Newcastle University Hiring for Research Finance Officer Job at Newcastle upon Tyne, England Full Time

We are a world class research-intensive university. We deliver teaching and learning of the highest quality. We play a leading role in economic, social and cultural development of the North East of England. Attracting and retaining high-calibre people is fundamental to our continued success.

Salary: Starting at £26,341 – £27,924 per annum, rising to £30,497

Closing Date: The role will close when a suitable candidate is found. We will contact you within seven days of your application.

The Role

This is an excellent opportunity for a motivated, proactive individual to join us and work within the Project Support Team based in the Faculty of Science, Agriculture and Engineering (SAgE). As part of the wider SAgE Finance team, the Project Team administer the financial management of externally funded projects.

Being embedded within the SAgE Faculty gives the post holder the opportunity to be close to the research community, innovative projects, and day to day life in a research intensive Russell Group university. The post holder can also reap the benefits of being part of the wider University finance community and the development opportunities and professional support this can bring.

The role will provide a unique and exciting opportunity to work across a wide spectrum of University services supporting the financial management of projects (Research and Non Research) across the Faculty. This will include providing comprehensive support throughout the full research project life-cycle, from inception to completion.

You will work closely with budget holders/Principal Investigators (PIs) to undertake the costing of projects following recognised principles and guidelines and will support the financial administration of research grant applications, post award financial management and provide advice on external funder regulations.

The University is an exciting and dynamic place to work, dedicated to world-leading education and research. We play a leading role in economic, social and cultural development of the North East of England. The Newcastle campus is compact and is located at the heart of the city centre in close proximity to excellent shopping facilities, restaurants, art galleries, museums and cinemas.

The University is committed to providing a great range of benefits and discounts for our colleagues, which includes: excellent pension provision; an on-site sports centre and library; flexible working options; a minimum of 37 days holiday (including public holidays), a Christmas closure period, and the option to purchase a further two weeks additional leave per year; family friendly leave policies; discounted travel for the Metro and local bus services; 24 hour employee assistance phone line and web portal to provide support and advice with a wide variety of life’s issues; and discounts for national retailers. You can find out more on our benefits web page https://www.ncl.ac.uk/vacancies/benefits/

We are committed to building and maintaining a fair and inclusive working environment and we would be happy to discuss arrangements for flexible and/or blended/hybrid working.

Informal enquires are welcomed and for more information regarding specifics of the role please contact Team Leads Jodi Wrightson [email protected] or Joanne Rea [email protected]

Please ensure you upload a covering letter with your CV when applying for this vacancy. Only applications received via the Newcastle University website will be considered for shortlisting purposes

Key Accountabilities

• In liaison with project leads, undertake the costing of projects following recognised principles and guidelines and using appropriate systems e.g. NUProjects.
• Provide advice and guidance related to the application of project costing and post award finance across the Faculty and ensure compliance with agreed University / Faculty standards.
• Support the implementation of an effective project costing and post award finance process at the School level to meet the requirements of the Head and Deputy Head of Faculty Finance and the Faculty PVC.
• Assisting the Faculty Finance Project Business Partner, contribute to the continued development of financial reports specifically to support accurate financial monitoring of projects.
• Ensure effective control and adherence to both University and external sponsor’s regulations, policies and procedures is maintained within the Faculty.
• Widen the general understanding of financial issues related to projects by the preparation and delivery of courses / workshops.
• Working with other key members of the Finance office e.g. Head of Contract Financial Management and Management Accountant (costing) to ensure adherence to regulations and to share best practice.
• To undertake any other duties of a relevant nature as required by the Faculty Finance Business Partner.

The Person

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

You should have recent relevant experience of project accounting including project costing and experience of management accounting/reporting including financial management of projects.

The successful candidate will have a high degree of literacy, numeracy and IT skills and experience and have strong communication skills, both written and verbal.

Experience of working effectively in a large and complex organisation to enable successful collaboration between the Finance, Faculty, School and other

University roles is desirable along with experience of SAP financial systems.

Attributes and Behaviour

Embraces change, reviewing and revising plans to meet with changing circumstances, changing ways and policies in light of new information.

Develops and implements new ideas, supporting others during change building on others ideas and suggestions and enterprising in approach.

Has a clear understanding of individual or group motives, making time to listen and clarify understanding of others to avoid misinterpretation.

Communicates effectively, using appropriate tools and methods tailoring content of communication to the audience, changing style, tone and format appropriately.

Considers the desired communication impact required, planning and preparing a suitable approach whilst explaining how own proposals will support the interests of others.

Maintains flexibility in work plans to allow for changing circumstances whilst working in a planned and structured way.

Plans workload and tasks in a systematic way, ensuring all activities are completed on time using systems and tools to ensure records and audit trails are clear and up to date.

Qualifications

Education to at least A level standard (minimum 3 x grades A-C) or equivalent standard by experience.

It is desirable that you are AAT qualified (Association of Accounting Technicians) or equivalent.

Newcastle University is committed to being a fully inclusive Global 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 our employees and the communities they represent. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from everybody, regardless of race, sex, ethnicity, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, age, disability, gender identity, marital status/civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, as well as being open to flexible working practices.

The University holds a silver Athena SWAN award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality. The University also holds the HR Excellence in Research award for our work to support the career development of our researchers, and is a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe.

Requisition ID: 16402