Finance Assistant

Heriot-Watt University; Kilmarnock; On-site; GBP 27,000 - 31,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

28 days annual leave

Full-time role (35 hours/week)

Job summary

Heriot-Watt University is seeking a Finance Assistant to provide comprehensive financial support to staff within the School of Engineering and Physical Sciences. The role is full-time (35 hours per week) and open-ended, with a salary in Grade 5 (£26,707 - £31,236).

You will administer stipends, tuition abatements, invoices, and expense claims, contributing to accurate reporting and budget control. Collaboration with the Finance team and external sponsors is key to success.

Qualifications

• Proven track record in independently delivering across financial transactional activities including AR, AP, accruals, journals.
• Good analytical skills.
• Experience in leading global ERP platform such as SAP, SAP Hana, Oracle or Oracle Fusion.
• Excellent record keeping skills.
• Excellent communicator.

Responsibilities

• Administer Postgraduate Research (PGR) stipends and tuition fee abatements, ensuring accurate processing and record keeping.
• Co-ordinate related sales invoices and internal recharges, including account reconciliations at year-end and throughout the year as required
• Produce, analyse, and interpret financial reports for academic staff and provide support to the Finance Business Partner as required.
• Maintain accurate and comprehensive financial records to satisfy internal audit requirements, University regulations, and external sponsor requirements, including those of UK Government bodies and the European Commission.
• Review, process, and monitor student and visitor expense claims, ensuring compliance with the University’s travel and expenses policy.
• Prepare, review, and complete European Union (EU) VAT returns in accordance with relevant regulations and reporting requirements.
• Create and maintain financial job codes to support effective budget management.
• Manage and administer the student prize process, ensuring timely and accurate payments and reporting.
• Create, prepare, and post journals to the financial system, ensuring transactions are accurately recorded and supported by appropriate documentation.
• Support the School's financial administration activities, providing high-quality customer service and financial guidance to staff and stakeholders.

Skills

Record keeping

Analytical skills

Excellent communicator

ERP platforms

Tools

SAP

SAP Hana

Oracle

Oracle Fusion

Job description

• Excellent record keeping skills

Description

Role: Finance Assistant

Grade and Salary: Grade 5 (£26, 707 - £31, 236)

FTE and working pattern: Full-time (35hrs per week), Open-Ended

Holiday Entitlement: 28 days annual leave plus 9 buildings closed days (and Christmas Eve when it falls on a weekday)

Purpose of Role

The primary purpose of this role is to provide comprehensive financial support and guidance to staff across the School of Engineering and Physical Sciences (EPS). The post-holder is responsible for ensuring that high-quality financial assistance, advice, and administrative support are delivered.

About Our Team

The main aim of the team is to process accurate and timely information in order to provide financial management information and thus assist in effective budgetary control and future strategic decision making. Efficient and effective accounting procedures are therefore an important part of the School’s plan. This post lies at the heart of these activities.

Summary Of Key Duties And Responsibilities

• Administer Postgraduate Research (PGR) stipends and tuition fee abatements, ensuring accurate processing and record keeping.
• Co-ordinate related sales invoices and internal recharges, including account reconciliations at year-end and throughout the year as required
• Produce, analyse, and interpret financial reports for academic staff and provide support to the Finance Business Partner as required.
• Maintain accurate and comprehensive financial records to satisfy internal audit requirements, University regulations, and external sponsor requirements, including those of UK Government bodies and the European Commission.
• Review, process, and monitor student and visitor expense claims, ensuring compliance with the University’s travel and expenses policy.
• Prepare, review, and complete European Union (EU) VAT returns in accordance with relevant regulations and reporting requirements.
• Create and maintain financial job codes to support effective budget management.
• Manage and administer the student prize process, ensuring timely and accurate payments and reporting.
• Create, prepare, and post journals to the financial system, ensuring transactions are accurately recorded and supported by appropriate documentation.
• Support the School's financial administration activities, providing high-quality customer service and financial guidance to staff and stakeholders.

The areas of responsibility may change from time to time as the Finance team adapts to the demands of the School and University.

Education, Qualifications & Experience

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

Essential

• Proven track record in independently delivering across financial transactional activities including AR, AP, accruals, journals.
• Good analytical skills.
• Experience in leading global ERP platform such as SAP, SAP Hana, Oracle or Oracle Fusion
• Excellent record keeping skills
• Excellent communicator

Desirable

• Oracle Fusion experience
• Higher education sector experience

Applications can be submitted up to midnight (UK time) on Sunday 23rd of August 2026.

We welcome and will consider flexible working patterns e.g., part-time working and job share options.

Heriot-Watt University is committed to securing equality of opportunity in employment and to the creation of an environment in which individuals are selected, trained, promoted, appraised, and otherwise treated on the sole basis of their relevant merits and abilities. Equality and diversity are all about maximising potential and creating a culture of inclusion for all.

Heriot-Watt University values diversity across our university community and welcomes applications from all sectors of society, particularly from underrepresented groups. For more information, please see our website https://www.hw.ac.uk/uk/services/equality-diversity.htm and also our award-winning work in Disability Inclusive Science Careers https://disc.hw.ac.uk/.

About Heriot-Watt University

At Heriot-Watt we are passionate about our values and look to them to connect our people globally and to help us collaborate and celebrate our success through working together. Our research programmes can deliver real world impact which is achieved through the diversity of our international community and the recognition of creative talent that connects our global team. Our flourishing community will give you the freedom to challenge and to bring your enterprising mind and to help our partners with solutions that can be applied now and in the future. Join us and Heriot Watt will provide you with a platform to thrive and work in a way that also helps you live your life in balance with well-being and inclusiveness at the heart of our global community.