Finance Assistant

Advert

Finance Assistant
School of Computer Science & Informatics
College of Physical Sciences and Engineering

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Finance Assistant to join the School of Computer Science & Informatics. Reporting to the Finance Manager, you will be a proactive and collegial member of the School’s Professional Service staff, and work closely with finance colleagues located in the College of Physical Sciences and Engineering. You will be primarily based in Abacws (https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/campus-developments/projects/abacws), our brand new innovative building which hosts both the School of Computer Science & Informatics and the School of Mathematics.

You will act as the first point of contact for all finance administration related queries within the School, providing detailed advice and guidance to all stakeholders of varying seniority across the University. You will need to be comfortable working as part of a team and be able work professionally with colleagues at all levels within the University.

This position is full-time (35 hours per week), is open-ended and available immediately. The University welcomes flexible working applications, and we are happy to discuss blended working arrangements at interview stage.

Salary: £23,700 – £24,533 per annum (Grade 3)

For an informal discussion about the role please contact Rhian Newman, Finance Officer – [email protected]

Informal enquiries in relation to the recruitment / application process can be sent to Simon Hogg – [email protected] .

Date advert posted: Friday, 12 January 2024

Closing date: Friday, 2 February 2024

Please be aware that Cardiff University reserves the right to close this vacancy early should sufficient applications be received.

Cardiff University is committed to supporting all its employees in achieving the necessary balance between their work and their personal lives. As part of this commitment, the University has developed a flexible and responsive framework of support for staff in managing their work and personal commitments wherever possible. [Applications for posts on a part-time or job-share arrangement would also be considered].

Cardiff University is committed to supporting and promoting equality and diversity and to creating an inclusive working environment. We believe this can be achieved through attracting, developing, and retaining a diverse range of staff from many different backgrounds.  We therefore welcome applicants from all sections of the community regardless of sex, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, trans identity, relationship status, religion or belief, caring responsibilities, or age.  In supporting our employees to achieve a balance between their work and their personal lives, we will also consider proposals for flexible working or job share arrangements.

Job Description

Job Purpose

Provide an administrative service to the School of Computer Science & Informatics, engaging and completing a range of routine tasks to meet operational and customer service requirements. Providing support and guidance on financial administration and key duties undertaken.

Key Duties

• Deal with a range of finance related enquires from internal and external customers in a professional manner, establishing their requirements and adapting the standard responses accordingly
• Collaborate with others in order to make recommendations for developments of established processes and procedures
• Establish working relationships with key contacts to help improve service levels
• Undertake a variety of finance and general administrative duties to support the team and department
• Gather and analyse financial data to update administrative systems with accurate information, establishing basic trends and patterns in any data submitted
• Contribute to the success of the team, leading others through example, and supporting colleagues within the School

Specific Duties

• Support colleagues and students by providing guidance on School internal processes, including signposting through travel request/approval requirements in line with the University’s Financial Regulations and School policies
• Prepare, process and receipt purchase orders on Oracle, ensuring validity and compliance with the Financial Regulations and procedures. Ensure the correct VAT treatments are applied
• To liaise with suppliers, requestors and Accounts Payable in relation to orders, delivery and invoice enquiries
• Work closely with the Technical Services team in relation to raising specific technical orders, seeking quotes and liaison with the Procurement team where necessary
• Liaison with the Supplier setup team for new supplier requests and establishing the specific needs of colleague’s requests
• Under the supervision of the Finance Officer, assist with high value purchase orders for complex research grants within the School
• Review, distribute and action of Open Purchase order/On Hold invoice reports on a regular basis
• To act as the primary point of contact in the School for booking and ordering catering through the University Catering team; establishing the requirements of the event and seeking appropriate budgetary approval
• Monitor the Schools’ finance shared inbox collaboratively with the Finance Officer, responding to queries, assigning emails to relevant team members and escalate to the Finance Manager where appropriate
• Support academic staff to co-ordinate financial elements of school run workshops, seminars and conferences
• To assist with courier arrangements, both nationally and internationally

General Duties

• Ensure that an understanding of the importance of confidentiality is applied when undertaking all duties
• Abide by University policies on Health and Safety and Equality and Diversity
• Perform other duties occasionally which are not included above, but which will be consistent with the role

Person Specification

Essential Criteria

Qualifications and Education

NVQ 2/GCSE level A-C or equivalent experience

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

Experience of working in a financial administrative environment

Proficient in using common office IT packages (e.g. MS Office)

Ability to set up standard administrative systems and procedures

Customer Service, Communication and Team Working

Ability to communicate effectively and professionally with a wide range of people

Ability to work as an effective team member, providing advice and guidance to other team members where necessary

Proven ability to deal with escalated requests for information or service, resolving customer issues where appropriate

Planning, Analysis and Problem Solving

Ability to plan, prioritise and organise own workload within established time scales

Ability to use initiative in solving problems and responding to queries ensuring compliance with standard procedures and practices

Other

A willingness to undertake further training and development

Desirable Criteria

A-Levels or equivalent experience

Experience of working with financial and accounting systems, eg Oracle

Knowledge or experience of using MS Excel for manipulating data, eg Pivot Tables/VLookups

Experience of working in a Higher Education environment

Fluency in Welsh, written and oral

Additional Information

IMPORTANT: Evidencing Criteria

It is Cardiff University’s policy to use the person specification as a key tool for shortlisting. Therefore, candidates must evidence they meet ALL the essential criteria and, where relevant, the desirable.
As part of the application process, you are asked to provide this evidence via a supporting statement. Please ensure that the evidence you are providing corresponds with the numbered criteria outlined in the person specification. Your application will be considered based on the information you provide for each criterion.

When attaching the supporting statement to your application profile, please ensure you name it with the vacancy reference number: 18061BR.

Your application will be at risk of not being progressed if you do not evidence you have met all essential criteria. The school welcomes the submission of CVs to accompany evidence of the job-based criteria.

Job Category

Admin / Clerical