Post on 22-Mar-2018
Recruitment
THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAMRecruitment Role Profile Form
Job Title: Finance Assistant
School/Department: Financial Management Department
Salary: £17,210 to £20,400 per annum, depending on skills and experience. Salary progression beyond this scale is subject to performance.
Job Family and Level: APM 2
Contract Status: Full-time, permanent
Hours of Work: 36.25
Location: Varied
Reporting to: Finance Support Team Leader
Purpose of the New Role:
Finance Assistant (based in Financial Management Department comprising approximately 90 staff) will be based in one of seven Finance Support Offices of the University.
The role holder will be responsible for a number of finance processing and monitoring tasks in the team (4-10 staff), providing a high level of customer service to service users and working closely with finance managers and other colleagues.
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. Income processing in line with the University’s processes. Bulk transaction processing – check, verify and upload journals into the
accounting system.
30%
2. Financial administration Take ownership of allocated tasks which may include the following:
30%
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.
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 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.
5%
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 5%
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Provide administrative assistance to more senior colleagues including filing, photocopying, receiving mail, drafting correspondence, etc.
Any other duties as appropriate to grade and role
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-
solving skillsExperience 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 transactions
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Performing 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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