Commercial Finance Manager

• Voted 1 University in London from the National Student survey in 2023
• University of the Year for Social Inclusion in the Daily Mail Guide 2024

About Our Client

About University of West London (UWL)

Founded in 1860, University of West London was voted the number 1 University in London from the National Student survey in 2023. They were also voted Best University for Student Experience and Teaching Quality in the UK in 2024 which adds to a long list of accolades.

At the University of West London (UWL), they are dedicated to motivating their students to become inventive and creative professionals by linking them to new and rewarding job opportunities. They can only accomplish this by allowing their employees to gain the confidence and capability to develop and enrich their positions as active participants in their University.

The UWL community is a diverse group of staff and students who work together to foster success and achievement. They appreciate their staff’s diversity and put ideals into practice by promoting inclusivity and assuring our employees’ advancement and success. They were voted University of the Year for Social Inclusion by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.

Job Description

Reports to: Group Financial Controller

Main Responsibilities

• Managing the budgets of designated schools & professional service departments (PSD) and working closely with the respective budget holders in delivering targeted budgeted results.
• The post holder will also support the wider finance team to deliver a first-class accounting function to meet OFS requirements and best practice accounting standards.
• The finance department is a closely knit unit that is responsible for a variety of duties in both financial and management accounting and actively encourages advancement of skills and post qualification training.
• Lead on the preparation of budgets by factoring student numbers into financial forecasts and supporting an appropriate allocation of staff and non-staff resources.
• Monitor performance against appropriate KPIs and ensure that this data is effectively reported across the schools.
• Ensure a full course costing analysis is in place and that all new courses are assessed against approved business cases.
• Produce and present monthly management accounts for designated schools & PSD’s and ensure that the budget holder understands their financial outturn and forecasts.
• Report on the financial performance of the designated schools & PSD’s along with associated risks and opportunities.
• Support the Group Financial Controller in producing monthly management accounts for the university and its subsidiaries.
• Support designated schools in identifying new income sources, opportunities to increase existing income lines and efficiency savings.
• Manage designated schools’ enterprise income reporting and assist in their bids for research income.
• Coordinate the capital needs of designated schools and PSD’s to ensure that they are factored into the budgeting process.
• Advise on VAT and partial exemption VAT rules.
• Completion of monthly income statement, balance sheet reconciliations, month-end/year-end journals and reporting.
• Support the preparation of the financial statements for the university and its subsidiaries and prepare relevant analysis to enable the financial statements to be audited.
• Liaise with internal auditors and ensure that adequate supporting documentation is available for review.
• Support the Group Financial Controller in preparing for and delivering the year-end audit of the consolidated group and its subsidiaries.
• Undertake any other duties as reasonably required.

The Successful Applicant

Candidates will be shortlisted based on the criteria below:

• Qualified Accountant – ACA (Essential)
• Experience in preparing statutory financial accounts & interaction with external auditors or relevant work experience in an audit practice performing external audits.
• A minimum of three years professional accounting related work experience in a medium or large organisation.
• Higher education sector knowledge/exposure is desirable.

Desirable

• The ability to work within a team in order to deliver a first-class budgeting, financial reporting and accounting service for the university.
• The ability to work closely with designated stakeholders to assist them in preparing business strategies and financial plans.
• Great communicator both written and spoken.
• The ability to meet strict deadlines and prioritise workload.
• The ability to use Microsoft excel efficiently and effectively.

What’s on Offer

Our Offer

• Salary: Up to £61,800 per annum
• Location: West London (5 days in the office)
• 30 days annual leave + Bank holiday and 3 days for Christmas Closure
• Defined Benefit or 25% Defined Contribution (5%, 20%). With the DC scheme you have the option to direct some of the money which has previously all gone into your pension to other things that matter to you (ISA, Mortgage or Loan).
• Job type: Permanent

Contact Eze Ewuzie

Quote job ref JN-082022-5710207

Phone number+44 207 269 2222