Research Finance Officer – 14 month FTC – University of Manchester
Salary:Grade 4 £26,444-£29,605 per annum
Location: Manchester
Employment type: Fixed Term
Division/Team: Financial Analysis and Reporting
Hours Per Week: 35 hours per week
Contract Duration: 14 months

Job Spec: Research Finance officer
Overview: We’re seeking a dynamic and detail-oriented Research Finance Coordinator to join our team. In this role, you’ll be the operational backbone, supporting the Senior Research Finance Officer in managing a diverse portfolio of research awards. If you thrive in a fast-paced environment, excel in financial oversight, and love being a key player in successful project delivery, we want to hear from you.
Responsibilities:

• Operational Support:
  • Be the go-to person for all post-award deliverables within your assigned portfolio.
  • Act as a secondary point of contact for both internal and external stakeholders.
• Financial Oversight:
  • Produce accurate financial reports for Principal Investigators, ensuring compliance with budget versus actuals.
  • Attend regular review meetings and provide crucial insights into financial conditions.
  • Monitor eligibility of costs within award terms and conditions.
  • Conduct regular financial reviews to identify and resolve risks promptly.
• Compliance and Reporting:
  • Ensure timely submission of claims, invoices, and financial reports to external funders.
  • Manage aged debtors, facilitating timely settlements within credit terms.
  • Support calculation of monthly provisions for applicable research awards.
• Task Planning and Organisation:
  • Work closely with the Senior Research Finance Officer to plan and organise tasks within agreed timescales.
  • Comply with contractual deadlines and terms and conditions of research awards.
• Flexibility and Ad-hoc Support:
  • Be adaptable to meet evolving business needs, contributing to tasks and activities as required on an ad-hoc basis.

Essential skills and experience

• Qualified to AAT level 2 or equivalent (or relevant qualifications/work experience)
• Have experience of working in a finance environment

• Be able to demonstrate excellent communication skills, verbal and written, with the ability to communicate with all levels of seniority

• Have excellent IT skills, to include intermediate excel skills and be able to demonstrate analytical skills over a large amount of data

• Possess strong numeracy skills demonstrating accuracy and attention to detail
• Ability to quickly grasp complex details, analyse, summarise and evaluate

• Excellent customer service skills and the ability to deliver a high-quality and professional service to all users

• Highly organised and be able to manage own work and prioritise potentially conflicting workloads with varying deadlines

• Be effective at solving problems

• Be able to demonstrate initiative, innovation and self-motivation in their work

Desirable skills and experience

• Previous experience of working with Oracle Financials software

• Experience of working in Higher Education and/or in Research Administration
• Studying towards level 3 or 4 of the AAT qualification

The Recruitment Co. is an equal opportunities employer and we’re committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace.