Finance and Support Officer

Accounting Services
Closing Date: 2 January 2026
Contract Type: Permanent

Change your career, change lives
The Open University is the UK’s largest university, a world leader in flexible part-time education combining a mission to widen access to higher education with research excellence, transforming lives through education. This is a varied role within a busy team who provides high quality financial services within the Finance Core Support / Shared Service function of the Finance Business Partnering team, at The Open University.

The role supports collation of financial information for external and internal reporting, as well as projects. It assists with the preparation and organisation of relevant data, allocating to the correct reports, and coordinating submissions to the relevant external or internal stakeholders when complete.

Part of the focus for this role is around running reports (using various systems) and ensuring the smooth delivery of support to units, faculties, and BP Hubs (services include managing and answering queries, triaging, and responding to ad-hoc requests). This includes running and distributing routine financial reports to other Finance colleagues, running reports on fee income, tuition, staff cost forecasting and projects, as well as the preparation and compilation of financial analysis and tables for external returns and documentation.

The role can also support the general routine maintenance of University’s unit / faculty projects (including research, commercial, and donations), adhering to the correct process and required regulation, reporting to key stakeholders, and providing support to audit where needed. This includes financial monitoring and reporting on externally funded projects budgets, forecasting, providing costings and financial monitoring, in compliance with both the University’s financial regulations and procedures, contracts, and the terms and conditions of the funders of the projects.

Interpersonal communication, problem solving, accuracy and strong attention detail are key attributes for success as the role also covers the collation of necessary information for financial due diligence, credit checks, and maintaining the project register tracker.

Supporting Business Partnering Hubs working with unit/faculty staff to provide financial input and standard reports that enable budget managers to plan and utilise university resource/budgets and inform future forecast and decision making as necessary.
Resolving ad-hoc and scheduled transactional queries, proactively engaging with, assisting and guiding colleagues and stakeholders, and triaging when needed.
Managing and resolving transactional audit queries and supporting colleagues when needed.
Providing advice and guidance on university financial process and approach, appropriate cost / pricing methodologies, reporting and authorisation processes.
Processing finance workflow for staffing changes when required.
Support external and year-end reporting and collation of information including TRAC, HEBCIS, HESA, REF, TEF, KEF, plus Middle States accreditation.
Working with project leads or managers completing SAP WBS project and donation set up, monitoring, maintenance (budgeting and forecasting), and closure.
Checking project applications, supporting project staff cost analysis and reviewing claims and reports being submitted to various funders.
Raising or reviewing sales orders/invoices including producing the supporting financial MI as required.
Documenting, updating and adopting financial processes, principles, and approaches ensuring best practice, consistency and continuous improvement.
Ensuring familiarisation with latest process and systems guidance, relevant policies, procedures and university financial regulations as necessary and supporting and advising colleagues when required ensuring compliance (internal and external).
Line management of Core Support Assistant as required.
Providing flexible cover across the BP Core Support Teams as required.
Training and development of University staff in finance process and systems as appropriate ensuring consistency.
Liaising with specialist finance support teams.
Recent, relevant experience of working in an accounting environment, ideally within management accounts or business partnering function.
Sound knowledge of MS Excel (creating tables and charts, using financial Excel functions such as formulas and pivot tables, managing / manipulating large data sets.
Experience of adhering to accounting conventions, financial regulations, and procedures.
Experience of preparing / involvement in audits.
Practical experience of managing others and training / coaching when needed.
Ability to take ownership of a problem and resolve it, having taken full account of the facts.
Ability to take a balanced approach to hybrid working, both in person and virtually, using varied communication channels as appropriate.
AAT intermediate or equivalent, and actively studying.
Experience of an ERP finance system would be desirable.

At The Open University, we offer a range of benefits to recognise and reward great work, alongside policies and flexible working that contribute towards a great work life balance. Flexible working
We are open to discussions about flexible working. Whether it’s a job share, part time, compressed hours or another working arrangement. It is anticipated that a hybrid working pattern can be adopted for this role, where you can work from home and the office. However, as this role is contractually aligned to our Milton Keynes office it is expected that some attendance in the office will be required when necessary and in response to business needs. We’d expect you to be in the office three days per week (Tuesday-Thursday).

Interviews are anticipated to take place on-site week commencing 19 January 2026 and will consist of a panel interview and Excel exercise.

The Open University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion which is reflected in our mission to be open to people, places, methods and ideas. We aim to foster a diverse and inclusive environment so that all in our OU community can reach their potential. We strive to recruit, retain and develop the careers of a diverse pool of students and staff, and particularly encourage applications from all underrepresented groups. We also aspire to make The Open University a supportive workplace for all through our policies, services and staff networks.