Finance Assistant

Salary: £23,700 with progression to £25,138 per annum

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 February 2024

The role

We have an exciting opportunity to join our team of staff based in the School of History Classics and Archaeology at Newcastle 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. 

We are looking for a highly motivated candidate to join our Research and Finance team as a Finance Assistant. Under the guidance of the School Finance Officer you will work on the operational aspects of the School’s finances in order to ensure income and expenditure is accurately processed and reported upon. On a day to day basis you will be responsible for processing expense claims, monitoring devolved budgets and purchasing including for accommodation and travel. A high level of attention to detail is required as well as numeracy and good communication skills.

For informal enquiries about the role please contact Claire Holden on [email protected]

Key Accountabilities

• Purchasing – Receive and process all purchase requisitions, either as a web requisition or by email from colleagues. Ensure that transactions are recorded accurately and efficiently, and comply with internal accounting procedures and external regulations (eg VAT). Carry out Web Invoice Coding and approval
• Sales – Prepare sales orders and raise sales invoices to recover income to the School. Ensure invoices are prepared accurately and in accordance with VAT regulations
• Receive and process fee and expense claims to ensure that transactions are recorded accurately and efficiently, and comply with School protocols, internal accounting procedures and external regulations e.g Right to Work. To act as checker on the e-expenses system
• Data input into university systems, e.g. Student Payments
• Produce regular and ad hoc reports of expenditure on budget lines from all types of accounts, such as Research, Impact and Scholarship Allowances  and compulsory Fieldwork expenditure, and report these to budget holders and users as required making use of SAP as required
• Book and arrange travel and accommodation and act as a point of liaison with academic colleagues and the University approved travel agent
• Act as first point of contact and field queries for all internal and external stakeholders relating to school accounts, escalating queries to the Finance Officer or other colleagues as appropriate. Liaise with School administrative and academic staff, vendors, customers and the Faculty and University administrative teams
• Set up vendors and customers as and when required and in line with the University procurement regulations as instructed by the Research and Finance Officers
• To be responsible for holding a low value School purchasing card to enable financial transactions to be placed outwith the P2P system but in line with University regulations and School protocols. Receive and code up statements following use
• Provide financial, clerical, and operational support for conference organisation when required. To include: liaising with the conference team; making bookings including for travel and accommodation; processing invoices; and any other related duties
• Other related duties as required at a level commensurate with the grade

The Person (Essential)

Knowledge, Skills and Experience 

• High standard of recent experience deemed relevant to this post
• Experience and understanding of the Microsoft Office suite of programs and Excel in particular
• Some experience of financial processes and excellent numeracy
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to forge good working relationships
• Organisational skills, including managing many competing deadlines through effective prioritisation
• Ability to proof read to a high standard
• Ability to write clearly, concisely and correctly
• Ability to understand, interpret and explain complicated policies and regulations, both orally and in writing to a wide range of audiences
• Ability to work on own initiative with minimum supervision and as an active and communicative member of a team

Attributes and Behaviour

• Team-working: Works collaboratively with others, plays a positive role in teams and establishes and grows relationships across the organisation where different skills, expertise and opinions are valued
• Works continually towards achieving success through understanding and meeting or exceeding the expectations of the area, the University, students, colleagues and other stakeholders

Qualifications

• Educated to A Level standard/equivalent vocational qualifications or substantial relevant work experience in a similar setting

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: 26622