Recruitment

THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAMRecruitment Role Profile Form

Job Title: Finance Assistant

School/Department: Financial Management Department

Salary: £17,039 to £20,198 (pro rata) per annum, depending on skills and experience. Salary progression beyond this scale is subject to performance.

Job Family and Level: Administrative, Professional & Managerial Level 2

Contract Status: Part-time, permanent

Hours of Work: 21.75 per week

Location: University Park

Reporting to: Finance Team Manager

Purpose of the Role:

The role holder will be responsible for a number of financial processing and monitoring tasks in the team which support the University and the Faculty to deliver its goals. The role holder needs to provide an excellent level of customer service to stakeholders and ensure that a high volume of transactions are processed on an accurate and timely basis, working closely with finance managers and other colleagues where necessary.

This Finance Assistant (based in Financial Management Department comprising approximately 90 staff) will be based in the Financial Management Office – Engineering, University Park Campus (Faculty of Engineering – Coates Building).

The percentage split below is indicative only; it can change at any time depending on the specific business unit demands or Financial Management’s requirements.

Main Responsibilities % time per year

1. Finance transactions

Take complete responsibility for the effective and efficient completion of the some of the following tasks:

Accounting transactions – obtain supporting records, perform calculations and process in the relevant business system.

Project administration – ensure that expenditure is bona fide, compliant with terms and condition of funding and within budget; reports are submitted on time; issues are resolved; liaising with other departments (e.g. RGS) as required; communicating with budget holders.

Expenditure processing in line with the University’s processes.

30%

Income processing in line with the University’s processes.

Bulk transaction processing – check, verify and upload journals into the accounting system.

2. Financial administration

Take ownership of allocated tasks which may include the following:

Purchasing – convert requisitions into orders, process purchase orders, GRN and send invoices to the Payment Centre.

Cash handling in line with the University’s processes.

Expense processing via Concur.

Queries – review and provide solutions in a timely manner.

Travel booking arrangements and payment in line with Procurement policies.

Casual staff – facilitate the process of setting up and paying casual workers.

Additional administrative and finance tasks are required by the team and the department.

30%

3. Customer service and liaison with other teams and departments

Act as the first point of contact in the Finance Support Office, fielding all financial queries, and answer questions about the University’s financial policies and procedures.

Establish good communications and regular contact with key staff in business units in order to expertly deal with questions regarding purchase orders, invoices, expenses, fee payments, etc.

Work closely with colleagues in other departments (e.g HR, RGS, SPP, etc.) and answer questions on the University’s financial policies and procedures.

Provide a high level of customer service to business units as measured via customer feedback and assessed through the PDPR process.

10%

4. Business performance management

Responsible for creating, updating and reviewing financial reports to ensure that budgets at project level are not overspent and all transactions are correct and bona fide.

Investigate anomalies, suggest solutions, respond to queries; identify more complex queries to refer to finance managers.

10%

5. Supporting the preparation of management and year-end accounts, forecasts and budgets

Understand the month- and year-end processes to ensure that all tasks

5%

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are completed to timetable.

Acquire information and documentation from business units for performing calculations, reconciliations, accruals and pre-payments.

Input amendments into the accounting systems and maintain supporting records to satisfy the requirements of auditors.

6. Ensure compliance and effective financial control

Use financial systems to ensure accurate recording in compliance with relevant accounting policies and standards.

Produce and review standard exception reports to identify areas of non-compliance.

Keep up-to-date with accounting, regulatory and University developments to ensure compliance.

5%

7. Personal and professional development and training

Identify, highlight and address development needs to ensure continuing professional development and the necessary experience by attending relevant courses.

5%

8. Other responsibilities

Provide administrative assistance to more senior colleagues including filing, photocopying, receiving mail, drafting correspondence, etc.

Any other duties as appropriate to grade and role

5%

Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications & Experience

Essential DesirableQualifications/ Education

5 GCSEs or equivalent (including Maths an English) with grades C and above

Demonstrable interest in finance

Prior experience in a relevant role / other relevant experience

Educated to NVQ level or equivalent

Progressing towards AAT qualification

Experience in a similar finance role

Skills/Training Excellent interpersonal and communication skills

Good IT skills with Office applications particularly Excel, Word and Outlook

Accuracy and attention to detail

Ability to work under pressure and to tight deadlines

Good analytical and problem-

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solving skills

Experience Delivery of excellent customer service

Practical experience in processing financial transactions

Application of financial processes and controls

Use of accounting software packages

Knowledge Understanding the role of the finance function in a large organisation

General knowledge of finance and business practices

Understanding of fundamental accounting principles and transactions

Knowledge of:

-higher education sectors-University decision making with a detailed knowledge of University structures and procedures

Decision Making

i) taken independently by the role holderDealing with customers face-to-face, on the phone and via emailsResolving queries within remitProcessing purchase orders, journals, travel bookings, expense claims and other transactionsPerforming calculations and reconciliations

ii) taken in collaboration with othersQueries that require input from finance managers and other departmentsSupporting various financial processes (e.g. month-end, year-end)Providing admin support to more senior colleagues

iii) referred to the appropriate line manager by the role holderComplex issues to be referred to line managerIssues requiring management consideration or with wider implications for the team/UniversityIssues that must be referred under University policies and procedures

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