Finance Officer (Grow Your Own Graduate Scheme) 12 months Fixed Term job at Birmingham Full Time NEW

This vacancy is open exclusively to graduates of Birmingham City University from the 2024/25 and 2025/26 academic years. To be eligible, you must have completed your course (or be due to complete your course) between 1 August 2024 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.

Alternatively, for more information or to book a consultation, please email: [email protected]

About Birmingham City University

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.

Role Summary

This is a fantastic opportunity to join a small, Technical team within the Finance department, where you will gain hands-on experience, develop specialist skills, and work closely with senior colleagues, including the Head of Reporting.

Working as part of a small Technical Finance team of four, you will play an important role in supporting the university’s financial reporting and control processes. Reporting to the Deputy Heads of Reporting, you will help ensure financial information is accurate, well-managed, and supports effective decision-making across the university.

This role will give you the opportunity to develop core finance skills while getting involved in more technical areas. You will support key activities such as control account reconciliations, financial analysis, and reporting, as well as contributing to year-end processes and audit requirements.

You will also gain exposure to more complex areas of accounting, including capital accounting, VAT, and tax, helping you build a strong technical foundation early in your career.

Alongside this, you’ll work closely with colleagues across the university, supporting data analysis, maintaining accurate financial records, and improving processes to ensure they are efficient and fit for purpose.

Key Responsibilities

• Support the preparation of accurate financial reports, including month-end and year-end activities
• Assist with key control account reconciliations to ensure data accuracy and integrity
• Provide analysis and insight to support financial reporting and decision-making
• Contribute to year-end processes, including audit preparation and responding to audit queries
• Support technical accounting activities, including capital, VAT, and tax-related work
• Help monitor income and expenditure against budgets, highlighting any risks or variances
• Maintain accurate financial records, ensuring documentation is organised and audit-ready
• Process and review financial transactions such as journals, recharges, and invoices
• Work with colleagues across the university to respond to finance-related queries
• Support improvements to financial processes to make them more efficient and effective

Essential Requirements

• A Birmingham City University graduate (required for the Grow Your Own scheme)
• Educated to degree level in Finance, Accounting, Business or a related subject
• Strong numerical and analytical skills, with the ability to work confidently with data
• Excellent attention to detail and a high level of accuracy
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to explain financial information clearly to non-finance colleagues
• Ability to manage your own workload, prioritise tasks, and meet deadlines
• A proactive and positive approach, with a willingness to learn and develop

Desirable (not essential)

• Studying towards, or an interest in studying towards, a professional qualification (e.g. AAT, ACCA, CIMA)
• Basic understanding of financial systems, processes, or reporting
• Good IT skills, including proficiency in Microsoft Excel and other Office applications
• Any experience (academic, placement, or part-time) in a finance-related role
• Experience of working with large datasets or financial systems

Other desirable qualities

• Curious and keen to understand how things work
• Comfortable working with detail while still seeing the bigger picture
• A strong team player who enjoys working collaboratively
• Organised and methodical in your approach
• Able to work at pace without compromising on accuracy
• Respectful of confidentiality and aware of the importance of handling sensitive information

Further Information

If you are excited by the opportunity to learn and develop key skills that will boost your employability and provide technical work experience, we would love to hear from you.

For an informal discussion about the role, you may contact Gemma Rowe, Deputy Head of Reporting at [email protected]

Please do not send CVs or applications directly to these email addresses. Applications can only be accepted when submitted through the BCU Jobs platform by the closing date.

Why not explore our campuses using our interactive map: Interactive Map | Birmingham City University

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.

Why work for us

• 
  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 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.