Finance and Administration Assistant

Instruct-ERIC Step 1 ERIC; Oxford; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

A European scientific organization is seeking a Finance and Administration Assistant in Oxford. The role involves providing financial and administrative support, ensuring accurate accounting procedures, and liaising with third parties. Applicants should demonstrate strong interpersonal skills, attention to detail, and proficiency in MS Office and Xero. The ideal candidate will have an A Level education, familiarity with financial data, and the ability to work independently. This position offers the opportunity to contribute to various European projects.

Qualifications

• Educated to at least A Level standard, including Mathematics.
• AAT qualification or part-qualified accountant.
• Experience handling confidential information.

Responsibilities

• Complete monthly accounting procedures accurately and timely.
• Monitor expenditure against detailed budget plans.
• Provide financial advice and assistance to customers.

Skills

Strong interpersonal skills

Attention to detail

Excellent IT skills

Adaptability

Numerical ability

Excellent communication skills

Education

A Level standard (or equivalent)

AAT qualification or equivalent

Tools

Xero

MS Office (Excel, Word, Outlook)

Job description

Finance and Administration Assistant

Instruct-ERIC has an open position for a Finance and Administration Assistant at the Instruct-ERIC offices in Oxford, UK.

The appointee will be a motivated and organised individual with strong interpersonal skills to help us with our finance and admin.

Overview of the role

The day‑to‑day financial and administration assistance of a European scientific organisation.

Key Relationships

The post holder will work on all general bookkeeping, financial and general administrative procedures for the organisation and have general responsibility for finance and admin support for a number of European projects.

Responsibilities and Duties

• The accurate and timely completion of monthly accounting procedures based on appropriate supporting documentation; preparation of information for financial reporting; monitoring expenditure in comparison to detailed budget plans; investigating and alerting Managers and Senior Project Officer to potential overspends where appropriate.
• Working proactively with managers to provide support in the financial and administrative management of projects, responding quickly to issues raised and resolving these satisfactorily and in a timely manner, escalating where appropriate (e.g. alerting impending project end dates, potential budget overspends).
• Maintaining correct information on the Instruct Finance system.
• Proactively liaising with third parties to provide or obtain information.
• Providing advice and assistance to all customers on financial issues, including the interpretation and explanation of financial data, rules and regulations.
• Assisting in Audits, Health Checks and Self‑Assessment reviews, as required.
• Ensuring any risks, issues or discrepancies are brought to the attention of the Senior Project Officer.
• Supporting the continuous improvement of finance and admin procedures, suggesting improvements and facilitating their communication and implementation.
• Any other duties commensurate with the grade of the post as requested by the Senior Project Officer and Administrator/HR officer.

Selection Criteria

• Educated to at least A Level standard (or equivalent) including Mathematics.
• AAT qualification or equivalent, or part-qualified accountant.
• Fluent spoken English, and clear evidence of numerical ability.
• Excellent IT skills, including MS Office (Word, Excel, Outlook), particularly the ability to create and manipulate pivot tables and manage large volumes of data; databases and the ability to learn specialist software (e.g. Xero, HSBCNet).
• Evidence of attention to detail (e.g. experience of distributing complex or confidential information without requiring review).
• Excellent communications skills, in writing and in person, able to communicate clearly and appropriately at all levels, including with senior staff across the Consortium and with a wide network of contacts across the wider European education and research sector.
• Experience of handling confidential information, and the ability to manage personnel matters with tact and discretion.
• Strong interpersonal skills, the ability and willingness to work and co‑operate effectively with people from different organisational levels, both internally and externally as may be required.
• A flexible and resilient approach to work, able to use initiative and a proactive approach to problem solving.
• Ability to organise and prioritise own workload and work to deadlines in the presence of conflicting priorities.
• Capacity to work independently, with minimum supervision, and a willingness to resolve situations, as well as knowing when to refer issues to others.
• Experience in a similar role and working environment.
• Experience of providing support as a finance officer.
• Experience working with grant funded projects.
• Experience of working with Xero.
• Experience in preparation of management accounts and the analysis of variances.
• Experience in producing and interrogating budgets and forecast.

Pre‑employment Screening

Please note that the appointment of the successful candidate will be subject to standard pre‑employment screening, as applicable to the post. This will include right‑to‑work, proof of identity and references.

How to Apply

If you consider that you meet the selection criteria, please send an up‑to‑date CV to [email address] including details of two referees and a supporting statement with the following information:

Answer question 1 and write a written response for two of the other scenarios 2-6:

1. Why are you interested in working at Instruct‑ERIC?
2. Tell us about a time you had to stand by your financial judgement even when others disagreed.
3. Give an example of an occasion where you spotted a financial risk or control issue before it became a problem. Explain the impact of your observation and actions taken.
4. Describe a time when your work had a measurable impact on a team, department, or organisation.
5. Explain how you have applied your organisational skills in a practical context. How did this help you and others?
6. Which professional achievement are you most proud of and why?

The supporting statement should not exceed 300 words.

Please send all documents as PDF files with your name and the document type in the filename. The CV should explain your relevant experience which may have been gained in employment, education, or you may have taken time away from these activities in order to raise a family, care for a dependant, or travel for example.

We actively encourage applications from all genders, cultures, ethnic groups and demographics. Your application will be judged solely on the basis of how you demonstrate that you meet the selection criteria outlined above and we are happy to consider evidence of transferable skills or experience which you may have gained outside the context of paid employment or education.

Please note that submissions generated by AI tools may be disqualified from consideration.

We will be reviewing applications on a rolling basis. Early applications are recommended as the position will remain open until a suitable candidate is appointed.

You will be notified of the progress of your application by e‑mail. Please check your spam/junk mail regularly to ensure that you receive all e‑mails.

All applications must be received by midday on the 16th January stated in the online advertisement.