Finance Support Co-ordinator

Contract Type: Fixed Term Contract for 12 months

Welsh Language: Not Applicable

This is a varied role within a busy team that provides high-quality financial services within the Finance Core Support / Shared Service function of the Business Partnering team, at The Open University.

As a Core Support Co‑ordinator you will support the collation of financial information for external and internal reporting. You will assist with the preparation and organisation of relevant data, allocating to the correct reports, and coordinating submissions to the relevant external or internal stakeholders when complete.

Part of the focus for this role is around running reports (using various systems) and ensuring the smooth delivery of support to units, faculties, and BP Hubs (services include managing and answering queries, triaging, and responding to ad‑hoc requests). This includes running and distributing routine financial reports to other Finance colleagues, running reports on fee income, tuition, staff cost forecasting, as well as the preparation and compilation of financial analysis and tables for external returns and documentation.

The Co‑ordinator also supports the general routine maintenance of University’s Unit/Faculty accounts, adhering to the correct process and required regulations, reporting to key stakeholders, and providing support for audits where needed. This includes financial monitoring and reporting on externally funded activities, forecasting, providing costings and financial monitoring, in compliance with both the University’s financial regulations and procedures, contracts.

Interpersonal communication, problem solving, accuracy, and strong attention to detail are key attributes for success as the role.

• Supporting BP Hubs working with unit/faculty staff to provide financial input and standard reports that enable budget managers to plan and utilise university resource/budgets and inform future forecast and decision making as necessary.
• Resolving ad‑hoc and scheduled transactional queries, proactively engaging with, assisting and guiding colleagues and stakeholders, and triaging when needed.
• Managing and resolving transactional audit queries and supporting colleagues when needed.
• Providing advice and guidance on university financial process and approach, appropriate cost/pricing methodologies, reporting and authorisation processes.
• Processing finance workflow for staffing changes when required.
• Completing SCF (Salary Cost Forecast) maintenance (informing rates, inflation etc.), updating/amendments to records in SCF and other systems.
• Support external and year‑end reporting and collation of information including TRAC, HEBCIS, HESA, , TEF, KEF, plus Middle States accreditation.
• Working with Finance business partners, monitoring, maintenance (budgeting and forecasting), and closure.
• Raising or reviewing sales orders/invoices including producing the supporting financial MI as required.
• Documenting, updating and adopting financial processes, principles, and approaches ensuring best practice, consistency and continuous improvement.
• Ensuring familiarisation with latest process and systems guidance, relevant policies, procedures and university financial regulations as necessary and supporting and advising colleagues when required ensuring compliance (internal and external).
• Line management of Core Support Assistant, as required.
• Providing flexible cover across the BP Core Support Teams, as required.
• Training and development of University staff in finance process and systems as appropriate ensuring consistency.
• Liaising with specialist finance support teams.
• Completing other such other duties as may be allocated from time to time both within the team and in providing cover in other areas within the division, if required.

• Relevant experience of working in an accounting environment, ideally within management accounts or business partnering function.
• Experience of costing / budgeting/forecasting.
• Sound knowledge of MS Excel (creating tables and charts, using financial Excel functions such as formulas and pivot tables, managing/manipulating large data sets.
• Experience of adhering to…