Accountancy Assistant

Salary: £29,605 - £30,487 per annum with progression to £32,982

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits . We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Closing Date: 28 April 2024

The role

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic and motivated Accountancy Assistant to join the management accounts team supporting the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences.

We are part of the Finance Hub, a large team of skilled and experienced colleagues who manage the financial business activities of the University. We provide a professional and proactive service to our students, colleagues and stakeholders. We are committed to supporting the personal and professional development of our team.

You will support the Finance Business Partners and wider team in delivery of a full management accounting, financial advisory and guidance service across the Faculty and working with internal and external stakeholders.

You will have an eye for detail and be comfortable managing a range of activities simultaneously. You will be self-motivated and able to work to tight deadlines in a busy and dynamic environment. Strong communication, IT and customer service skills are essential.

Well-being and happiness at work are important to us and we are committed to building and maintaining a fair and inclusive working environment. We are happy to discuss arrangements for flexible and/or hybrid working.

Informal enquiries are welcomed, please contact Dave Ramsey, Head of Faculty Finance: [email protected]

Key Accountabilities

•    Be responsible for the provision of operational finance information and support for specific budgets and/or units
•    Assist the Head and Deputy Head of Faculty Finance and Finance Business Partners in the preparation of detailed annual budgets and forecasts
•    Produce a standard suite of reports and performance indicators to an agreed timetable
•    Provide advice and guidance on financial issues to Faculty / Professional Services staff
•    Liaise with Finance and other Professions Services colleagues where necessary to ensure that best practice is adhered to at all times
•    Be responsible for the creation and amendment of finance master data as required in order to maintain the most effective structures for use across the faculty
•    Identify areas within the unit where best practice could be strengthened by the application of university policies and procedures
•    Run month end procedures in order to facilitate the production of monthly / quarterly accounts in accordance with the accounting timetable
•    Supervise other members of the team on a day-to-day basis as required

The Person 

Knowledge, Skills and Experience 

•    High degree of literacy and numeracy
•    Strong communication skills (written and verbal) and highly developed IT skills
•    Staff management and leadership skills and experience
•    Recent, relevant experience working in a finance environment
•    Experience of the production of management accounting information
•    SAP knowledge (desirable)
•    Experience of working effectively in a large and complex organisation to enable successful collaboration between the Finance, Faculty, School and other University roles (desirable)

Attributes and Behaviour

•    Embraces change by reviewing and revising plans and policies to meet with changing circumstances / in light of new information.  Is willing to experiment and is enterprising in approach to developing and implementing new ideas.  Can build upon ideas and suggestions from others and is supportive of colleagues during change
•    As an effective team player, makes time to listen and understand individual or group motives
•    Chooses communication tools appropriately and tailors’ content to the audience changing style, tone and format appropriately
•    Works in a planned and structured way whilst maintaining flexibility to allow for changing circumstances.  Ensures that activities are completed on time using systems and tools to ensure records and audit trails are clear and up to date

Qualifications

•    Educated to at least A Level standard (minimum of 3, grades A-C) or equivalent standard by experience
•    AAT qualified (Association of Accounting Technicians) or equivalent is desirable

Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.  As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.

We are committed to being a fully inclusive 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 of our employees and the communities they represent.  We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.

At Newcastle University we hold a silver Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality.  We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC.  We are aDisability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme.

In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe. 

Requisition ID: 26937