Finance Project Manager

Finance Project Manager

Salary: £61,212

1 year FTC, Full-time

Hybrid working – 2 days in office

Location: Central London

A prestigious scientific institution with a global reputation for excellence is seeking a Finance Project Manager to join its finance team. This is a unique opportunity for a qualified accountant to lead high-impact finance projects and play a key role in enhancing financial processes, reporting, and risk management within an organisation dedicated to advancing knowledge, research and innovation for the benefit of society.

About the Role

Reporting to the Head of Finance Systems and Projects, the Finance Project Manager will lead on the delivery of finance projects that improve the efficiency, effectiveness and transparency of financial operations across the organisation.

You will work closely with senior finance leadership to support strategic decision-making by developing enhanced reporting, strengthening financial controls, and delivering process and system improvements. The role also involves collaborating with stakeholders across the organisation to ensure finance initiatives are well understood and successfully embedded.

You will oversee projects that span financial and non-financial reporting, fund accounting, and systems optimisation, while contributing to investment reporting, governance processes, and risk management frameworks. This position offers exposure to a wide range of finance activities within a complex and intellectually stimulating environment, where innovation, accuracy and continuous improvement are highly valued.

Key Priorities:

• Lead the delivery of finance projects to improve processes, systems and reporting capabilities
• Enhance financial and non-financial reporting, including KPIs and impact measures
• Support fund accounting, restricted fund reporting and donor compliance requirements
• Contribute to investment reporting and governance, including liaison with external managers
• Drive process reviews and system improvements across finance and procurement functions
• Strengthen financial controls, policies and risk management frameworks
• Engage stakeholders to ensure successful delivery and adoption of finance initiatives
• Support preparation of papers for senior committees and governance forums

About You

We are seeking a CCAB-qualified accountant (or equivalent) with significant post-qualification experience and a strong background in financial reporting, project delivery, and continuous improvement within a complex organisation.

You will bring

• A proven track record in delivering finance projects, process improvements or transformation initiatives
• Strong technical accounting knowledge, including statutory reporting, audit and regulatory compliance
• Experience in risk management, internal controls or audit environments
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to present complex financial information to non-finance stakeholders
• A proactive and solution-focused approach to improving systems, processes and governance
• Strong stakeholder management skills and the ability to influence at all levels
• The ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver high-quality outcomes in a fast-paced environment

Desirable experience includes exposure to legacy administration, Board-level reporting, or finance systems such as Xledger or Vena.

This role would suit someone who thrives on delivering change, enjoys solving complex challenges, and is motivated by working in a collaborative, mission-driven environment that values integrity, innovation and excellence.