Project Support Officer; Finance

Position: Project Support Officer (Finance)
Location: City of Edinburgh

Salary - £33,284 - £36,028

Hybrid working (50/50)8-Month Fixed Term Contract

Location:

Edinburgh, Wallingford, Lancaster or Bangor We reserve the right to close this advert early if we find the right candidate, so we encourage you to apply early.

About UKCEHUKCEH is a leading independent research institute with over 600 scientists studying how the natural world works. We take a connected approach across land, water and air to understand environmental systems and build resilience for people and the planet.

About This Role We're looking for a Project Support Officer (Finance) to join our collaborative team for an 8-month maternity cover opportunity, helping to support the financial management of environmental research that makes a difference to people and the planet.

You’ll join a friendly and collaborative team of around 20 colleagues based across our four UKCEH sites. Working closely with scientists, project managers and finance professionals, the team provides expert project and financial support that enables successful research delivery. Although geographically dispersed, colleagues work together closely through Microsoft Teams and a culture of openness, inclusion and knowledge sharing. Full training and support will be provided, helping you build confidence and develop your skills within a team that values Excellence, Integrity and Teamwork.

This role offers the opportunity to become a trusted partner to project managers and researchers across a wide range of environmental programmes. You will support project setup, financial reporting, budget monitoring and project administration, helping teams make informed decisions and maintain accurate financial information throughout the life of their projects. Working with colleagues across multiple disciplines and locations, you will also develop expertise in project finance, research administration and stakeholder engagement.

Through your attention to detail, strong organisational skills and ability to communicate financial information clearly, you will help ensure UKCEH projects are managed efficiently, compliantly and successfully.

Your main responsibilities will include

Providing guidance and training to project managers on systems, reports and budgeting tools

Supporting project managers with project set-up, review and closure activities in Workday (full training will be given)
Assisting project accountants with workflow approvals and budget monitoring

Maintaining accurate project information and financial records within Workday Producing expenditure statements to support customer invoicing processes

Generating and maintaining project invoicing schedules

Supporting revisions to live projects and associated financial records

Resolving financial processing and reporting queries from colleagues

What we’re looking for:

5 GCSEs (or equivalent) at Grade C/4 or above (including Maths and English)
Strong IT skills, including Microsoft Office applications with intermediate to advanced Excel skills

Excellent comm unication skills with the ability to explain financial information clearly

Great organisational skills and the ability to prioritise competing demands

Good numeracy skills and an understanding of budget control principles

High levels of accuracy and attention to detail.

A proactive and solution-focused approach to problem-solving.

What will help you stand out:

Previous experience in an academic, scientific or research environment

Experience using finance systems (ideally Workday)
Experience managing content on Share Point Experience  managing/triaging shared email mailbox.

How to apply

and what happens next

If you’re interested in this role, we’d love to hear from you. You’ll be directed to our Workday portal where you’ll create an account and upload your CV and your responses to the questions below. Your responses are an important part of our assessment process, so please take the time to complete them thoughtfully:

A separate cover letter is not required

Use clear, concise examples that demonstrate your personal contribution, relevant skills, qualifications (if applicable) and impact

Limit your responses to a maximum of 150 words per question

Once submitted, our panel will…