Job Purpose:
The Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A) Specialist serves as the subject matter expert for Special Projects, supporting the Head of Financial Performance Analytics and Reporting. The Specialist engages with budget owners, project leaders, and service providers across the university. The role delivers advanced financial analysis, strategic insights, and leads the financial modelling and analytical components of multi-year financial planning for the Special Projects.
Leveraging data-driven expertise, the Specialist strengthens financial governance over project and contract spend, supports investment and funding decisions, and addresses the evolving needs of a growing capital program. Strong financial acumen and the ability to translate complex project, contract and lifecycle data into actionable insights are essential. The role serves as the analytical and modelling backbone of FP&A for Special Projects, ensuring that all project budgets, contract forecasts, and strategic initiatives are supported by robust, data-driven insights.
Key Responsibilities:
Strategic Insights
- Acts as the FP&A expert for the Special Projects, providing strategic financial insights and recommendations to support the leadership in decision-making.
- Manages the development of multi‑year financial models and scenarios for the capital project pipeline, covering project phasing, cash-flow profiles, lifecycle and whole-of-life costs, and funding options.
- Identify potential financial risks, funding gaps, and efficiency opportunities, and support the development of mitigation and optimization actions.
Advanced Budgeting & Financial Planning
- Drive and support the end-to-end multi-year budgeting process for the Special Projects (OPEX, CAPEX).
- Support the development and ongoing refinement of budgeting methodologies, cost drivers, and allocation models.
- Coordinate and support annual budget submissions, revisions, and reallocations, ensuring alignment with approved institutional budgets.
- Prepare and summarize financial information for presentation to administrative stakeholders to support decision-making.
Budget Management & Reporting
- Support the development and enhancement of financial reporting standards and templates for special projects in line with institutional policies and governance requirements.
- Provide assurance on financial data quality, ensuring accuracy, consistency, and timeliness of Special Projects reporting.
- Perform analysis of financial performance, trends, and key drivers, translating findings into actionable insights for management.
- Work closely with departments to support consistent, transparent, and decision-useful reporting practices.
- Play a key role in the annual budget cycle, supporting departments through guidance, review, and consolidation of submissions.
- Support annual budget reviews and revisions, assessing assumptions and alignment with approved budgets and funding availability.
- Monitor budget utilization, identify emerging risks or pressures, and escalate issues with supporting analysis.
- Review financial reports and variance analysis prior to submission to senior FP&A leadership.
- Act as a point of support and subject matter resource within the team, reviewing outputs and contributing to capability building.
Other Duties
Carry out all other duties as reasonably directed by the line manager that are commensurate with these functional objectives.
Qualifications and Criteria:
- Bachelor’s degree in business administration, Finance, Accounting or a related field.
- A postgraduate degree will be desirable.
Essential:
- Minimum of 5–7 years of relevant experience in financial reporting, financial planning and analysis, or financial performance analytics.
- Demonstrated expertise in strategic financial planning, multi-year budgeting, and advanced financial modelling.
- Strong experience advising senior stakeholders and informing decision-making.
- Proven ability to design financial frameworks, governance standards, and analytical methodologies.
- Advanced proficiency in financial systems, ERP platforms, and data analytics tools.
- Excellent communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills.
- High level of autonomy, judgment, and problem-solving capability.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).
- English working proficiency.
Preferred:
- Experience in UAE’s higher education or academic environment, understanding the unique operational budgeting challenges and needs of Facilities, IT, and General Services.
- ERP implementation experience and working knowledge of finance/budgeting software.
- Experience in applying AI, automation, or advanced analytics in FP&A.