Gift & Finance Assistant

Role Title

Gift & Finance Assistant

Grade 5, £26,707 - £31,236 per annum

Full-time (35hrs per week), open-ended

28 days annual leave plus 9 buildings closed days (and Christmas Eve when it falls on a weekday). Use our total rewards calculator:  to see the value of benefits provided by Heriot-Watt University. We welcome and will consider flexible working patterns e.g. part-time working and job share options.

This role sits within the University’s Advancement Team and reports to the Development & Alumni Relations Services Manager. Its primary function is to provide dedicated support to Heriot-Watt University’s Advancement function, encompassing Fundraising, Alumni Engagement, the Shaping Futures campaign, and the management of previously gifted philanthropic funds. The Gift & Finance Assistant plays a central role in supporting the operations that underpin the success of fundraising, alumni engagement, and donor stewardship.

Working closely with the Development & Alumni Relations Services Manager, the postholder will manage a wide range of activities including donation processing, data recording, receipting, invoicing, pledge management, reporting and forecasting using the Raiser’s Edge (RE) database.

• Ensure all gifts are accurately recorded and receipted in a timely manner, in accordance with policies, HMRC requirements, GDPR and CASE reporting standards.
• Process donations and biographical/prospect data in compliance with policy.
• Record philanthropic income on Raiser’s Edge and escalates complex cases to the Development & Alumni Relations Services Manager and Assistant Principal, Advancement.
• Administer donor pledge reminders and invoicing processes, ensuring accuracy and timely communication.
• Prepare Gift Aid claims in collaboration with Finance to ensure compliance and timely submissions.
• Communicate donor wishes and expenditure restrictions effectively to destination units, in consultation with Finance.
• Provide administrative support for transactions and engagements involving overseas charities.

• Prepare reconciliation of philanthropic income between Raiser’s Edge and Oracle Fusion, ensuring timely, accurate and transparent reporting.
• Assist with donation and bequest holding accounts, ensuring correct and prompt distribution to destination units and establishment of new endowment funds where appropriate.

• Support the preparation of annual endowment financial reports for donors where required.
• Assist with internal philanthropic reports, ensuring accuracy, transparency and timeliness.

• Handle collection, validation and counting of all datasets contributing to the Shaping Futures campaign, including competitive research funding, corporate sponsorship, philanthropy and government funding across all campuses.
• Assist with the preparation of campaign counting reports as directed by the Development & Alumni Relations Services Manager.
• Clerk the Campaign Counting and Reporting Working Group, preparing agendas, minutes and follow-up actions.

• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of legislative and sector developments relevant to fundraising, financial governance and data management.
• Support the delivery of the highest standards of donor stewardship across the Advancement function.
• Undertake additional financial or administrative tasks as required in support of Advancement and Finance objectives.

These are the criteria on which the short‑listing and recruitment selection will be made.