Commercial Business Partner - Development

VERNE•London, CA

20h•Hybrid

About The Position

Verne require an experienced Commercial Business Partner to join our Data Centre Development team. In this role, you will provide critical commercial and financial expertise, analysis, and strategic support to our development and construction operations, ensuring commercial compliance to contracts, budgets and programmes. The role will also act as a bridge between Development and Verne Finance ensuring key financial information is documented and presented in a timely fashion to meet tight reporting deadlines. As a Commercial Business Partner specializing in data centre development, you will work primarily alongside our Development teams while when required assist operational, and asset management teams by providing in-depth project financial insights and strategic commercial guidance. You will help shape project investment decisions, optimize capital expenditure, and ensure the financial viability of our data centre development projects. This role requires a blend of technical financial expertise, commercial acumen, and the ability to communicate effectively with both financial and non-financial stakeholders.

Requirements

Professional accounting qualification (CIMA, ACCA, or ACA)
Minimum 15 years experience in finance, with at least 5 years in a business partnering role
Experience in project finance, construction finance, or capital-intensive industries
Clear and demonstrable negotiation skills and dispute resolution track record.
Demonstrated experience in developing and analyzing budgets for large-scale capital projects
Understanding of data centre development projects or large scale industrial projects.
Advanced analytical skills, including scenario and sensitivity analysis with expert proficiency in Excel and commercial/financial planning tools
Strong commercial acumen with the ability to identify business risks and opportunities
Excellent communication skills with the ability to translate complex financial information for non-financial stakeholders
Problem-solving mindset with the ability to proactively identify issues and recommend solutions
Ability to build effective relationships across different departments and influence decision-making
Detail-oriented with strong project management capabilities

Responsibilities

Develop comprehensive commercial processes for new data centre development projects, including capital expenditure forecasts, operational cost projections, and return on investment analyses
Partner with Business Development on project evaluations to ensure operational cost assessments are realistic and thoroughly evaluated
Create and maintain a Cost Driver Matrix that identifies key cost drivers and determines actionable levers within each driver to optimize project financial performance
Support the development of annual and long-term financial plans, ensuring alignment with company growth objectives
Evaluate and structure financing options for data centre developments, which may include project financing, real estate financing, or receivables financing approaches
Assess and validate business cases for new data centre developments, expansions, or upgrades
Develop risk trade-off curves in partnership with Operations Management, balancing cost, risk, and operational efficiency
Support capital expenditure approval processes, ensuring thorough financial due diligence and alignment with strategic objectives
Prepare and present clear, actionable project financial reports, project forecasts, and business cases to management and other stakeholders, ensuring recommendations are data-driven and aligned with project goals.
Provide commercial analysis and insights to inform and support business decisions, identifying opportunities for growth, efficiency, and risk mitigation.
Support the budgeting process, including setting realistic targets, monitoring performance, and providing variance analysis.
Advise on the financial sustainability and impact of new projects, investments, or initiatives through detailed business case development.
Ensure compliance with financial regulations and reporting standards, and support internal/external audits as needed.
Collaborate closely with construction and asset management teams during budgeting processes, providing expertise and challenging assumptions
Partner with procurement teams to foster commercial mindset in decision-making and maximize value from vendor relationships
Identify and capitalize on cost-saving opportunities within current projects and development operations
Analyze project performance against financial KPIs and provide recommendations for improvement
Contract & Risk Management: Oversee the negotiation and implementation of prime and subcontracts (e.g., NEC4, FIDIC). Responsible for identifying commercial risks and embedding mitigation procedures across all project phases.
Commercial Strategy: Develop and execute strategies to drive revenue growth and market share. This includes advising on pricing, market trends, and competitive benchmarking to support new bids and business development.
Team Leadership: Lead and mentor commercial teams, fostering a high-performance culture and ensuring continuous professional development.
Prepare regular reports for senior leadership on development project performance, highlighting variances, risks, and opportunities
Develop and maintain dashboards that translate complex project related financial data into clear, actionable insights for non-finance stakeholders
Conduct variance analysis against budgets and forecasts, identifying root causes and recommending corrective actions
Support month-end financial processes related to development activities, including accruals and WIP calculations