Job Description

Are you a commercially minded finance professional who loves translating numbers into strategic decisions? Do you enjoy coaching non-finance teams, influencing pricing and forecasts, and using data (including AI tools) to improve profitability across multiple service lines? Join Ipsos’ Commercial Finance team and make a tangible impact.

About the role

Join a Commercial Finance team providing dedicated financial support to 18 service lines across the UK. As the primary Finance Business Partner for your service lines you’ll translate financial performance into clear, operational insight that helps non-finance leaders make better decisions on pricing, scoping, resource allocation and investment prioritisation. You’ll review proposals and bids to surface financial risk and opportunity, provide proactive month-end commentary, run “what-if” scenarios, and recommend process improvements to tighten project financial controls and forecasting accuracy.

This role combines hands-on modelling and analysis with stakeholder coaching and client-facing planning meetings. You’ll partner closely with Service Line leaders and the Service Line Finance Director on business cases, annual planning and ad-hoc analysis. Expect a varied, high-impact role where your commercial insight — supported by Excel, BI tools and AI-enabled workflows — will directly influence profitability and the way projects are run.

About you

• Commercially minded with a track record of translating finance into operational decisions.
• Strong communicator who can explain financial concepts clearly to non‑finance colleagues and influence stakeholders.
• Excellent Excel modeller (pivot tables, lookups, scenario/sensitivity analysis) with a clear file-structuring habit.
• Proficient in using and adopting AI tools to automate tasks, accelerate analysis and generate actionable insights.
• Comfortable working in a fast-moving environment, prioritising multiple deadlines and delivering accurate month‑end commentary.
• Curious, collaborative and service-oriented with a desire to coach others and drive continuous improvement.

Essential skills

• Strong Excel modelling and analysis skills (pivot tables, lookups, scenario/sensitivity modelling).
• Commercial acumen: ability to assess pricing, cost structures, margins and profit levers.
• Clear verbal and written communication for non‑finance audiences; strong stakeholder management.
• Organisational ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver accurate, timely financial reporting.
• Attention to detail and accuracy in financial analysis and commentary.
• Demonstrable proficiency in adopting AI tools to improve day‑to‑day tasks and analysis.

Desirable skills

• Part qualified or qualified with CIMA/ACCA (or equivalent); newly qualified is acceptable.
• Experience with budgeting, forecasting, variance analysis and month‑end processes.
• Familiarity with project accounting systems and ERPs.
• Experience with BI tools (Power BI, Tableau or similar) for dashboarding and visual insight.
• Prior experience in market research, public affairs, consulting or agency environments.
• Experience delivering training or workshops to non‑finance colleagues.
• Creative thinking, resilience and a commercially minded approach that balances short‑term delivery with long‑term value.

Benefits:

We offer a comprehensive benefits package designed to support you as an individual. Our standard benefits include 25 days annual leave, pension contribution, income protection and life assurance. In addition, there are a range health & wellbeing, financial benefits and professional development opportunities.

We have a hybrid approach to work and ask people to be in the office or with clients for 3 days per week. We appreciate you may have commitments outside of work and will consider flexible working applications - please highlight what you are looking for when you make your application.

We are committed to equality, treating people fairly, promoting a positive and inclusive working environment and ensuring we have diversity of people and views. We recognise that this is important for our business success - a more diverse workforce will enable us to better reflect and understand the world we research and ultimately deliver better research and insight to our clients. We are proud to be a member of the Disability Confident scheme, certified as a Level 2 Disability Confident Employer. We provide an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. Your application will be reviewed by someone from our Talent Team who will be in touch either way to let you know the outcome.

Ready to have an impact? Apply now!

Ipsos is one of the world’s largest research companies and currently the only one primarily managed by researchers, ranking as a #1 full-service research organization for four consecutive years. With over 75 different data-driven solutions, and presence in 90 markets, Ipsos brings together research, implementation, methodological, and subject-matter experts from around the world, combining thematic and technical experts to deliver top-quality research and insights. Simply speaking, we help the biggest companies solve some of their biggest problems, serving more than 5000 clients across the globe by providing research, data, and insights on their target markets. And we are proud of our continuous efforts in making Ipsos the best place to work!