Finance Business Partner - Research

Te Whiwhinga mahi | The opportunity

12-Month Fixed-Term Opportunity

This is a strategic Finance Business Partner role supporting the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research portfolio. Working closely with senior leaders, you will provide trusted financial advice, planning, and performance insights that support informed decision-making and help deliver the University's research and organisational objectives. You will play a key role in strengthening financial capability, driving continuous improvement, and ensuring financial sustainability across a complex and dynamic environment.

• Partner with senior academic and professional leaders to develop financial strategies, annual plans, budgets, and forecasts aligned to organisational priorities.
• Provide high-quality financial analysis, reporting, and decision support to enable effective planning, performance monitoring, and resource allocation.
• Act as a trusted adviser to leadership teams, translating financial information into practical insights and recommendations that support strategic outcomes.
• Lead and contribute to initiatives that improve financial performance, operational effectiveness, and organisational capability across the portfolio.
• Develop strong relationships across faculties, research institutes, service divisions, and the wider finance community to ensure a collaborative and consistent approach to business partnering.
• Support financial governance and compliance by ensuring appropriate controls, policies, and performance frameworks are in place and effectively applied.
• Provide leadership and mentoring to finance team members while contributing to a culture of continuous improvement, innovation, and service excellence.

This is a 12-month secondment/fixed-term, full-time role (37.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday).

The salary range for this role is $118,000-$136,000 depending on skills and experience. 

For more information, please see Position Description

He kōrero mōu | About You

You are a commercially astute finance professional who enjoys building strong relationships and influencing positive outcomes. Comfortable working in a complex organisation, you bring a collaborative approach, strong analytical capability, and the confidence to engage with senior stakeholders on both strategic and operational matters.

• A tertiary qualification in accounting, commerce, or a related discipline, together with Chartered Accountant status (CA ANZ, CPA, or equivalent).
• Significant experience in finance business partnering, financial planning, budgeting, and performance management within a large and complex organisation.
• Demonstrated ability to build credibility with senior leaders and provide clear, evidence-based advice that supports sound decision-making.
• Strong relationship management, communication, influencing, and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to work across diverse groups and priorities.
• Experience leading or contributing to change initiatives, continuous improvement programmes, and the development of innovative solutions to business challenges.
• Proven ability to balance strategic thinking with operational delivery, while managing competing priorities and delivering high-quality outcomes.
• A collaborative leadership style with experience mentoring, supporting, or developing team members to achieve shared goals.
• Strong digital literacy, including an interest in emerging technologies and the ability to apply sound judgement when evaluating and using new tools.

Ngā āhuatanga kei a mātou | What we offer

Guided by our values, we work collaboratively to advance knowledge, foster equity and inclusion, and contribute meaningfully to New Zealand’s social, cultural, and economic well-being.

We cultivate an environment that supports your growth and rewards excellence with a range of staff benefits, including:

• Competitive salary and five weeks of annual leave
• Discounted public Transport for permanent and long-term fixed term staff
• Superannuation/KiwiSaver, matching up to 6.75%
• Flexible working arrangements, including working from home and flexible hours
• Leading, and inclusive parental leave provisions
• Career development opportunities and a range of benefits, including discounted insurance, memberships, and on‑site amenities