Finance Officer (Grow Your Own Graduate Scheme)

Birmingham City University; Birmingham; Hybrid; GBP 29,000 - 32,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous leave

Hybrid working

Pension

Wellbeing support

Staff benefits

Job summary

Birmingham City University is seeking a Finance Officer for the Grow Your Own Graduate Scheme in the Financial Planning and Reporting department. The role supports financial management for a portfolio of schools and projects, developing and maintaining effective systems and processes.

You will work on auditable project documentation, ERP projects, and monthly/Ad hoc reports, with a strong emphasis on accuracy, timeliness and customer-focused service.

Qualifications

• High level of numerical ability.
• Excellent IT skills, including advanced knowledge of spreadsheets and finance systems.
• Ability to manipulate financial data and interpret information effectively.
• An organised and methodical approach to work.
• Ability to prioritise own workload effectively and work on own initiative.

Responsibilities

• Support management in providing auditable evidence for projects and meeting the reporting requirements of funders and the BCU Compliance Team.
• Create Projects and Awards within the ERP system, ensuring budgets are correctly allocated across budget headings.
• Question existing processes and proactively identify innovative and creative ways to improve and enhance the Finance service.
• Use strong analytical skills to understand supplier and customer ledgers and General Ledger accounts, investigating and resolving accounting errors, duplications, omissions and other issues.
• Respond to a wide range of queries, including student-related matters, providing reliable advice and appropriate resolutions where possible.
• Accurately identify queries requiring referral to other colleagues or departments and provide appropriate signposting.
• Ensure electronic and manual financial records are well organised, accurate, up to date and audit ready.
• Contribute to the development of efficient financial administration processes that minimise bureaucracy.
• Ensure the accurate and efficient recording of operational transactions within both the sub-ledger and General Ledger, in line with agreed transactional KPIs.
• Produce regular and ad hoc operational reports for Finance Managers, including KPI information and team outputs.
• Resolve and respond to queries and issues raised by Finance colleagues, University staff and key external stakeholders in a timely and customer-focused manner.
• Maintain a good working knowledge and awareness of relevant internal and external regulations, policies and processes.

Skills

Numerical ability

IT skills

Spreadsheets

Finance systems

Organised

Prioritisation

Tools

ERP system

Job description

Finance Officer (Grow Your Own Graduate Scheme)

Department Financial Planning and Reporting Location Joseph Priestley Building Salary £28,995 to £32,006 minimum per annum Permanent Post Type Full Time Release Date 16 September 2026 Closing Date 23.59 hours BST on Sunday 27 September 2026 Reference F126017

This vacancy is open exclusively to graduates of Birmingham City University from the 2025/26 academic year. To be eligible, you must have completed your course between 1 August 2025 and 31 July 2026, and you must no longer be studying.

As you are applying for a role as part of the Grow Your Own Graduate Programme, you should contact a member of the Careers and Student Opportunities team to receive support with the application process and ensure the best chance of success. You will also receive communications around future Grow Your Own opportunities.

At Birmingham City University, we are a diverse and inclusive learning community of over 31,400 students from more than 120 countries. We aim to become an exemplar anchor institution, creating and sharing knowledge for a better and more inclusive society. We are committed to providing a transformational educational experience, supporting world‑class research, and fostering a collaborative and supportive working environment for our staff.

Recognised as one of the UK’s Top 250 employers (Financial Times & Statista), we pride ourselves on being a place where colleagues feel valued, supported, and able to grow their careers while contributing to the success of our students and communities.

Our student demographic reflects the rich cultural and ethnic diversity of Birmingham itself, with a significant proportion of students from minoritised ethnic backgrounds and the majority of our home students coming from the West Midlands. This diversity is a strength, and it calls for a workforce that is equipped to challenge deficit narratives and thinking — those assumptions that position students from underrepresented groups as lacking rather than recognising their assets, strengths and potential.

By embracing this perspective, we aim to create an environment where all students and colleagues can thrive, and where our work contributes positively to the social, cultural and economic life of Birmingham and beyond.

Come and join our Financial Operations team and make a real difference in supporting the delivery of high-quality financial services across the University.

Role Summary

To be part of the Financial Operations team, providing financial and accountancy support for a portfolio of Schools, teams, departments and/or projects within the University. The role will involve developing, implementing and maintaining effective systems and processes to support the delivery of financial management objectives.

Main Activities and Responsibilities

• Support management in providing auditable evidence for projects and meeting the reporting requirements of funders and the BCU Compliance Team.
• Create Projects and Awards within the ERP system, ensuring budgets are correctly allocated across budget headings.
• Question existing processes and proactively identify innovative and creative ways to improve and enhance the Finance service.
• Use strong analytical skills to understand supplier and customer ledgers and General Ledger accounts, investigating and resolving accounting errors, duplications, omissions and other issues.
• Respond to a wide range of queries, including student‑related matters, providing reliable advice and appropriate resolutions where possible.
• Accurately identify queries requiring referral to other colleagues or departments and provide appropriate signposting.
• Ensure electronic and manual financial records are well organised, accurate, up to date and audit ready.
• Contribute to the development of efficient financial administration processes that minimise bureaucracy.
• Ensure the accurate and efficient recording of operational transactions within both the sub‑ledger and General Ledger, in line with agreed transactional KPIs.
• Produce regular and ad hoc operational reports for Finance Managers, including KPI information and team outputs.
• Resolve and respond to queries and issues raised by Finance colleagues, University staff and key external stakeholders in a timely and customer‑focused manner.
• Maintain a good working knowledge and awareness of relevant internal and external regulations, policies and processes.
• BCU Graduate
• Some experience of working within a Finance environment would be desirable, but not essential.
• High level of numerical ability.
• Experience of working successfully as part of a team but not essential.
• Excellent IT skills, including advanced knowledge of spreadsheets and finance systems.
• Ability to manipulate financial data and interpret information effectively.
• An organised and methodical approach to work.
• Ability to prioritise own workload effectively and work on own initiative.

If you have the skills, experience and enthusiasm to make a positive contribution to our Financial Operations team, we would love to hear from you. Come and join us and help us deliver an efficient, accurate and customer‑focused Finance service across the University.

Further information

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Ruth Archer, BCU Enterprise Finance Manager at [e-mail]

• Work–life balance – Generous leave and hybrid working (role dependent).
• Career development – Opportunities to grow, develop and progress your career.
• Reward and wellbeing – Competitive pay, pension, wellbeing support and staff benefits.
• Inclusive culture – A supportive, diverse environment where everyone belongs.

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and to an environment that supports lawful free speech and academic freedom. We will continuously review and improve our policies, practices, and procedures to ensure that we are promoting these in all aspects of our operations. We believe that by working together, combining our many different backgrounds and life experiences, we will empower each other to reach our full potential.

Disability Confident Employer

Birmingham City University is proud to be a Disability Confident Committed Employer. We are committed to creating an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. Disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role will be guaranteed an interview.

The appointed candidate will normally be employed through our subsidiary company, BCU Support Services Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Birmingham City University. Appointees with prior LGPS membership who wish to re-enter the scheme may do so and will be employed directly by the University.