Senior Finance Business Partner - Central Otago (QLDC)

Lakes District Council is at the very heart of a dynamic community. Our services are essential to the people in our region and include infrastructure development, community recreational facilities and planning, building and other regulatory services.

We’re proud to be QLDC, and in response to the growth the district has experienced over recent years, QLDC has itself experienced substantial growth. We genuinely believe in developing our people and providing them with all the tools and opportunities needed to succeed.

About the role:
The Senior Finance Business Partner role will have a strong interaction with internal stakeholders and is critical to ensuring that solutions are aligned with the Annual Plan/Long Term Plan and policy decisions. They will lead and foster a positive culture for QLDC’s Financial Advisory team to ensure management and delivery of advisory activities is service-centric and customer-focused, efficiently run, value-added, and meets the needs of the organisation.

Responsibilities of the role:

• Deliver forward-looking, activity-based financial analysis and insights to support QLDC’s
  operations and strategic direction.
• Regularly review and report on business unit performance against budgets, annual plans, and the Long Term Plan, highlighting variances.
• Support business unit managers with the financial aspects of business cases, contracts, and funding proposals.
• Provide strategic financial advice to senior leadership and Council, including cost driver analysis, investment models, and funding strategies.
• Undertake scenario planning and financial modelling to inform business decisions and long-term planning.
• Oversee project cost systems for infrastructure services, ensuring correct setup, data flow to the General Ledger, and overhead allocations.
• Manage the financial components of NZTA claims and other key revenue streams.
• Actively participate in business unit meetings to identify, escalate, and resolve financial issues.
• Lead or support improvement initiatives and deliver regular coaching or training to lift financial capability across QLDC.
• Contribute to annual budgeting and long-term planning processes, while maintaining a customer-centric, best-practice approach to financial management

What we offer:
We are proud to offer a comprehensive benefits package that supports your health, wellbeing, and professional growth, including:

• Southern Cross Wellbeing One Plan (Full-time, permanent only).
• Discounted membership to our health and fitness facilities.
• Hybrid working practices.
• Genuine commitment to your training and career development.

What you'll bring:
We are seeking a commercially astute and strategically minded finance professional with a strong foundation in management accounting and financial modelling. The ideal candidate will bring a depth of experience working in complex, capital-intensive environments, with a demonstrated ability to connect financial insight to broader organisational goals. They will be a confident communicator, capable of influencing at senior levels and leading change across systems, processes, and culture. A high level of motivation, innovation, and professional integrity will be key to success in this role.

To best succeed in this role, you’ll have:

• A tertiary qualification in finance, accounting or a related discipline, and Chartered Accountant (CA) membership or equivalent.
• At least 8 years of experience in management accounting, financial modelling, and forecasting.
• Strong commercial acumen, with a background in business planning and ideally experience in capital-intensive industries.
• Advanced spreadsheeting and financial modelling skills, with a sharp eye for detail and a problem-solving mindset.
• Proven ability to build and maintain trusted relationships across all levels, including senior leadership.
• A track record of driving business improvement, innovation, and leading organisational change.

For any questions prior, please contact Alison Kelly, Finance Business Partner Manager at[email protected].

Applications close: 8th August 2025.

Please note we will review and process applications as they come through; we encourage your early application.

Recruitment Agencies - We will be managing this recruitment process directly and are not seeking agency assistance at this time. We kindly request no unsolicited agency approaches.