London Marathon Events (part of the London Marathon Group) works to inspire, champion and increase activity in all ages, abilities and demographics. They do this through their successful event portfolio (which includes the TCS London Marathon and TCS Mini London Marathon, The Brighton Marathon, The Big Half, Vitality London 10,000, Vitality Westminster Mile, Standard Chartered Great City Race and Swim Serpentine) and also through their extensive outreach programmes working with schools and community groups in London and across the UK. Their events raise millions for charities every year to improve the lives of individuals and communities and they passionately believe in the power of sport as a force for good.
The London Marathon Foundation is committed to inspiring activity and improving community health and wellbeing. Through their grantmaking programmes, they fund impactful projects and partnerships that align with their mission, creating positive change for people and communities.
There values are integral to who they are, how they work and what they do:
- Impact – together to create positive change
- Innovate – together to enable new ideas
- Everyone – together to champion inclusivity
- Customer first – together to go the extra mile for all
Overview of the Role
This role reports into the London Marathon Events Head of Finance and is a pivotal member of the finance team. The London Marathon Foundation (LMF) Finance Business Partner will play a crucial role in supporting the LMF team with the financial management of grants and optimising fund utilisation. They will collaborate closely with the Funding Team and Senior Management to provide financial guidance, comprehensive reporting, and insightful analysis. Their core responsibilities encompass overseeing financial management, supporting grant budget projections, planning, and long-term outlooks, as well as cashflow and treasury management. Moreover, this role will take an active role in crucial tasks such as audits, annual returns, and preparing items for board meetings.
The ideal candidate should be a qualified or part-qualified accountant with experience in management accounting, financial analysis, business partnering and knowledge of grant-making. Strong attention to detail, analytical skills, and excellent communication abilities are essential for success in this role.
Key Responsibilities include :
- Monthly Management Accounts : Lead the production of accurate and timely monthly management accounts for the London Marathon Foundation (LMF), ensuring clarity and insight for senior stakeholders.
- Quarterly Financial Reporting : Prepare comprehensive quarterly financial reports for Senior Leadership, Committees, and Board meetings in collaboration with the Group CFO. Ensure reports align with strategic objectives and regulatory requirements.
- Collaboration with Funding Team : Provide business partnering support to the Funding Team, delivering expert financial insights and analysis to inform decision-making at both the entity and Board levels, and supporting grant payments, process improvements and aging grants.
- Audit & Year-End Support : Assist the Head of Finance with audit preparation, reporting, and management. Collaborate with the LMF Funding Team and Group Finance Team to ensure a shared understanding of year-end financial positions, facilitating audits and contributing to the compilation of the Annual Report & Accounts, while ensuring compliance with both external and internal requirements.
- KPI & Risk Reporting : Lead the development and implementation of key performance indicators (KPIs) and financial risk reporting frameworks, contributing to robust governance.
- FP&A Activities : Support Head of FP&A with budgeting, forecasting, three-year plans (3YP), trend analysis, and cash flow reviews to provide strategic insights.
- Meeting Attendance : Represent the finance function at key LMF meetings, providing strategic financial input and support.
- Benchmarking & Best Practices : Conduct benchmarking exercises to identify best practices and ensure LMF remains competitive within the sector. Provide recommendations for financial improvements.
- Training & Documentation : Train new team members on payment processes, and produce clear, comprehensive guidance documents to support these activities.
- Financial Control : Establish and maintain a strong financial control environment, ensuring adherence to policies and minimizing financial risks.
- Risk Management : Identify, assess, and manage financial risks within LMF's grant-making processes. Support the Group CEO and CFO with maintaining an up-to-date risk register.
- Treasury Management : Oversee treasury functions, including understanding LMF's cash position and managing the Investment Fund in alignment with organisational goals.
- Due Diligence & Compliance : Support the LMF team in conducting due diligence and budget assessments for grantees, ensuring alignment with LMF's grant-making policies and compliance standards.
- Financial Policy Reviews : Assist CFO, and Governance Team with reviewing and updating financial policies such as the Reserves Policy to ensure organisational sustainability.
- Systems & Process Improvement : Being at the heart of continuous improvement to financial systems, processes, tools and templates
- Ad-Hoc Requests : Respond to ad-hoc financial requests from the Group CFO, Director of Impact & Funding, and Head of Funding.
Required Skills
- Proficient in financial analysis, budgeting, and forecasting techniques.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to effectively collaborate and build relationships with diverse stakeholders.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, with a keen eye for detail and accuracy.
- Able to analyse complex information, and present it in a simple, easy to understand format.
- Experience in business partnering, providing financial advice and support to non-financial stakeholders.
- Proficiency in Excel, PowerPoint, financial management systems and software.
- effectively.
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills, both written and verbal.
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively.
- Detail-oriented with a proactive approach to problem-solving.
- Strong sense of initiative and ownership over tasks and responsibilities.
Required Experience
- Qualified or part qualified accountant (or qualified by experience) with at least 5 years’ experience in core finance function.
- Charity financial management experience within the charity or grant-making sector, including an understanding of the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) for charity accounting
- Knowledge of grant management processes, financial reporting standards, and compliance requirements.
Please note this role is 3 days per week with a mix of being home and office based