Associate Director (Financial Management)

Founded in 1898, we at the University of East London (UEL) are proud to change lives through education. Our goal is to advance industry 5.0 careers-first education and provide a clear path to the jobs and opportunities of the future. We’re committed to driving diversity in the 5.0 talent pipeline, working in partnership to promote talent wherever it is found and creating a balanced, inclusive, and green future.

But we can't achieve this goal alone. We need forward-thinking, innovative, and curious individuals like you to join our community and help us craft our future. As part of our team, you'll have the opportunity to work with a diverse range of people who share your passion for creating positive change. We’re an inclusive and welcoming community that is constantly moving forward, never satisfied with the status quo.

About Us

The Financial Management team comprises business partnering and financial planning & analysis and provides strategically focused support to leadership teams and forges strong relationships with stakeholders to enable expert advice, critical challenge, and timely decision support to enable the best financial performance.

About the Job

This role is one of the senior leadership posts in Finance and leads the Financial Management team, providing leadership across finance, and supporting and in wider strategic initiatives.  

• To lead and manage the work and development of the business partnering function in effectively supporting budget holders and the wider business in understanding and managing financial performance, including capital programmes.
• To lead and manage the work and development of the financial planning & analysis team in supporting executive management and other stakeholders in understanding the drivers of financial results and their impact on in-year and medium-term financial performance of the organisation as a whole.
• To contribute to the delivery of strategic and operational plans which support the delivery of year-on-year improvements in operational efficiency, focus based outcomes and financial performance against constrained budgets.
• To ensure delivery of accurate and timely statutory and regulatory returns including appropriate messaging and maximal impact.

About You

You will be experienced:

• Leading financial systems and business process development to enhance financial efficiency and effectiveness within and beyond Finance
• Managing budgets in a large, complex organisation
• Introducing and developing business processes, systems, and structures in order to improve organisational performance
• Providing guidance / information to assist with decision making, anticipating and highlighting financial performance drivers and options that may need to be considered
• Planning, prioritising and organising the work of self and others, delivering to stated deadlines and ensuring the most effective use of resources 
• Financially astute, articulate, technically strong, insightful and influential, with the ability to operate at both strategic and operational level
• Ability to communicate confidently and clearly with a wide range of people at all levels internally and externally both orally and in writing. This includes writing reports, giving presentations and interpreting financial and business data for audiences without a finance background
• Ability to work unsupervised prioritising own workload and that of others in order to address important issues and meet deadlines
• Excellent analytical skills with a logical and structured approach to completion of tasks and a proactive approach to problem solving
• Conflict resolution skills and ability to handle high levels of pressure and critical decision making.
• Relationship building across an organisation and beyond to promote knowledge sharing and professional development
• Strong customer focus particularly in relation to developing and maintaining suitable financial services for budget holders and other stakeholders
• Willingness and determination to lead, develop and motivate the teams within Financial Management
• Commitment to, and understanding of, equality and diversity issues within a diverse and multicultural environment

Desirable

• Providing technical and professional financial support in a Higher Education institution
• Developing business plans and providing financial support for large capital projects and/or new business ventures
• Producing high standard written reports at board or governance committee level
• Prior experience of Agresso accounting software

Benefits Package

Here at UEL we understand it’s about more than just a salary. It’s about the entire package on offer along with our outstanding work environment and inclusive culture. We know the market rates for this vacancy and will offer a genuinely competitive salary DOE.

We care deeply about your wellbeing and our benefits includes: 20% pension (4% from you, 16% from us), 25 days holiday (plus 3 days over Christmas) plus bank holidays, hybrid working for most positions, and we’re always open to consider flexible working arrangements. We have a, subsidised gym membership, 3 times base salary life assurance, a cashback healthcare scheme and wide variety of other generous benefits including discounts on: Apple and Samsung products, holidays, clothing, fitness, lifestyle, dining out and weekly shopping.

Equal Opportunities

UEL is an inclusive equal opportunities employer and are proud of our Equality, Diversity, and Inclusivity achievements, including: zero gender pay gap, members of Stonewall and have won Athena Swan awards. We expect all employees of UEL to accept our EDI policy and will not tolerate discrimination in any form.

So, if you’d like to take your career to the next level with us here at the University of East London and are inspired by our environment and committed to success, we want you to apply today! To ask further questions about the role contact Ronke Onalaja  r.onalaja@uel.ac.uk or the TA Team on 020 8223 2013.

Further Details: Job Description & Person Specification