Research Grants Finance Officer - Research Strategy and Services Division - 48850 - Grade 6

This Research Grants Finance Officer position at the University of Birmingham involves providing financial administration for externally funded research projects. Key responsibilities include managing financial claims, reporting, and project closure, while building relationships with academic staff. Applicants require a degree or equivalent experience, strong numeracy, and excellent Excel skills.

• Promote equality and values diversity, acting as a role model and fostering an inclusive working culture.
• Provide clear, practical and timely financial support throughout the post award lifecycle for a defined portfolio of project grants, including budget monitoring, claims, reporting and project closure, with support and guidance from the Post Award leadership team as needed.
• Build positive and proactive working relationships with academic colleagues and their project managers where applicable, helping them to understand financial information, optimise their budgets and comply with funder terms and conditions.
• Manage financial claims, reporting and monitoring for your project portfolio, ensuring accuracy and timeliness while drawing on established processes, templates and team support.
• Contribute to the smooth and efficient operation of the Post Award function by identifying opportunities to simplify steps, improve handovers and support process enhancements.
• Share good practice across the Post Award teams and support colleagues, helping to embed consistent approaches and contribute to a collaborative, supportive working culture.
• Monitor a range of monthly KPIs for your portfolio to deliver to expected standards and resolve issues proactively.
• Support preparation for internal and external audits, ensuring information is accurate and provided promptly, with guidance available from managers and experienced colleagues where required.
• Liaise with external funders as needed to provide financial assurance, clarify processes and support colleagues in your academic areas.
• Personally model the Values of the University, and in particular those in the Strategic Framework and Birmingham Professional
• Undertake any other duties as required from time-to-time by the Assistant Director/Post Award leadership team, Research Strategy & Services Division.

• Use of AI in applications: We want to understand your genuine interest in the role and for the written elements of your application to accurately reflect your own communication style.
• Applications that rely too heavily on AI tools can appear generic and lack the detail we need to assess your skills and experience.
• Such applications will unlikely be progressed to interview.
• Knowledge of the protected characteristics of the Equality Act 2010, and how to actively ensure in day-to-day activity in own area that those with protected characteristics are treated equally and fairly.
• View our staff values and behaviours here
• Educated to Degree level (or equivalent qualifications) - where no equivalent qualification is held, significant practical relevant experience within a financial background required.
• Evidence of numeracy and literacy, with the ability to write clearly, and to analyse information and data.
• Knowledge of the UK research funding ecosystem, key research funders and an understanding of their processes. desirable but not essential.
• Experience of engaging and collaborating, with internal and external stakeholders to build relationships, deliver key outcomes or resolve challenges.
• Experience in improving processes, service quality and/or efficiency demonstrating a high degree of initiative, personal judgement, resourcefulness and flexibility.
• Excellent analytical skills with an ability to analyse qualitative and quantitative information and present this to a wide range of audiences.
• Budgetary monitoring and management, including reporting, identifying issues and resolving them decisively. High level of attention to detail.
• Proficient IT skills, including the MS Office suite. You should be confident and able to quickly learn new IT skills and software packages as required. Excellent knowledge of Excel is essential.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, with proven experience of collaboration within teams, including engaging with peers and providing excellent customer service at all times.
• Excellent communication skills – with the ability to engage effectively with a range of internal stakeholders.
• High level of self-motivation and personal accountability with ability to plan and deliver goals to deadlines under pressure to meet key performance indicators. and set priorities for a wide range of tasks and duties relevant to your areas of work.
• Informal enquiries to Jo Hawkins, email: j.hawkins@bham.ac.uk

• People are at the heart of what we are and do.
• The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years, and we are equally proud to be recognised as a leading global university. We want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond, support them to succeed, and celebrate their success.
• With almost 5,000 professional services jobs in a wide-range of functions in Edgbaston and in our campus in Dubai, there are plenty of opportunities for you to be able to develop your career at the University.
• We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation, and debate.
• We warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we are, and how we work.
• Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important both to our employees and to the success of the University and, depending on the role, we offer a variety of flexible working arrangements.
• We therefore welcome discussions on all forms of flexible working.
• In addition, you will receive a generous package of benefits including 40 days paid holiday a year, one paid day a year for volunteering, occupational sick pay, and a pension scheme.
• We also have three high quality subsidised day nurseries.
• The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and there are excellent transport links to our beautiful campus, including main bus routes and a train station on site. On campus we have a state-of-the-art sports centre with pool, shops, places to eat and drink, our own art gallery, museum and botanical gardens.
• Find out more about the benefits of working for the University of Birmingham