Project Finance Officer

Job title:

Project Finance Officer

Company

British Council

Job description

We support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide.We work directly with individuals to help them gain the skills, confidence and connections to transform their lives and shape a better world in partnership with the UK. We support them to build networks and explore creative ideas, to learn English, to get a high-quality education and to gain internationally recognised qualifications.Working with people in over 200 countries and territories, we are on the ground in more than 100 countries. In 2021-22 we reached 650 million people.Finance OfficerPay Band: 7Starting: £30,839Contract Type: Fixed term contract until 31 August 2025Role Type: Business DeliveryLocation: UK; London, Manchester, Cardiff, Edinburgh, BelfastRequirements: Candidates must have the pre-existing (permanent) right to work in location.
Mobility / relocation / visa sponsoring support will not be provided.Benefits include, but are not limited to:

• 32 days annual leave, in addition to public holidays
• 3 days volunteering leave
• Career average defined benefit pension scheme
• An unrivalled opportunity for you to get to use all the experience you’ve built up working in, and/or leading global organisations to support us in building trust across the world

Closing date: Monday 17 June, 11:59pm UK timeRole PurposeThe Finance Officer is central to delivery of the Chevening & Marshall programme, ensuring all scholars are paid their monthly stipends, host universities receive their tuition and housing fees, and that monthly internal and external reporting is accurate and timely.The Finance Officer works alongside the Finance Manager on all aspects of delivery andrequires excellent financial literacy and organisational skills, with the ability to develop a positive rapport with individuals and strong relationships across teams.The role will also help the programmes teams to plan their quarterly and annual budgets, providing ad hoc support, when needed.In addition to your core duties, you may also be required to undertake other reasonable duties to support the administration of the scholarship programmes.ContextThe British Council has been selected as the Secretariat for the prestigious Chevening and Marshall Scholarship programmes funded by the government via the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). Together through these programmes, around 1,500 scholars are selected to study at post-graduate level in the UK from over 100 countries and territories worldwide.The Secretariat is responsible for the majority of the administrative services to deliver a successful scholarship programme. This includes promotion of the programme, the scholar selection process, supporting scholars with placement and then supporting them while studying in the UK, as well as delivering alumni engagement programmes.Both Chevening and Marshall are prestigious and highly sought-after post-graduate programmes selecting scholars of the high academic ability and with the potential to become future leaders and influential figures in their home countries.The role of the finance team is crucial in ensuring Chevening & Marshall scholars are paid their monthly stipends on time and that host universities receive their tuition and housing fees.For more information on Chevening scholarships visitFor more information on Marshall scholarships visitMain accountabilities

• Providing support for the annual and quarterly business planning cycle for the client/donor funded project.
• Providing support for financial month-end reporting. Reviewing monthly and annual business performance, preparing cash-based reports and variance analyses and highlighting areas for improvement to ensure maximum impact and return on investment as well as financial compliance and operational efficiency. Working with delivery teams to ensure that reports are provided on a “self-service” basis with support if required.
• Providing support for contract reporting to clients, partners and donors. Including ad hoc report production.
• Providing financial advice to the Project Delivery teams ensuring not just tailored, consistent, timely, accurate and relevant financial information but also interpretation and decision support resulting from trends identified in the achievement of strategic business objectives.
• Working with delivery team leads in managing and executing financial viability (P/L) of contract amendments and identifying any risks/opportunities. Ensuring that allocated budgets are managed, and income and expenditure, debtors/creditors, activity risk and year-end processes relating to the projects/activities are delivered effectively.
• Provide assistance in developing and embedding effective finance processes, standards, templates, tools and systems which provide an effective framework for the provision of financial support to project.
• Supporting partnership team for income recognition. Where appropriate, monitoring compliance with policies and guidance for the business partners.
• Providing financial input for the Monthly Control Check (MCC) for the donor funded project to identify potential financial risks and ensure that these are appropriately communicated.
• Identifying and resolving issues with financial control and financial accounting.
• Supporting the requests for set-up of client reporting and Master Data Items for the project

Role specific skills

• Support budget management. Monitor and control an agreed budget within a defined area, producing reports and analyses and contributing to planning.

Role specific knowledge and experienceMinimum/essential

• Experience of working in a busy team with the ability to work flexibly in response to changing priorities and deadlines.
• Commercial finance experience gained in an organisation undergoing change and driving for growth.
• Minimum of 3 years of qualified experience in a relevant managerial post.

Desirable

• A knowledge of scholarship programmes and/or international mobility within the UK higher education sector.

Education / Professional Qualifications / Certifications

• Finance degree level education or equivalent experience.
• CCAB qualified or part qualified accountant or other finance degree with proven experience of successfully managing and delivering similar roles.

A connected and trusted UK in a more connected and trusted world.Equality , Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) StatementThe British Council is committed to policies and practices of equality, diversity and inclusion across everything we do. We support all staff to make sure their behaviour is consistent with this commitment. We want to address under representation and encourage applicants from under-represented groups, in particular, but not exclusively, on grounds of ethnicity and disability. All disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria are guaranteed an interview and we have Disability Confident Employer Status. We welcome discussions about specific requirements or adjustments to enable participation and engagement in our work and activities.The British Council is committed to safeguarding children, young people and adults who we work with.We believe that all children and adults everywhere in the world deserve to live in safe environments and have the right to be protected from all forms of abuse, maltreatment and exploitation as set out in article 19, UNCRC (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child) 1989.Appointment to positions where there is direct involvement with vulnerable groups will be dependent on thorough checks being completed; these will include qualification checks, reference checks, identity & criminal record checks in line with legal requirements and with the British Council’s Safeguarding policies for Adults and Children.If you have any problems with your application please emailPlease note: Applications to this role can only be considered when made through the Apply section of our careers website. Our ‘ASK HR’ email is only to be used in case of a technical issue encountered when applying through the careers website. Emails with supporting statements and CV/Resumes sent to this email address will not be reviewed and will be deleted.

Expected salary

Location

Manchester – London

Job date

Wed, 05 Jun 2024 02:19:31 GMT

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