We are seeking a detail-oriented and proactive Finance Officer to join our team. This role is ideal for someone who enjoys supporting research and departmental projects through accurate financial management, budgeting and forecasting, coordinating funding applications and reporting, and ensuring compliance with University and funder requirements.
The position is set to commence asap and will be from 37.5 hours per week for 12 weeks (with a pay rate of £18.80 per hour + holiday pay).
Main Duties
- Support Academics in preparing budgets for inclusion in the Department’s funding application process for new Departmental Projects, ensuring compliance with sponsor rules.
- Coordinate the process for internal funding applications, maintaining accurate records of applications and awards to support budgeting, forecasting and reporting as required. Advise on funding proposals and related documentation, including leading on X5 costings and working with Grants, Finance and Scientific Officer colleagues.
- Support Academics in project initiation and internal funding set-up, amendment, monitoring and closure, effectively communicating sponsor terms and conditions and University policies and procedures; act as a main point of contact for related queries.
- Maintain and monitor the departmental projects portfolio and project tracker, ensuring reporting deadlines, key milestones, outstanding actions and project documentation are accurate and up to date, and identify and escalate financial or operational risks to the Senior Finance Manager where appropriate.
- Coordinate project administration between Principal Investigators, Finance, Grants, HR, Contracts and external funders to ensure projects progress efficiently, proactively following up outstanding actions and escalating issues where appropriate.
- Prepare monthly financial reporting for Academics and coordinate financial reports and claims for funders, monitoring reporting deadlines and escalating any issues, risks or delays in a timely manner.
- Monitor spend against budgets to ensure only eligible expenditure is posted, manage corrections and develop a thorough understanding of the relevant rules and requirements for each project.
- Validate coding, budget availability, cost eligibility and supporting documentation, ensuring compliance with funder terms and conditions, appropriate contracting and auditable utilisation records.
- Oversee the processing of financial expenditure as required, including purchase orders, expense claims, journals and transfers using Oracle Financials.
- Support the Finance and Business Manager with monthly accounting tasks relating to student payments, fee invoices and other activities as required.
- Support the Finance and Business Manager with quarterly forecasting and budgeting on nominated accounts.
- Support the financial closure of departmental projects, ensuring reporting requirements, residual balances and outstanding expenditure are resolved.
- Follow Standard Operating Procedures for research administrative processes and highlight where improvements can be made.
- Input and maintain data in relevant information systems to ensure project information is accurately recorded and details on status can be quickly obtained.
- Assist with audit queries by providing appropriate records and information and maintaining accurate records to support reporting and audit requirements and minimise disallowed costs.
Selection Criteria:
- Qualified AAT or equivalent financial accountancy qualification
- Suitable experience of working in a relevant financial administration role, including experience of working with computerised financial systems
- Experience supporting financial administration for projects, grants or internal funding processes, including set-up, monitoring, amendment and/or closure
- Experience supporting funding applications or proposals and maintaining accurate application and award records
- Experience of maintaining accurate project or financial records and trackers, monitoring deadlines and outstanding actions, and escalating issues or risks appropriately
- Experience of producing financial reports and/or claims and using financial information to monitor budgets, investigate variances and identify issues
- Experience of processing financial transactions accurately, such as purchase orders, expense claims, journals and transfers
- Experience of interpreting and applying financial, funder or organisational policies and procedures to routine situations, with an understanding of compliance and audit requirements
- Competent user of computerised financial systems and Microsoft packages, in particular Excel
- Excellent time management and demonstrable ability to prioritise and manage a diverse workload to meet competing deadlines
- Strong communication skills with a wide range of people at all levels, both internal and external, verbally and in writing, with the ability to coordinate actions across different stakeholders
- Ability to produce a consistently high standard of work, with particular evidence of working accurately with attention to detail
- Experience of preparing or coordinating internal funding proposals, including X5 costings
- Experience of supporting budgets and forecasts, with the ability to interpret financial data and investigate variances
- Experience gained in Higher Education or a research environment
- Experience of working with funders or sponsors and their financial reporting and audit requirementsity to work independently and as part of a team.
Vacancy ID: 24453
Please be aware that all candidates need to be able to start work immediately and must be able to work on site if required to do so.
Further information can about the Temporary Staffing Service can be found on our website https://www.jobs.ox.ac.uk/temporary-staffing-service