Senior Finance Business Partner

Arup’s purpose, shared values and collaborative approach has set us apart for over 80 years, guiding how we shape a better world.

Arup Australasia is looking for an enthusiastic candidate to bring their experience, talent and passion to this varied and exciting role.The Region Senior Finance Business Partner will lead a recently established partnering team with management of up to 2 direct reports. This team will be responsible for providing a professional finance, procurement and commercial support service to the Geographical region, the newly formed Portfolios and Arup. You will be a core member of the Finance Community working collaboratively with fellow Business Partners and teams to ensure best practice and deliver expertise in a cross-section of financial activities.

Responsibilities/ Accountabilities:    

• Build partnerships and maintain strong relationships with senior colleagues and their teams. Working cross-functionally in a collaborative manner to deliver business goals, projects and priorities.
• Lead on financial and resource matters; influence decision-making; improve the understanding of business performance.
• Working closely with the Geography business leaders in developing, delivering, evaluating and operationalizing the overall sub-region strategy. Challenge and influence the Geography leadership in growing their respective market share within the addressable market.
• Active participation and contribution to Integrated Business Planning cycles that enables Annual Business Planning, working closely with GTM, Portfolio and geography leadership.
• Lead and consolidate the Annual Business Plan (ABP) and forecasting process within the Geography such that the submissions reflect challenging but realistic forecasts with key assumptions and supplemented with “what if” scenarios and potential risks, opportunities and trade-off’s.
• Implement forward looking executive reports, insightful analysis, metrics and exception reports with the ability to cross-cut and present by Portfolio and Geography to enable the business to understand profitability and identify areas of improvement in making informed decisions. Sharing key information from the exec reports with finance colleagues.
• Participate and provide oversight in Bid reviews (where applicable) and supporting the commercial leaders with financial contract advice.
• Develop action plans on monthly and quarterly results with the Geography Leadership Team where results are not in line with expectation. Monthly re-forecasting and updates on risk and opportunities. Present clear and concise options to the Geography Exec on income, profitability, margin and KPI trends.
• Coach, manage and development of the Finance Business Partnering team and wider finance teams. Promoting financial awareness across the whole organisation, fostering and promoting a culture of continuous improvement, standardization and simplification.
• Work in partnership with Finance Business Partners, Finance Operations, Finance Planning & Analytics, Shared Services Centre (SSC), Regional Finance and Global Finance.
• Ensure compliance and robust controls environment is in place and that approval processes are adhered to.
• To lead / support the transformation element of our project work in progress and contingency controls across Asia Pacific, working in with other Finance stakeholders to lead and manage the required programme/s.

At Arup, you belong to an extraordinary collective – in which we encourage individuality to thrive. Our strength comes from how we respect, share and connect our diverse experiences, perspectives and ideas.  

You will have the opportunity do socially useful work that has meaning – to Arup, to your career, to our members and to the clients and communities we serve.  

Is this role right for you?

• Leads a discipline, team or small group/function.
• Provides tangible leadership for project team and client – goals, progress and direction.
• Ensures that performance expectations are clear within the team and that performance is being effectively managed.
• Provides support and development opportunities through assignment of work and stretching tasks, ensuring a culture of feedback in the project.
• Provides an aspirational role model for more junior people.
• Creates a climate of trust and openness in the team
• Establishes and encourages a culture of recognition.
• Supports/teaches creativity and innovation in teams.
• Provides a mentoring role to staff in relation to the development of technical expertise.
• Recognises technical contribution in teams.
• Builds special skills in Arup by recruiting and developing others.
• Develops individuals in their technical specialization.    
• High level relationships across other Arup businesses within the Australasia region and Global;
• High level personal relationships with;
• Maintain effective working relations with the Finance team in the region;
• Maintain effective working relations with internal clients (leaders, project managers, business assistants and other support staff).    
• Professional accounting qualification (CIMA, ACCA, CA, CPA).
• Have core knowledge, understanding and significant experience of operational delivery across finance business partnering practices, budget and re-forecasting processes, management accounts and information.
• Proven experiences of leading and inspiring teams within, in a people and service focused organisation, driving a performance culture and developing high performing employees and teams.
• Good business and commercial acumen, able to understand the value of own role with the organisation, able to demonstrate project and budgetary management and an understanding of external factors impacting the organisation.
• Confident, capable and credible with effective communication, influencing and persuasiveness skills dealing with both peers and senior colleagues.
• A strong leader who acts decisively and brings people on the journey.
• Team player with positive “can-do” and proactive attitude, solution orientated and goal driven.
• Agile and adaptable to change.
• Consultative and collaborative in approach.
• Confident in challenging existing processes and status quo.
• Ability to build lasting relationships with business leaders and managers.
• Technically and managerial competent with impact awareness of specialist areas including accounting, controls and governance, audit, ethics and risk management.
• IT literate – Microsoft, finance and management accounting systems, ERP systems

What we offer you

At Arup, we care about each member’s success, so we can grow together.

Guided by our values, we provide an attractive total reward package that recognises the contribution of each of our members to our shared success. As well as competitive, fair, and equitable pay, we offer a career in which all of our members can belong, grow and thrive – through benefits that support health and wellbeing, a wide range of learning opportunities and many possibilities to have an impact through the work they do.  

We are owned in trust on behalf of our members, giving us the freedom, with personal responsibility, to set our own direction and choose work that aligns with our purpose and adds to Arup’s legacy. Our members collaborate on ambitious projects to deliver remarkable outcomes for our clients and communities. Profit Share is a key part of our reward, enabling eligible members to share in the results of our collective efforts.

Please see a list of Arup’s Singapore benefits below:

• Hybrid working policy & flexible working hours
• 13th month bonus
• Birthday leave
• Paid parental leave for birth mothers 16 weeks & new parents (excluding birth mothers) 4 weeks
• Purchase Additional leave of up to 20 days (permanent employees)
• Paid Annual subscription to relevant Professional association.
• Reimbursement of Professional Engineers application and examination Fees
• International mobility opportunities
• QP allowance
• Site Allowance
• Work related travel insurance  
• Dental expense cover
• Marriage leave (3 days)
• Examination leave (2 days)
• Family care leave
• Bike Loans of up to SGD2000
• Different people, shared values

Arup is an equal opportunity employer that actively promotes and nurtures a diverse and inclusive workforce. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds, regardless of age (within legal limits), gender identity or expression, marital status, disability, neurotype or mental health, race or ethnicity, faith or belief, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, and whether you’re pregnant or on family leave. We are an open environment that embraces diverse experiences, perspectives, and ideas – this drives our excellence.  

Guided by our values and alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, we create and contribute to equitable spaces and systems, while cultivating a sense of belonging for all. Our internal employee networks support our inclusive culture: from race, ethnicity and cross-cultural working to gender equity and LGBTQ+ and disability inclusion – we aim to create a space for you to express yourself and make a positive difference. Discover more about life at Arup at www.arup.com/careers/your-life-at-arup.

We are committed to making our recruitment process and workplaces accessible to all candidates. Please let us know if you need any assistance or reasonable adjustments throughout your application or interview process, and/or to perform the essential functions of the role. We will do everything we can to support you.

Our Application Process

Please apply directly through our applicant tracking system. Shortlisted candidates will be contacted by Talent Acquisition to discuss next steps. Stay safe online – Arup will never ask for your bank details as part of our recruitment process.

Arup does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters or employment agencies. #LI-DNI