Finance Manager

Job title:

Finance Manager

Company:

Cardiff University

Job description

School / DirectorateSchool of PsychologyAdvertFinance Manager
School of PsychologyThe School of Psychology is one is one of the largest in the UK and is ranked 9th for Psychology in the Complete University Guide 2024. We are one of the UK’s largest centres of psychology and offer a stimulating and rewarding environment in which to work and study. Our educational philosophy and research ambitions are supported by a vibrant community of academic and professional service staff.We have an exciting opportunity for a Finance Manager to join the Finance team within the School. We are looking to recruit a highly organised, proactive individual with proven financial management experience. As a qualified or highly experienced finance professional, you will have a good working understanding of all financial transactions, have an established record of successfully leading a Finance Team and be an enthusiastic team player.The Finance Manager will lead and manage the delivery of financial accounting and procurement activities within the School, ensuring that the School complies continuously with University financial regulations and procedures, with relevant sponsor or regulatory body requirements and with best practice in financial stewardship as well as provide high quality financial management information and advice to assist the Head of School and the senior management team, School Manager, College Head of Finance and other senior staff across the School in strategic and operational planning and management activities.As a senior member of the School of Psychology professional services, you will work closely with the School Manager and other colleagues to ensure effective and efficient support to the School’s core academic activities.In return we offer excellent benefits including generous holiday entitlement, attractive pension and a wide range of discounts.This post is full time, available immediately and is open ended.Salary: £39,347 to £44,263 per annum (Grade 6). Appointments to roles at Cardiff University are usually made at bottom of scale unless in exceptional circumstances.Closing date: 28 October 2024Please be aware that Cardiff University reserves the right to close this vacancy early should sufficient applications be received.Cardiff University is committed to supporting and promoting equality and diversity and to creating an inclusive working environment. We believe this can be achieved through attracting, developing, and retaining a diverse range of staff from many different backgrounds. We therefore welcome applicants from all sections of the community regardless of sex, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, trans identity, relationship status, religion or belief, caring responsibilities, or age. In supporting our employees to achieve a balance between their work and their personal lives, we will also consider proposals for flexible working or job share arrangements.Applications may be submitted in Welsh, and an application submitted in Welsh will not be treated less favourably than an application submitted in English.Post Reference Number19060BRJob DescriptionJob Purpose

• To lead and manage the delivery of financial accounting and procurement activities across all activities within the School and the Cardiff University Brain Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), ensuring that the School complies continuously with University financial regulations and procedures, with relevant sponsor or regulatory body requirements and with best practice in financial stewardship.
• To provide high quality financial management information and advice to the Head of School and the senior management team, School Manager and other senior staff across the School to support strategic and operational planning and management activities.
• To provide professional support and advise on research grants management, linking in with Joint Research Office when required.

Duties and Responsibilities
Key Duties

• Manage the operation of the school finance team including the purchase/credit card, sales and payroll ledgers, planning, organising and delegating work, monitoring progress and intervening as required.
• Contribute to the long term management of the school and CUBRIC, interpreting strategies into work priorities to ensure that all financial activities are delivered.
• Prepare and maintain staffing establishments and salary reconciliations for budgetary control/forecasting purposes.
• Oversee the maintenance of the School and CUBRIC’s asset inventory, including periodical audits to ensure accuracy and year end reporting.
• To carry out costing and pricing exercises, value for money investigations and other ad-hoc review exercises as required.
• To act as an authorised signatory within the School.
• Provide financial management information for the School and CUBRIC Senior Management Teams on a monthly basis.
• Working with the Head of School and School Manager, play an active role in the School and CUBRIC’s annual budget setting process and monitoring performance against agreed budgets, including preparing periodic financial statements for the Head of School and other budget-holders, providing variance analyses and commentaries and proposing appropriate corrective actions where required.
• Liaise closely and collaboratively with relevant colleagues in central and College professional services, including Procurement, Finance, Research and HR, to resolve any issues that may arise in a timely manner and to ensure that the School is fulfilling its role in respect of those functions devolved to it and is contributing effectively to those activities undertaken outside the School.
• Manage and monitor the finances for funding agreements (i.e. Special Health Authorities) including Service Level Agreements (SLAs), the contract renewal, financial forecasting and financial claims.
• Ensure the delivery of the team’s service level agreements, adapting these according to changes in workload and customer requirements as required.
• Develop networks across the School, College and University to ensure the success of the team’s objectives and long term plans, sharing best practice within financial management.
• To assist the School Manager with activities that arise annually including HESA returns, fee setting and year end activities i.e. TRAC.
• Make recommendations for developments of established processes and procedures.
• Manage the performance, induction and development of the team and setting key objectives.
• Support and guide team members in welfare issues, escalating as necessary to specialist support areas.

Continued in additional informationSalary Range Max.44,263GradeGrade 6Salary Range Min.39,347Job CategoryAccountancy & Finance, Management & ExecutiveAdditional InformationContinued from job description

• Undertake the training of others in areas relating to the team’s work.
• Undergo personal and professional development that is appropriate to and which will enhance performance.
• Gather and analyse data to inform decisions, establishing basic trends and patterns in data and creating reports as appropriate. E.g. profiling student fee income
• Work closely with the Research Manager, School Manager, Head of School and Director of Research, Innovation and Engagement to oversee all research finance matters within the School.
• Provide support and professional advice to the School Research, Innovation and Engagement Committee.

General Duties

• Ensure that an understanding of the importance of confidentiality is applied when undertaking all duties.
• Abide by University policies on Health and Safety and Equality and Diversity.
• Perform other duties occasionally which are not included above, but which will be consistent with the role.

Career PathwayManagerial, Professional and Specialist Staff – MPSSPerson SpecificationIMPORTANT NOTE TO CANDIDATES: It is the University’s policy to use the person specification as a key tool for short-listing and we only invite candidates to interview who clearly evidence that they meet (or partially meet) each of the essential criteria. During the application process you will be asked to attach a supporting statement. This statement must outline how you meet the criteria below and we recommended formatting this by using each criteria as a sub-heading and providing your relevant experience/evidence below each sub-heading. It is crucial that you save your supporting statement with the vacancy number (eg. 1234BR) in the filename as failure to do so may result in it being omitted from your application.Essential Criteria
Qualifications and Education
1. Part – Qualified or Qualified Accountant (CCAB or equivalent) or qualified by experience with extensive experience in finance operations.Knowledge, Skills and Experience
2. Substantial experience of overseeing financial operations within a financial environment.
3. Able to demonstrate professional knowledge within the area of financial management, policies and procedures to give advice and guidance to internal and external customers.
4. Proven experience of designing, reviewing, adapting and implementing business processes and systems that are responsive, efficient and cost effective.
5. Excellent IT skills including advanced knowledge of excel (pivots, vlookup etc.) and all round knowledge of using Microsoft Office.Customer Service, Communication and Team Working
6. Ability to communicate detailed financial information to a non-financial audience and complex information effectively and professionally to a wide range of people.
7. Proven ability to interact with stakeholders, and within multiple networks, in order to contribute to long term developments.
8. Experience of managing a team and dealing with performance and welfare issues.
9. Evidence of ability to explore customers’ needs and adapt the service accordingly to ensure a quality service is delivered.Planning, Analysis and Problem solving
10. Evidence of ability to plan the work of a team, over extended time periods, reacting to changes in workload and priority.Desirable Criteria
1. Evidence of ability to solve problems using initiative and creativity; using detailed understanding of methodologies to select the right approach.
2. Experience of working in a Higher Education environment.
3. Fluency in Welsh, written and oral.

Expected salary

£39347 – 44263 per year

Location

United Kingdom

Job date

Wed, 16 Oct 2024 00:24:32 GMT

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