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Finance Officer

Salary: £22,000 – £29,000 depending on hours (£36,750 FTE)

Location: Cambridge, St Edmunds College

Contract type: Permanent, Part Time  21.9 to 29.2 hours

The role of Finance Officer is integral to the running of the College, and will provide essential support with account record keeping.

This role will suit someone looking to grow into an accounting role on a part-time basis who is prepared to have a flexible approach within the Finance team.

This is an excellent opportunity for the individual to develop their existing people management skills in a friendly supportive environment.

Job responsibilities

• Ensure that all accounting records are kept up to date by undertaking transactional and reconciliation work, ensuring the accuracy of the trial balance at all times.
• Ensure record keeping of all transactions in particular receipts and payments on a timely basis as necessary for the financial control of the College, with assistance provided by Finance Assistants.
• Ensure timely banking of cheques and cash received.
• Provide regular reports on debtors for the Finance Tutor, College Accountant and for College committees. Be involved in debt collection discussions and actions.
• Work collaboratively with other departments to ensure smooth processes for student finance tasks.
• Provide basic financial information to budget holders as necessary in a timely and accurate way. Working with the Management Accountant and College Accountant make recommendations for the improvement of the nominal ledger coding structure required to meet the reporting needs of budget holders.
• Complete various monthly, termly and quarterly financial routines including returns and interdepartmental cross-charges to enable accurate and timely management reporting.
• Prepare termly invoices using the dinner booking system for formal meals
• Ensure that processes are documented and up to date and accurately reflect procedures ensuring tight financial control.
• Ensure all financial procedures and regulations are adhered to bringing to the attention of the College Accountant any matters of concern.
• Prepare the VAT return for review by the College Accountant.
• Have an overview of all the software systems relied upon to create financial management information. Become an expert in the accounting software identifying improvements in the interface of all software used.
• Assist the College Accountant with the provision of year end schedules and undertake ad hoc work as required.
• Assist and provide cover for colleagues within the Finance department as required during their busy times of the year and always looking for system improvements to ensure best practice in all financial procedures.
• Line manage, mentor and motivate employees throughout their lifecycle, implementing training where necessary and carrying out annual appraisals.
• Work with colleagues to share best practise and ensure policies are adhered to
• Ensure the upkeep of the College, report any problems as necessary and help to keep the College litter free.
• Suggest and implement new ways of working and ideas, be an advocate for Continuous Improvement.
• Adhere to Health and Safety policies and procedures

What we need

The successful candidate will have the ability to build & maintain strong stakeholder relationships with a wide range of people. They will see the bigger picture and ensure continuous improvement is at the forefront of what they do.

As a manager the successful candidate will work well in a small team and will have excellent development and motivation skills.

The successful candidate will proudly advocate the College values – open minded, Integrity, Inclusivity.

The successful candidate must have:

• Experience within a similar role, within a complex environment
• Line management or supervisory experience
• Relevant qualification

• Knowledge and understanding of financial management systems and procedures, including accounting, cost centre management, payments, income, and banking
• Excellent IT Skills
• Ability to understand how the student sales ledger system fits into the NL structure and the implications
• Excellent communication skills

If you feel that you fit most but not all of the above criteria, we would still love to hear from you.

As well as a great salary and friendly team you will also receive:

• Working daily allowance for food and drinks*
• Free car parking (where available)
• 25 days holiday plus bank holidays (increasing with length of service)
• Generous pension contributions
• Discounts at restaurants, shops & more
• Outdoor gym
• Death in service
• Access to LinkedIn Learning & Business Disability Forum

About St Edmund’s College

St Edmund’s College is one of the 31 constituent colleges of the University of Cambridge. Our vibrant student body is made up of around 480 post-graduates and 200 mature undergraduates, who are over 21 years of age. With over 260 senior members – academics working at the cutting edge of their field or eminent members of their profession – and around 70 staff, you will be joining a dynamic and growing College with an ambitious vision for our role in shaping the future of higher education and collaborative research.

The maturity of our community means that we have earned a reputation as the friendly college. Relaxed, non-hierarchical and diverse, we pride ourselves on being a place in Cambridge where people of all backgrounds are welcomed, will feel at home and can flourish. Therefore, we welcome all candidates regardless of their demographic characteristics such as gender, race, disability, neurodiversity, religion, age, sex & sexual identity to apply for our opportunities.

How to apply

To apply, please send your CV and Cover Letter to Nicky Chalklin, HR Administrator by email ndc37@cam.ac.uk

Closing date for completed applications: 06/05/2024

If you have informal enquiries about the post, please email the College Accountant, Pauline Allin on email: accountant@st-edmunds.cam.ac.uk, phone: 01223 761095

In applying for this role, you will provide personal data which the College will process in accordance with its data protection obligations and its Data Protection Policy: http://www.stedmunds.cam.ac.uk/data-protection

Any offer of employment is subject to evidence of your right to work in the UK and the receipt of satisfactory references.