Financial Planning and Analysis Specialist (Special Projects)

About the role

The Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A) Specialist acts as the subject matter expert for Special Projects, supporting the Head of Financial Performance Analytics and Reporting. The role engages with budget owners, project leaders and service providers across the university and leads the financial modelling and analytical work behind multi-year financial planning for Special Projects. It strengthens financial governance over project and contract spend and supports investment and funding decisions.

Key responsibilities

• Provide strategic financial insights and recommendations to leadership, and manage multi-year financial models and scenarios for the capital project pipeline, including phasing, cash flow, lifecycle costs and funding options
• Identify financial risks, funding gaps and efficiency opportunities and support mitigation and optimisation actions
• Drive the end-to-end multi-year budgeting process (OPEX, CAPEX), refine budgeting methodologies, cost drivers and allocation models, and coordinate annual budget submissions, revisions and reallocations
• Prepare and summarise financial information for administrative stakeholders and support annual budget reviews and departmental submissions
• Support financial reporting standards and templates, ensure data quality, accuracy and timeliness, and analyse performance trends and variances
• Monitor budget utilisation, escalate emerging risks, and review reports and variance analysis before submission to senior FP&A leadership
• Act as a subject matter resource within the team, reviewing outputs and helping build team capability

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Finance, Accounting or a related field; a postgraduate degree is desirable
• Minimum 5-7 years of experience in financial reporting, financial planning and analysis or financial performance analytics
• Demonstrated expertise in strategic financial planning, multi-year budgeting and advanced financial modelling
• Experience advising senior stakeholders and designing financial frameworks, governance standards and analytical methodologies
• Preferred: experience in UAE higher education, ERP implementation experience, and experience applying AI, automation or advanced analytics in FP&A

Required skills

• Advanced proficiency in financial systems, ERP platforms and data analytics tools
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)
• Excellent communication, presentation and stakeholder management skills
• High level of autonomy, judgment and problem-solving capability