Accounts Assistant

About us

The Finance Division, headed by Charu Gorasia, CFO, is part of Professional Services and is divided into several sections, including the financial areas: Central Finance and Systems, School and Professional Services Finance, Insurance, Research Services, Procurement Services and Legal Services. The CFO reports to the Provost and is a member of the Professional Services Leadership Team. She is responsible for the management of UCL's financial performance and strategy and for the provision of services and advice. UCL’s School Finance teams provide a comprehensive and wide-ranging service to the Schools (groups of academic Faculties); producing detailed budgets and three-year forecasts as well as providing support and guidance to Faculties and Departments. This role will be within the Life and Medical Sciences team (LMS).

About the role

This is an Internal recruitment advert, available to eligible UCL workers only. Eligible UCL workers will have until 21st March to be considered for this role. This role does not meet the eligibility requirements for a Skilled Worker Visa certificate of sponsorship under UK Visas and Immigration legislation. Therefore UCL will not be able to sponsor individuals who require right to work in the UK to carry out this role. This role is eligible for hybrid working with a minimum of [2 days per week] on site. This appointment is subject to UCL Terms and Conditions of Service for Research and Professional Services Staff. Please visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/human-resources/conditions-service-research-teaching-and-professional-services-staff for more information. Main areas of responsibility will include: • Assistance with the production of monthly management accounting reports, including the preparation of reporting data from the system and monitoring departmental account balances. This will include work such as preparing of reports showing each departments other activity cumulative balances and assisting with investigation into significant balances and saving all departmental monthly management accounts to shared directories; • Preparing consistent files and templates for Budget, Forecasting and Actuals with consistent file management across Schools • Support administration of the staff recruitment approval process across the Faculty. This includes general administration associated with this process such as recording approved posts in the staff approvals spreadsheet and working with departments to set up and approve new posts in MyHR; • Monitoring requests in MyHR, working with departments to resolve any requests in query and authorise new contracts in the MyHR system after having checked these posts have been approved in line with the UCL recruitment process, liaising with the Management Accountants as appropriate. • Raise and manage the invoicing of, or payment to, external bodies, in accordance with the terms of the agreement requiring accuracy of preparation and an understanding of VAT issues; • Processing journals for allocations, internal transfers, accruals, prepayments, deferrals, error corrections and maintaining a systematic/ organised process with clear backing documentation for audit trail. Providing assistance with routine budget and accounting adjustments (preparation of journals) required at period end; • Support the School’s Finance teams in clearing suspense accounts; • Manage the accounts code log process including setting up of new account codes in line with activity and VAT category within service standards; • Manage day to day queries from stakeholders across LMS, responding professionally to finance queries or forwarding them to the relevant Management Accountant where appropriate; • Monitor the Portico forms, approve studentships in discussion with Management Accountant and maintain an accurate and timely log of all approvals; • Support the Management Accountant and Head of Finance on project work as required; • Contributing to team meetings and initiatives adopting a collaborative and supportive approach to team working across School Finance; • Such other duties as are within the scope, spirit and purpose of the job, the title of the post and its grading as may be assigned by the team.

About you

The post holder will be a member of the LMS School Finance team, providing accounting support to the assigned Faculty which will include assistance with the presentation of quarterly/monthly management accounts, budgets, forecasts, and statistical returns. The post holder will report to the Management Accountant responsible for the Faculty and work closely with them to undertake a variety of accounting duties in a busy office environment, working independently whilst exercising judgement to prioritise tasks in order to meet the deadlines set.

What we offer

As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents, we also offer some great benefits some of which are below: • 41 Days holiday (27 days annual leave 8 bank holiday and 6 closure days) • Additional 5 days’ annual leave purchase scheme • Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE) • Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan • Immigration loan • Relocation scheme for certain posts • On-Site nursery • On-site gym • Enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption pay • Employee assistance programme: Staff Support Service • Discounted medical insurance Visit https://www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/rewards-and-benefits to find out more.

Our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

As London’s GlobalUniversity, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we wantour community to represent the diversity of the world’s talent. We arecommitted to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to beinga place where we all belong. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidateswho are likely to be underrepresented in UCL’s workforce. These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minoritybackgrounds; disabled people; LGBTQI+ people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles,women.