Accountant (Research)

University of Bath; Matlock Bath CP; On-site; GBP 46,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Bath is seeking a qualified Accountant for a fixed-term full-time role. This position involves leading financial accounting and reporting for the University's research activities, ensuring compliance and accurate financial management. The role offers the opportunity to work collaboratively across teams and utilize strong accounting skills in a supportive and dynamic environment.

Benefits

Free counselling services

Cycle to work scheme

Electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme

Staff discount at Team Bath gym

Generous annual leave allowance

Personal and professional development opportunities

Relocation allowance

Qualifications

• Experience or interest in the Higher Education sector.
• Experience with budgeting and forecasting.
• Ability to work collaboratively across teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead financial accounting and reporting for research activities.
• Ensure accurate financial management and compliance.
• Support Research Institutes and Core Research Facilities.

Skills

Strong accounting skills

Excellent communication

Analytical skills

Collaboration

Excel skills

Education

Qualified accountant

Job description

Department: Finance & Procurement

Salary: Starting from £46,735, rising to £55,755 pro rata

Contract Type: Full-Time, Fixed-Term

Closing date: Tuesday 24 June 2025

Reference: CC12787

We’re looking for an Accountant to join our team on a fixed-term basis to take the lead on the financial accounting and reporting of the University’s research activities.

You’ll play a key role in ensuring accurate financial management, compliance, and insightful reporting, while also acting as a trusted business partner to Research Institutes and Core Research Facilities.

What We’re Looking For

• A qualified accountant with experience or an interest in the Higher Education sector and how universities are funded
• Strong accounting skills including budgeting, forecasting, and other reporting
• Excellent communication and analytical skills
• Ability to work collaboratively across academic and administrative teams
• Good Excel skills and experience of using finance systems
  
  

You will provide backfill support for the current postholder while they support other projects.

About Us

The Finance and Procurement Office is responsible for handling the University’s income, expenditure, financial performance and procurement processes, ensuring value for money in its financial activities. In addition, the department provides high-quality management accounting support as well as compliance with statutory and regulatory bodies.

We provide financial support to Academic and Professional Services departments, with responsibility for planning, budgeting, monitoring, and reporting. The department is based in the Virgil Building in the centre of Bath and there will be a requirement to work on the main campus at times, however, hybrid working is one of the many ways we recognise the importance of achieving a positive work-life balance. Whilst the exact days you can work remotely will differ between teams and departments, it should provide you with greater flexibility, provided you are in the UK. Learn more about our future ways of working and explore further at interview.

Further information

This is a fixed-term role from August 2025 to July 2026, offered on a full-time basis, however, part-time hours will be considered.

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Lisa Dorney, Head of Management Accounting.

What We Can Offer You

We consider ourselves to be a university where difference is celebrated, respected and encouraged. We have an excellent international reputation with staff from over 60 different nations and have made a positive commitment towards gender equality and intersectionality receiving a Silver Athena SWAN award. We truly believe that diversity of experience, perspectives, and backgrounds will lead to a better environment for our employees and students, so we encourage applications from all genders, backgrounds, and communities, particularly from under-represented groups, and value the positive impact that will have on the university. We are committed to maintaining a safe and secure environment for our students, staff, and community by reinforcing our Safer Recruitment commitment.

We are very proud to be an autism-friendly university and are an accredited Disability Confident Leader; committed to building disability confidence and supporting disabled staff.

• Free counselling services through Health Assured
• Cycle to work scheme
• Electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme
• Staff discount at Team Bath gym
• Staff discounts on postgraduate tuition fees
• Staff discount on language courses
• Generous employer contributory pension schemes
• Generous annual leave allowance with an additional 5 discretionary days so that you can enjoy a positive work-life balance
• A wide range of personal and professional development opportunities including Apprenticeships, LinkedIn Learning and more
• Free entry to the Holburne Museum in Bath
• Local discounts and more
• A family-friendly workplace
• An excellent reward package that recognises the talents of our diverse workforce
• Relocation allowance
• Visa reimbursement and Interest-Free Loan to help with the cost of some immigration expenses
• We are committed to continually expanding our benefits to better support you and enhance your experience with us. Find out more about our benefits on our website.
  
  

Find out from our staff what makes the University of Bath a great place to work. Follow us on X for more information.

We are constantly seeking to reduce the unconscious bias that enters any assessment process, with the goal of creating an inclusive and equal assessment process. To support this, personal details such as your name, may be removed from application forms at the initial shortlisting stage.