School Finance Officer

Salary: £25,742 to £26,444 with progression to £27,979 per annum

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits . We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Closing Date: 24 March 2024

We are seeking a highly motivated and enthusiastic individual to join our multidisciplinary School.

Based in the busy School of Geography, Politics and Sociology Professional Services office you will support financial processes, transactions and reporting for colleagues within the School.

As part of the school research and finance team, and working closely with academic and professional services colleagues across the School and University, you will play a key role in supporting financial activity and reporting across our three subject areas.

You should have excellent organisational and interpersonal skills and be able to demonstrate sound problem solving skills and attention to detail. A positive ‘can do’ attitude and a flexible and helpful approach is essential.

If you would like to discuss the role please contact Jenny Dawley [email protected] or Nicola Kelly [email protected]  

This role is available on a full-time basis equivalent to 37 hours per week.

The Role

Responsibility (as School Finance Officer and part of our Research and Finance Team) for maintaining all operational aspects of the school’s accounts, and to ensure school income and expenditure is accurately processed and reported upon. To provide financial and administrative advice and assistance to colleagues within the school.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• Undertake purchases on accounts within the School ensuring that transactions are recorded accurately and efficiently in compliance with all relevant internal and eternal regulations (eg VAT)
• Undertake sales activity to receive income into the School. Preparation of accurate and timely invoices in accordance with VAT regulations
• Receive, check, process and record fee and expense claims, complying with internal accounting procedures and external regulations (eg VAT) and resolving queries where required
• Receive and log requests for advances, advising colleagues in line with University financial regulations. Receive, check and reconcile claims. Prepare supporting school statements for consideration and approval by HoS
• Update and maintain the School accounts master list, set-up and monitor school accounts, reconciling school budget spreadsheets with SAP reports to ensure accurate financial reporting
• Produce regular and ad-hoc reports of school income and expenditure to budget holders, to include specific bespoke reporting to support School monitoring requirements, for example Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Research Excellence Framework etc
• Manage income and expenditure for student fieldtrips. Receive and log income via webstore, support module leaders with accommodation, travel and field site bookings and report regularly on income/expenditure
• Act as first point of contact for all internal and external queries relating to school accounts, liaising where necessary with School Professional Services colleagues, budget holders, vendors, customers and the Faculty & University accounts team
• Set up new vendors and customers as and when required in liaison with Procurement office and the finance sales team
• Hold a School purchasing card for purchases outside the P2P system, in line with University regulations. Receive and code up statements following use
• Administrative support for event organisation as required. To include receiving registrations, making bookings, reimbursing delegates, processing invoices and any other related duties
• Provide ad-hoc project financial management support for research officers within the schools research and finance team during busy periods and staff absences
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date records in preparation for audit and in strict compliance with all applicable data protection legislation e.g. GDPR
• Any other duties within the scope and general nature of the grade which may be required from time to time including deputising for other members of the School research and finance team during busy periods and absences
• Briefing of other professional services colleagues in financial administration so they are able to assist and provide cover as required

Person Specification

Qualifications

Educated to GCSE standard with a minimum of grade C Maths and English

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Understanding of financial regulations and their relevance/importance
• Proven skills in financial administration and financial processes
• Excellent IT experience and confidence in the use of spreadsheets and/or financial software
• Excellent communication skills and ability to work well within a team.
• Excellent organisational skills with the ability to prioritise tasks and manage a variety of tasks

Attributes and Behaviours

• Excellent standard of integrity, honesty and discretion
• Ability to work to tight deadlines
• Excellent attention to detail
• Ability to use initiative

Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.  As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.

We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society.  We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent.  We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.

At Newcastle University we hold a silver Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality.  We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC.  We are a Disability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme.

In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe. 

Requisition ID: 26763