Finance
Paisley Campus 

Commercial Finance Manager – REQ001914
Grade7: £46,047 to £51,805 per annum
Full time, Fixed Term for 6 months

THE POST – Commercial Finance Manager
This is an exciting opportunity to join University of the West of Scotland (UWS), one of Higher Education's most innovative modern universities.  The University is reliant on financial sustainability to underpin the delivery of this strategy, which means a drive for increased value for money in all areas. Deans and Directors have accountability and responsibility for delivering the required growth in revenue and management of resources within their area to achieve the aims of the Strategy. 

The Department of Finance is looking to recruit a Commercial Finance Manager who will be the key financial adviser on all capital projects, non-core business activities, Transnational Education Partnerships, commercial lets & future expansion of future commercial activities and finance related steering groups.

They will work in conjunction with the Finance Business Partner/Planning team, Reporting Accounting team and Project Sponsors on the above and will provide management information for both strategic and operational purposes, undertake financial planning, budgeting and forecasting, risk analysis and business plan appraisal, driving forward financial management strategies & plans, provide regular accounting stage gate/milestone updates on the major capital projects.   

Reporting to the Financial Controller, this professional role is an integral part of the Finance team function responsible for delivery & financial management of a portfolio of complex capital projects & commercial opportunities. 

The successful candidate should have the following:

• Be a qualified accountant with post qualification experience gained in a complex commercially focused environment, educated to degree level.
• Membership of a recognised accounting professional body.
• Extensive experience working in a finance role within a large commercial organisation. 
• Strategic financial management and leadership experience.
• Significant knowledge and experience of financial and budgetary control systems. 
• Significant cost and income allocation and capital accounting experience.
• Considerable experience of leading budgeting, forecasting and reporting activity 
• Experience of project accounting and engaging diverse stakeholders
• Experienced change agents in relation to financial improvement.
• A proven track record of developing and securing excellent business relationships.
• Highly developed IT skills, especially Word and Excel with the ability in particular to structure, analyse and interpret complex financial data for a variety of audiences.
• Excellent oral and written presentation skills, to convey complex financial information to a wide audience, including non-financial colleagues, clearly and effectively.

ABOUT US

UWS was named Higher Educational Institution of the Year in The Herald Higher Education Awards 2022 and is officially ranked by Times Higher Education in the top 600 universities worldwide (2022 World University Rankings) as well as in the top 150 universities worldwide under 50 years old (2022 Young University Rankings). University of the West of Scotland is one of Scotland’s largest and most dynamic modern universities. Our reach across the country, together with our London campus, means that UWS is a significant force in global knowledge creation, innovation, and a leading provider of undergraduate, postgraduate and research degree education. Our degrees provide students with a transformational experience; equipping them with highly sought-after graduate skills that set them up for global success in world-leading sectors, industries and businesses. 

With cutting-edge courses, modern pedagogy and practical knowledge, we enable our students and staff to experience the joy of learning, teaching, research and innovation, and apply their knowledge for the benefit of others.  

Our professional services teams are the backbone of UWS, providing robust and innovative solutions to support the vast range of work across learning and teaching, and research and innovation. You will join a supportive and dedicated team, playing a key role in a range of work that will help drive forward our ambition to deliver world-leading research, and graduates who will design, shape and build a new future. Find out more about our Professional Services teams. 

We offer our staff a caring and supportive environment, across five campuses, and a competitive benefits package which includes: 

• 24 days of annual leave, plus a further 12 days for public/university holidays
• 19.3% employer’s pension contribution, including death in service benefits on joining the pension scheme
• A flexible approach to working pattern and work-life balance
• Employee discount scheme across 3,500 retailers
• Fitness facilities across our campuses
• Access to a range of health and wellbeing resources, including occupational health, physiotherapy and access to our Employee Assistance Programme 
• Professional, career and research development opportunities.

Further Information, including details of how to apply, is available at https://jobs.uws.ac.uk

Closing Date:     Wednesday 14th December 2022

Interview Date:     w/c 19th December 2022

The University reserves the right to shorten/extend the closing date of any position where a high/low volume of suitable applications are received. Therefore, if you are interested in this role, an early application would be encouraged.

UWS is committed to equality and diversity and welcomes applications from underrepresented groups. 
UWS is a “Disability Confident” employer.
University of the West of Scotland is a registered Scottish charity, no. SC002520.