present with full explanation key movements to FD and Ops Director
• Ownership of the production of accurate monthly regional P&L, with assistance from RtR team
• Ownership of the region balance sheet including understanding of risks and opportunities, supported by RtR team
• Ensure closure of the operational month end accounts to the set deadline
• Ensure that month end accounts are accurate, provide a full understanding of any deviations from flash /forecast/budget and any future impacts of current deviations
• Ensure all internal/external weekly, monthly and quarterly financial reports are complete, accurate and submitted to deadline
• Continually challenge regional operational management to improve financial performance.
• Identification of operational efficiency and cash generating opportunities. Identify and drive cost control and cost reduction projects, including improvements in labour efficiency & COGS.
• Support Operational Management with the preparation of forecasts and budgets, reviewing and challenging input and assumptions.
• Ensure all financial processes are adhered to.
• Assist in commercial reviews, ensuring through financial evaluation to drive optimal profitability.
• Identify and report the effects of any disruption to the business promptly to aid fast decision making to limit adverse impacts.
• Ensure Capex is forecast/budgeted accurately.
• Review and challenge business cases to support investment decisions and ensure robust post investment appraisals are undertaken.
• Deal with ad-hoc financial queries from Operations management teams as and when required.
• Lead and develop the Finance Business Partnering team.
• Lead projects as required.
• Deputise for the Finance Director Business Partnering as required

Required Skills

• Hold a professional Qualification in ACCA, CIMA or ACA.
• Minimum 5+ years Finance Management experience
• Strong management accounting experience
• Excellent analytical skills, ability to manipulate complex data, generating actionable insight.
• A track record of providing insightful reporting.
• A proven record of driving business improvement
• Be commercially astute, with a proven record of driving financial performance with key stakeholders.
• Have a track record of supporting the delivery of profit improvement plans.
• Experience in finance support for unit projects
• Advanced Excel skills.
• Systems experience with SAP.
• A proactive approach and a collaborative attitude
• Ability to build business relationships and interact with internal customers, with the ability to solve problems and show resilience.
• Ability to work to tight deadlines.
• Fluent in English, oral & written

Preferred Skills

• Excellent analytical skills
• Systems and process knowledge
• Strong financial control
• Ability to meet deadlines
• Drive performance & business improvement
• Commercial acumen
• Excellent partnering and communication skills.
• Labour expertise
• Interpret Data
• Provide Insight
• Provision of accurate information & high-quality reporting & analysis
• Improvement in operational KPIS.
• Stakeholder engagement
• Efficiency opportunities identified and tracked.
• Support effective financial planning and analysis.
• Deadlines achieved

What's in it for you?

• An opportunity to be part of the Emirates global family.
• Free breakfast, lunch and dinner on site
• Free tea and coffee
• Simply health Plan
• Refer a Friend Scheme
• Discounted gym membership at over 2000 gyms nationwide
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Opportunity to enhance your learning through our inhouse apprenticeship programme

If you're invited to interview, please let us know if there are any adjustments we can make to ensure you're cleared for take-off and able to perform at your best. We’re committed to making the recruitment journey as smooth and inclusive as possible.

Our roles attract high volumes of applications, so it may take us a little time to taxi through them all. We aim to respond to every application within 14 days. If you haven’t heard from us by then — or if you have any questions about this or other opportunities — feel free to contact a member of our Talent crew for further assistance.

We appreciate your patience while we navigate the runway!