This is a key role, assisting the Operations Manager, you will work alongside one other Senior Operations Assistant with providing dedicated support and advice to all Warwick Business School staff with regard to a complex range of financial activity. When deputising for the Operations Manager you will be a first point of contact for finance operations queries.

The WBS Finance Office is a friendly and outward facing team who work closely with other staff, both within the School and wider University. You will be highly motivated, with excellent teamwork and communication skills.

You will have shared responsibility for managing the finance processing team, who support the financial processing and travel booking requirements for the School, and will ensure that a high level of customer service is delivered at all times. You will seek to ensure that all systems operate in accordance with University Financial Regulations and procedures.

You will hold a relevant practical accounting qualification such as Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) and be willing to progress towards a CIMA qualification, or equivalent.

To assist the WBS Operations Manager with the day-to-day financial transactions of WBS ensuring compliance with financial systems and controls. To work alongside the Operations Manager to develop, implement and manage office procedures as necessary to ensure objectives are met and that a high standard of service is achieved.

To demonstrate excellent customer service, building good working relationships with stakeholders through close communication and information sharing and collaborative working.

To communicate University financial regulations and all WBS finance procedures to internal stakeholders effectively, including supporting training of staff within the school.

To assist the WBS Operations Manager in managing and developing the finance processing team who support the financial processing, travel and Shard catering booking requirements for the School.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Finance Operations

• Deputise for the Operations Manager, being a first point of call for WBS staff with regard to operational finance related queries. This will include ensuring compliance with the relevant University Regulations and seeking to maintain an excellent level of customer service across the processing team.
• Assist as necessary, particularly in the event of peaks in workload or staff absence, with the processing of purchase orders and invoices, expenses, sales invoices and credit notes and with other similar duties. To be responsible for raising credit notes and sales invoice cancellations in a timely and accurate manner.
• Make overseas payments and travel or conference bookings via credit card, and take responsibility for ensuring that University policy on Purchasing and Corporate card is adhered to at all times.
• To have oversight of cash floats/equivalents and their administration, and to assist with processing and deliver payments for banking, including verifying coding and signatories and ensuring compliance with financial regulations.
• Give clear, consistent and timely guidance to all WBS staff in accordance with University regulations and the Dean’s policy instructions. To resolve queries as far as possible and to act as a filter with regard to those queries, escalating them to the Operations Manager as necessary. Assist the Operations Manager with requests relating to Financial Regulations.

Staff Management

• With the oversight of the Operations Manager, to supervise the processing team’s finance assistants and senior finance assistants and manage their workloads and the quality and timeliness of their work on a day-to-day basis. This will include providing training as required and reviewing outputs/metrics to ensure allocation of work is fairly distributed.
• Assist the Operations Manager with the recruitment, training and development of the team’s finance assistants and senior finance assistants.

Procurement

• Assist the Operations Manager with all aspects of procurement, including APP’s, software licences and MDR2 forms, Global Payments, Shard catering activity and related processes.
• Take responsibility for releasing orders, up to a set value on OPeRA and maintain OPeRA and Concur profile/data set up. Assist with IR35 assessments and related administration.

Financial reporting

• Supervise the Senior Finance Assistants with financial reporting and quarter end by running SAP reports and quarterly monitoring for budgets areas such as (but not limited to) seminar budgets and subject groups, and by preparing journals and assessments.

Internal systems and controls

• Oversee the maintenance of an up to date and effective authorised signatories record, including updating OPeRA and Concur as necessary.
• Assist the Operations Manager with maintaining an office procedures manual.
• Have oversight of the review of outstanding commitments on SAP, to ensure that purchasing commitments are monitored and queries, including GR/IR, are resolved to support accurate management accounting.
• Ensure all generic Finance emails are cleared weekly.
• Ensure Daily Log is reviewed weekly and ensure all queries are followed up and resolved promptly.

Other

• Contribute to specific projects as required.
• Carry out other ad hoc duties commensurate with the post level, as required by the Operations Manager, Head of Finance or the Chief Finance Officer.

Closing Date: 31 December 2022