Project Finance Officer

We support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide. We work directly with individuals to help them gain the skills, confidence and connections to transform their lives and shape a better world in partnership with the UK. We support them to build networks and explore creative ideas, to learn English, to get a high-quality education and to gain internationally recognised qualifications. Working with people in over 200 countries and territories, we are on the ground in more than 100 countries. In 2021–22 we reached 650 million people.

Pay Band: 7

Salary: £33,995 (+ £3,300 market allowance if based in London)

Contract Type: Fixed term contract until 31 August 2025

Role Type: Business Delivery

Location: UK; London, Manchester, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Belfast

Benefits include, but are not limited to:

• 32 days annual leave, in addition to public holidays
• 3 days volunteering leave
• Career average defined benefit pension scheme

Requirements: Candidates must have the pre-existing (permanent) right to work in location. Mobility / relocation / visa sponsoring support will not be provided.

Closing date: Monday 5th August, 11:59pm UK time

Role Purpose: The Finance Officer is central to delivery of the Chevening & Marshall programme, ensuring all scholars are paid their monthly stipends, host universities receive their tuition and housing fees, and that monthly internal and external reporting is accurate and timely. The Finance Officer works alongside the Finance Manager on all aspects of delivery and requires excellent financial literacy and organisational skills, with the ability to develop a positive rapport with individuals and strong relationships across teams. The role will also help the programmes teams to plan their quarterly and annual budgets, providing ad hoc support, when needed.

The British Council performs the role of Secretariat for the prestigious Chevening and Marshall Scholarship programmes funded by the government via the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). Together through these programmes, around 1,500 scholars are selected to study at post-graduate level in the UK from over 100 countries and territories worldwide. The Secretariat is responsible for the majority of the administrative services to deliver a successful scholarship programme. This includes promotion of the programme, the scholar selection process, supporting scholars with placement and then supporting them while studying in the UK, as well as delivering alumni engagement programmes. Both Chevening and Marshall scholarships are prestigious and highly sought-after post-graduate programmes selecting scholars of high academic ability and with the potential to become future leaders and influential figures in their home countries.

The role of the finance team is crucial in ensuring Chevening & Marshall scholars are paid their monthly stipends on time and that host universities receive their tuition and housing fees. The finance function plays a critical and active role in ensuring the SBU remains financially sustainable, through more efficient operations and greater commercial focus. It provides commercial advice to support good decision-making and high-quality management information and analysis. The function also has a global remit to support regional finance and delivery teams ensuring a consistent approach to financial planning, reporting and business support.

Main accountabilities:

• Working alongside the named, single point of contact for finance on the Chevening & Marshall Scholarship Programmes, liaising with other finance teams as and when necessary.
• Providing support for the annual and quarterly business planning cycle for the Chevening & Marshall Scholarship Programmes.
• Working with FP&A to ensure compliance with the planning process, helping develop standard reports that meet the requirements for KPI reporting and ensuring the quality and validity of KPI reporting.
• Working with FP&A to ensure agreed projections are correctly reflected in SAP planning.
• Providing support for financial month-end reporting.
• Reviewing monthly and annual business performance, including the review and monitoring all accounting transactions and adjustments (corrections, accruals, deferrals and provisions) & ensuring appropriate use of these in line with accounting rules.
• Preparing cash-based management reports and variance analyses and highlighting areas for improvement to ensure maximum impact, return on investment and value for money as well as financial compliance and operational efficiency.
• Working with delivery teams to ensure that reports are provided on a “self-service” basis with support if required.
• Providing support for contract reporting to FCDO, MACC and IATI, including ad hoc report production.
• Providing financial advice to the Project Delivery teams ensuring not just tailored, consistent, timely, accurate and relevant financial information but also interpretation and decision support resulting from trends identified in the achievement of strategic business objectives.
• Working with delivery team leads in managing and executing financial viability of the contracts and identifying any risks / opportunities.
• Ensuring that allocated budgets are managed, and income and expenditure, debtors / creditors, activity risk and year-end processes relating to the Chevening & Marshall Scholarship Programmes are delivered effectively.
• Provide assistance in developing and embedding effective finance processes, standards, templates, tools and systems which provide an effective framework for the provision of financial business partner support to the Chevening & Marshall Scholarship programmes.
• Supporting the development and maintenance of guidance notes and liaising with the corporate policies team to ensure consistency.
• Where appropriate, monitoring compliance with policies and guidance for the Chevening & Marshall Scholarship programmes.
• Supporting partnership team for income recognition.
• Where appropriate, monitoring compliance with policies and guidance for delivery colleagues.
• Providing financial input for the Monthly Control Check (MCC) for the Chevening & Marshall Scholarship programmes to identify potential financial risks and ensure that these are appropriately communicated.
• Identifying and resolving issues with financial control and financial accounting.
• Supporting the requests for set-up of client reporting and Master Data Items for the Chevening & Marshall Scholarship programmes.
• Manage system for payment of stipends to new scholars with no UK bank account (currently managed via cashcards).
• Review regular scholar stipend payment (cashcards and bank transfers) and all other payments to scholars.
• Review “non award” expenditure to ensure is accurate and within budget.
• Ensure invoices are issued to the FCDO.
• Provide assistance when necessary to prepare monthly bank reconciliations for all Chevening, Marshall & MACC bank accounts.
• Manage the aged debt internal control process and guide operations in aged debt recovery / treatment in compliance with the corporate aged debt policy.
• Provide guidance and support to Marshall Scholarships programme team in recording and reporting partnership and other income (Income in kind).
• Record management to ensure financial and contractual documentation is maintained to British Council standards.
• Manage the financial year-end process in compliance with corporate and regional control procedures and deadlines.
• Prepare year end balance sheet reconciliations for MACC.
• Support MACC audit and respond to NAO requests for information and queries.

Role specific skills: Support budget management. Monitor and control an agreed budget within a defined area, producing reports and analyses and contributing to planning.

Role specific knowledge and experience:

Minimum / essential: Experience of working in a busy team with the ability to work flexibly in response to changing priorities and deadlines. Commercial finance experience gained in an organisation undergoing change and driving for growth. Minimum of 3 years of qualified experience in a relevant managerial post.

Desirable: A knowledge of scholarship programmes and / or international mobility within the UK higher education sector.

Education / Professional Qualifications / Certifications: Finance degree level education or equivalent experience. CCAB qualified or part qualified accountant or other finance degree with proven experience of successfully managing and delivering similar roles.

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Statement: A connected and trusted UK in a more connected and trusted world.