Functional Lead - Finance Office Grade 8

Position Details Finance Office University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UKFull time starting salary is normally in the range 47,389 to 56,535 with potential progression once in post to 63,606

Grade: 8

Full Time, Permanent Closing date: 15th October 2026

Our offer to you People are at the heart of what we are and do.

The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years, and we are equally proud to be recognised as a leading global university. We want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond, support them to succeed, and celebrate their success.

We are committed to helping the people who work here to develop through our sector-leading Birmingham Professional programme which provides all professional services staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full potential. With almost 5,000 professional services jobs in a wide-range of functions in Edgbaston and in our campus in Dubai, there are plenty of opportunities for you to be able to develop your career at the University.

We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation, and debate. We warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we are, and how we work.

Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important both to our employees and to the success of the University and, depending on the role, we offer a variety of flexible working arrangements. We therefore welcome discussions on all forms of flexible working. In addition, you will receive a generous package of benefits including 40 days paid holiday a year, one paid day a year for volunteering, occupational sick pay, and a pension scheme.

We also have three high quality subsidised day nurseries.

The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and there are excellent transport links to our beautiful campus, including main bus routes and a train station on site. On campus we have a state-of-the-art sports centre with pool, shops, places to eat and drink, our own art gallery, museum and botanical gardens.

Find out more about the benefits of working for the University of Birmingham Role Summary The Core Systems Optimisation Team (CSOT) is responsible for delivering and continually enhancing the University’s Core Systems, which underpin key academic, financial, and operational activities. These systems play a vital role in supporting the University’s ambitions to grow income, control costs, increase efficiency, and further digitise our processes.

Reporting to the Head of CSOT, the Functional Lead will take full ownership of the University’s Finance systems. This role serves as the key lead for Finance systems, providing direction, expertise, and oversight for how finance process is supported end-to-end in the system. You will build deep knowledge of Finance processes and the underlying system capabilities.

You will drive continuous improvement across the Finance systems landscape, identifying enhancements, shaping future functionality, advising on best practice, influencing roadmap priorities, and overseeing configuration changes. As the primary specialist in this area, you will work closely with business stakeholders, subject matter experts, and the Managed Service Provider to ensure the University maximises value from its systems and that issues are resolved effectively.

The role also carries a leadership dimension, managing a small team, representing CSOT in key forums, and deputising for the Head of CSOT at internal and external meetings. Strong…