Finance Business Partner - Grants

Finance Business Partner - Grants 
Location: United Kingdom - Hybrid / Remote, with occasional travel to the office
Contract: Permanent 
Salary: UK £60,000 to £67,500 (depending on experience)
Working pattern: Full-Time or Part-Time Pro Rata (4 or 5 days per week)

About FILE 

The Foundation for International Law for the Environment (FILE) is a not-for-profit philanthropic organisation working to accelerate legal action on climate change.  

Through grant-making and in-house legal expertise, we empower our partners to deliver strategic, innovative legal interventions and we support lawyers in their own countries to bring their own cases.  

Legal action can unlock the systemic changes in finance, policy and social systems needed to protect all of us from climate change. The power of the law is both direct (changing policy and practice) and indirect (signalling the wider shifts taking place across these systems). 

FILE is a ‘regrantor’ - this means we do not bring legal action in our own name. We receive grants from our philanthropic donors and make onwards grants to partners who align with FILE’s charitable aims and purposes. We do not seek to make any profit from our activities either in a relevant financial year or in the longer term. 

The Role 

The Finance Business Partner – Grants will play a key role in strengthening collaboration between Finance and Grants teams, supporting the effective financial management of the grants portfolio. The role will focus on building strong relationships with Grants stakeholders, developing a solid understanding of the granting process, and providing clear, timely financial information to support informed decision-making. 

The role acts as a link between Finance and Grants, translating financial data into meaningful insights for Grants teams, while ensuring financial considerations are appropriately reflected in granting decisions.

Key Responsibilities 

The role spans four core areas: business partnering with Grants and Portfolio teams, budgeting and forecasting, management accounting and reporting, and supporting systems and process optimisation. 

Business Partnering (40%) 

• Provide strategic financial partnership to Grants Managers, Portfolio teams and other stakeholders, ensuring cohesive communication of financial data across Finance, Grants, and Philanthropic Partnerships. 

• Support teams with best-practice granting approaches (from Finance point of view), including foreign exchange considerations, inflation adjustments, and cost benchmarking. 

• Offer ongoing guidance on grant due diligence, budget setup, financial reporting reviews and other ad-hoc requirements. 

• Enable effective decision making up to executive level by analysing granting and fundraising data and presenting it in a clear and compelling way. 

Budgeting & Forecasting (30%

• Support quarterly grants forecasting in collaboration with Grants and Finance colleagues, contributing financial input to forward-looking projections. 

• Assist in monitoring grant budget envelopes and commitments, highlighting key variances or emerging issues to relevant stakeholders. 

• Manage grant fund allocations and budget envelopes to donor requirements and restrictions, to leverage the greatest impact from available resources  

• Contribute to annual budgeting and business planning processes for grants by providing financial data, analysis and support to FP&A and Grants teams. 

Management Accounting & Management Reporting (20%) 

• Prepare and support grants-related financial reporting, ensuring information is accurate, timely and relevant for Grants stakeholders. 
• Support monitoring of grant budgets and commitments, helping identify variances and trends in collaboration with Finance colleagues. 
• Present financial information in a clear and user-friendly way, supporting Grants teams to interpret and use financial data effectively 

Systems & Process Optimisation (10%) 

• Support the effective use of the Grant Management System (GMS) in collaboration with Finance and Grants teams, including understanding financial data flows and reporting outputs. 
• Lead on the financial administration of the Grant Management System, such as budgeting, budgeting codes, payments, and any required finance functionality 
• Contribute to improvements in grants-related financial processes, tools and templates in partnership with relevant stakeholders. 
• Act as a liaison between Finance and Grants teams to support alignment of financial and operational workflows.

Key Outcomes 

• Strong, trust-based relationships with Grants and Portfolio partners, enabling open and effective collaboration on financial matters.
• Strong financial control in all aspects of granting, efficient and maximal use of granting budgets 
• Accurate and timely grant forecasts and budgets that support organisational planning and resource allocation. 
• High-quality financial insight that strengthens strategic Grant making: key reports like Grants update, key donor grants update. 
• Analyse and consolidate information from Portfolio and Donor teams to inform annual funding allocations that align with organisational budgets and granting plans. 

About you 

We know that long lists of criteria can be discouraging and that some candidates will not apply for a role unless they feel they are 100% qualified. If you feel you meet at least some of the essential criteria, we still encourage you to apply.

We also recognise that skills and experience can be gained in unexpected places, so we welcome applications from candidates who feel they have relevant skills for the role, gained from a wide range of professional, lived and learned experiences.

Essential criteria

• Relevant accounting qualification, or equivalent demonstrated through experience.
• Significant experience in grant finance management, including fund allocation, donor restrictions, foreign exchange considerations, and cost benchmarking.
• Strong financial modelling, forecasting, and scenario analysis skills, with the ability to manage complexity and identify variances early.
• Skilled in management reporting and data analysis, with the ability to present financial information in a clear and accessible way for non-finance audiences.
• Highly proficient in Excel and financial systems, with experience supporting or improving finance processes and tools.
• Experienced business partner who can translate financial data into clear, actionable insight for non-finance stakeholders up to executive level.
• Communicates clearly and confidently, in writing and verbally, across teams and cultures.
• Builds effective relationships with diverse stakeholders, influencing decisions and maintaining strong financial controls without creating barriers.
• Organised and able to manage competing priorities, working proactively with a continuous improvement mindset.
• Adapts well under pressure, shifting between workstreams and adjusting to changing priorities across a busy finance function.
• Applies sound judgement and critical thinking to identify problems early and drive practical solutions.

Location 

We are advertising this role for candidates based (and with the right to work) in the UK and in the Netherlands. Please note that you will see this role advertised in multiple locations but that we are only hiring for one position based in either location, and that we are able to offer collaborative working spaces only in the Netherlands and the UK. 

Please apply to the job post for your preferred location.

Working for FILE 

FILE is a collaborative community of individuals who share a passion for climate, nature, and justice. We bring together knowledge and experience to support our mission. 

Our people are empowered to lead their work both individually and as part of a wider team in order to make impactful change. As a relatively young organisation with the ambitious mission to change global systems, our roles are ideally suited to those who are strategic, innovative and collaborative, and open to growing in line with the Foundation. 

FILE is committed to challenging systemic injustice. Our ability to do so is strengthened by the diversity of our partners and staff. Our mission, work and impact is global, with staff and partners from across the world and a range of lived experiences. We are actively working to create a culture where colleagues feel welcomed, heard and supported to succeed and thrive. 

How FILE supports its staff 

FILE is committed to creating a workplace that supports our staff to do their best work and develop professionally. FILE offers a generous annual leave policy and additional time-off work to support wellbeing. Amongst other benefits, FILE offers private healthcare, enhanced maternity, paternity and shared parental leave, enhanced sick leave, flexibility working remotely and also abroad and a matching contribution to a pension scheme. 

Applications 

Please apply on our website and upload your CV and Cover Letter. This role is open for applications immediately and we accept applications on a rolling basis but we will not accept any applications after 06 July 2026. If you are interested, we encourage you to submit your application as early as possible. 

Representation and Culture 

FILE recognises the under-representation of historically marginalized communities and individuals in climate, nature and philanthropy spaces. We are committed to developing an organization that represents the world we are looking to protect and building a culture that supports such. 

In doing so, FILE is committed to building policies and practices that ensure no current or prospective employee is discriminated based on disability, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, gender identity, or marriage and civil partnership.