Placing the Right Freelance Finance Business Partner

Introducing our Client

• Gas and electricity supplier based in the Brussels area;
• Sales & Marketing Finance;
• Mission timeframe: 6 months (full time, hybrid).

Roles and Responsibilities of the Finance Business Partner (Ad-Interim)

Our client needed a Finance Business Partner ad interim able to fulfill the four following tasks:

1. Deliver Financial and Management Reporting:

• Monitor & report the performance of value drivers monthly, quarterly, half-yearly and yearly;
• Provide and present relevant analysis on a periodic basis to make results measurable and provide management insights;
• Comment and propose improvement actions on the bottom line;
• Follow standard accounting procedures;
• Contact person for auditor’s question related to management reporting;
• Execute client profitability report.

2. Contribute and Advise to planning processes (budgeting and forecasting):

• Design and oversee the execution of the company budget and forecast;
• Deliver variance analysis to provide management insights on ambition;
• Control, challenge & validate the financial targets of the company.

3. Perform Financial Analysis:

• Coordinate financial analysis on consolidated level, to provide insights on the financial performance;
• Perform ad-hoc KPI-reporting and analysis;
• Identify and manage financial risk;
• Challenge the business on their results, as well as provide financial business advice and support (proactively and reactively) to inform Top management and facilitate grounded decision making;
• Develop business and financial recommendations;
• Analyze strategic decisions with financial consequences and advise management on them;
• Be the single point of contact for both finance and business;
• Be responsible for the modeling of investment projects of the subsidiaries.

4. Manage a Team:

• Attract, motivate, manage, evaluate and develop team members, in order to create an environment where all employees are empowered and engaged and to ensure optimal quantitative and qualitative staffing.

Our Approach to Find the Right Match

To find the right Finance Business Patner candidate to fit our Client's needs, we followed a serie of six steps which can be summarized as follow: 

1. Determining the Client Needs:

Together with our partner, we met the Client to understand quickly the requirements and translated these into a mission description and key search criteria.

2. Search and Selection of Freelancers:

Based on our algorithm and people knowledge, we searched on our different talent pools for the specific expertise and experiences to meet our client's needs, contacted our Freelancers, and then prioritized based on motivation, expectation, availability, location and rate. 

3. Talents Shortlist:

In a very short period, we set up a shortlist and communicated to the end client: profile summary, screening & interviews summary, outcome of Clients references checks, Curriculum Vitae (inc. above mentioned items).

4. Interviews with Client:

The end Client decided to interview different short listed candidates. We set up the meetings and attended these. The fit between the ESG mission requirements and proposed profiles were quickly confirmed but one candidate standed out by his motivation.

5. Candidate Placement:

The end Client confirmed us this person and in less than 15 days after the confirmation, our Freelancer was starting his assignment.

6. Project Follow-Up:

Based on milestones, we have a call with the Client, and then the Freelancer, to ensure proper expectations’ communication and quality delivery.

Success and Results 

• Yearly budget & 6 monthly forecasts delivered
• Support of planning automation initiative (key user)
• E2E team management (with no attrition during period)