Interim Senior Financial Accounting Manager

The University

At Durham University we are proud of our people.  A globally outstanding centre of educational excellence, a collegiate community of extraordinary people, a unique and historic setting – Durham is a university like no other. We believe that inspiring our people to do outstanding things at Durham enables Durham people to do outstanding things professionally and personally.  
Across the University we have a huge variety of roles and career opportunities, which together make us a large and successful community, which is a key hub of activity within our region and nationally.  We would be thrilled if you would consider joining our thriving University. Further information about the University can be found here

The Role and Department

The Financial Transactional Team represents the larger part of the Finance Department and includes all the processing and compliance functions including Cash Management, Reconciliation, Accounts Payable, Student Services and Credit control and responsibility for the Financial Accounts (FTE 47). The Interim Senior Financial Accounting Manager is a key role within the Finance Department, reporting to the Financial Controller and supporting the Head of Financial Accounting. 

The role is responsible for complex Balance Sheet Reconciliations, Cashflow forecasting, support with year end audit and production of financial statements, continuous improvement, developing processes and SOP’s along with supporting the Financial Transactional Teams with identifying Oracle Fusion improvements and optimisation, prioritising developments and working cross functional to ensure delivery in agreed timescales.

The role offers hybrid working with a minimum of 40% office based per week however may increase to meet business needs, eg month end, audit etc.

Working at Durham 

A competitive salary is only one part of the many fantastic benefits you will receive if you join the University: you will also receive access to the following fantastic benefits: 

•    30 Days annual leave per year in addition to 8 public holidays and 4 customary days per year – a total of 42 days per year.  
•    The University closes between Christmas and New Year 
•    We offer a generous pension scheme, As a new member of staff you will be automatically enrolled into this University Superannuation Scheme (USS). 
•    No matter how you travel to work, we have you covered.  We have parking across campus, a cycle to work scheme which helps you to buy a bike and discount with local bus and train companies.
•    There is a genuine commitment to developing our colleagues professionally and personally.  There is a comprehensive range of development courses, apprenticeships and access to qualifications and routes to develop your career in the University.  All staff have dedicated annual time to concentrate on their personal development opportunities. 
•    Lots of support for health and wellbeing including discounted membership for our state of the art sport and gym facilities and access to a 24-7 Employee Assistance Programme.
•    On site nursery is available and access to holiday camps for children aged 5-16 throughout the year.
•    Family friendly policies, including maternity and adoption leave, which are among the most generous in the higher education sector (and likely above and beyond many employers).
•    The opportunity to take part in staff volunteering activities to make a difference in the local community
•    Discounts are available via our benefits portal including; money off at supermarkets, high street retailers, IT products such as Apple, the cinema and days out at various attractions. 
•    A salary sacrifice scheme is also available to help you take advantage of tax savings on benefits. 
•    If you are moving to Durham, you may be eligible for help with removal costs and we have a dedicated team who can help you with the practicalities such as house hunting and schools.  If you need a visa, we cover most visa costs and offer an interest free loan scheme to pay for dependant visas.

Durham University is committed to equality,  diversity and inclusion 

Our collective aim is to create an open and inclusive environment where everyone can reach their full potential and we believe our staff should reflect the diversity of the global community in which we work.  As a University equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are a key part of the University’s Strategy and a central part of everything we do.  We also live by our values and our Staff Code of Conduct.  At Durham we actively work towards providing an environment where our staff and students can study, work and live in a community which is supportive and inclusive. It’s important to us that all of our colleagues are aligned to both our values and commitment to EDI.

We welcome and encourage applications from members of groups who are under-represented in our work force including people with disabilities, women and black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.  If you have taken time out of your career, and you feel it relevant, let us know about it in your application.  If you are a candidate with a disability, we are committed to ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process. We will make adjustments to support the interview process wherever it is reasonable to do so and, where successful, reasonable adjustments will be made to support people within their role. 

What you need to demonstrate when you apply/Person Specification  
  
When you apply it is important that you let us know what skills/experience you have from a similar role and/or what skills/experience you have which would make you right for this role.  Further information about the role and responsibilities is at the end of this job description.  Where a criteria has an asterisk* next to it, it may be given additional weighting when your application is considered.    

Essential Criteria

Qualifications/Experience

1.   Educated to degree level (or equivalent experience) and possess significant relevant professional experience within a similar role.

2. Qualified chartered accountant with specialist knowledge and expertise to influence service delivery, events and activities within the organisation.

3. Experience of providing specialist advice and guidance to a range of customers and colleagues, including more senior colleagues.

4. Experience of participating in internal or external networks to share and discuss good practice, develop strong and productive working relationships and positively influence the University’s reputation.

5. Experience of implementing policies and procedures and supporting service improvements.

6. Experience of preparing cashflow forecast and related treasury experience.

7. Experience of preparing complex balance sheet reconciliations and working with external auditors throughout the year end audit

Skills/Abilities/Knowledge

8.    Excellent spoken and written communication skills including the ability to develop effective working relationships, both internally and externally

9.    Strong digital competence across a range digital devices and apps including digital  communication tools, Microsoft 365 applications, Oracle Fusion.

10.    Committed to continuing professional development to maintain professional recognition.

11.    Extensive knowledge and experience of ensuring compliance with regulatory and organisational policy and guidelines.

12.    Ability to contribute to planning at operational and strategic levels.

13.    Ability to solve problems and decide on and plan appropriate solutions. 

Desirable Criteria

·        Experience within Higher Education Organisations.

·        Experience of high volume of transactions in a large organisation.

·        Experience with large financial systems like Oracle/SAP or similar.

·        Experience of working with external auditors and year end close.

·        Experience of producing financial statements and statutory disclosures.

How to apply
 
To progress to the assessment stage, candidates must evidence each of the essential criteria required for the role in the person specification above. It will be at the discretion of the recruiting panel as to whether they will also consider any desirable criteria, but we would urge candidates to provide evidence for all criteria.  Please don’t forget to check if there is any weighted criteria (see above).

While some criteria will be considered at the shortlisting stage, other criteria may be considered later in the assessment process, such as questions at interview.   
 
Submitting your application 

We prefer to receive applications online.   We will update you about your application at various points throughout the selection process, via automated emails from our e-recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to make sure you have not missed any of our updates.
 
What you need to submit   

•    A CV: and   
•    A supporting statement which outlines how you meet all of the criteria within the Person Specification.    
 
Contact details   
 
For a chat about the role or any further information please contact Sue Jarvis ([email protected])

Typical Role Requirements

Core Responsibilities

·        Support with the monthly and year-end balance sheet reconciliation process including ownership of allocated balance sheet reconciliations.

·        Support with the production of statutory financial statements and production of lead schedules.

·        Support with year end external audit queries and work with the external auditors to bring audit to a successful conclusion.

·        Lead on continuous process activity in the Financial Transactional Team and support with process review and documenting processes.

·        Produce the Daily/Weekly and Monthly Cashflows reports.

·        Support financial controller with other financial duties within the wider Transactional Finance Team.

Service Delivery/Development

·        Show a commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and the University’s values.

·        Oversee and manage professional and regulatory standards (for example Accounting Standards, IFRS) and policies relating to activities carried out by the financial accounts service.

·        Use your professional knowledge and experience resolve problems, shape processes and activities, develop systems and provide subject matter expertise and advice.

·        Use your leadership and management expertise to implement any significant changes in the optimal way, in collaboration with other senior managers and specialists.

·        Lead on the development of new areas of work or activities including changes needed in relation to the implementation of a new finance system including scoping, planning and implementing any changes to achieve the outcomes expected by senior colleagues.

·        Look for innovative ways to continually improve the services provided to your stakeholders.

·        Develop and implement new or improved policies, processes and standards.

·        Support quality and regulatory audits to ensure that system and processes are operating in an optimal and compliant way. 

·        Provide specialist advice on the analysis and interpretation of complex data, to enable data driven decisions to be made within the financial accounts areas.

·        Contribute to operational leadership teams to influence the type and level of services that are provided by your area.

·        Contribute to the development of operational and strategic level plans relevant to your area.

·        Analyse data about the service levels provided by your area and make recommendations for improvement in reports to senior managers and committees.

·        Meet the professional development needs of your stakeholders, designing and providing training when required.

Planning and Organisation

·        Define what needs to be achieved by colleagues and assist with scoping, planning and implementing large scale/University wide initiatives.

·        Ensure your services are performing at the optimal level by setting clear standards and introducing measurable performance indicators.

·        Use your leadership expertise to help project teams understand what needs to be achieved, solve any problems that are encountered and keep implementation plans on track.

Communication/Liaison

·        Use your professional knowledge to identify and recommend priorities for long-term business plans.

·        Provide professional guidance and advice when carrying out the core responsibilities.

·        Lead internal and external meetings to influence University policy, standards and governance.

·        Build and lead an influential network of internal and external contacts to increase your knowledge and skills, swap information with peers and use that information to improve and develop the Financial Transactional Service teams.

·        Explore options to promote and increase engagement across the team.

·        Any other reasonable duties

Please note that in submitting your application Durham University will be processing your data. We would ask you to consider the relevant University Privacy Statement Privacy Notices - Durham University  which provides information on the collation, storing and use of data.  

SECONDMENT
The post is full time, fixed term for a 6 month period and may be offered on an internal secondment basis subject to the agreement of the current line manager.
If an internal member of staff is appointed to this role on a secondment basis, for pension purposes this will be processed in line with Step-Up arrangements.  For further details please click here.

When appointing to this role the University must ensure that it meets any applicable immigration requirements, including salary thresholds which are applicable to some visas.