Finance Core Support Assistant

The Open University; Milton Keynes; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Part time

Job summary

A leading educational institution in Milton Keynes seeks a part-time financial support professional to join their busy team. This fixed-term role, until August 31, 2026, requires 18 hours of onsite work weekly, focusing on financial reporting, processing transactions, and engaging with stakeholders. Ideal candidates will have accounting experience and strong knowledge of Excel. Join a supportive environment that fosters professional growth and flexible working arrangements.

Benefits

Flexible working arrangements

Supportive workplace environment

Qualifications

• Relevant experience in an accounting environment, ideally in management accounts.
• Experience with costing, budgeting, and forecasting.
• Sound knowledge of MS Excel for financial analysis.

Responsibilities

• Handle ad hoc and scheduled transactional queries.
• Process journals for Management Accounting team.
• Monitor mailboxes and triage as necessary.
• Run various financial reports.
• Engage proactively with stakeholders to resolve queries.

Skills

Attention to detail

Communication skills

Problem-solving

Team working

Ability to prioritize tasks

Tools

MS Excel

Job description

Fixed Term Contract: End Date: 31 August 2026

Welsh Language: Not Applicable

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. Find out more about us and our mission by watching this short video (you will be taken to YouTube by clicking this link).

About the Role

This is a varied role within a busy team who provides high quality financial services withinthe Finance Shared Service / Core Support function of the Business Partnering team, at TheOpen University.

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

The focus is around transactional entry and processing, ensuring the smooth support tounits, faculties, and BP hubs (services include answering queries, entering journals, andgeneral mailbox management), so accuracy and attention detail are key attributes forsuccess. This includes running and distributing routine financial reports to other Financecolleagues, running reports on fee income, tuition, staffing, SCF (Salary Cost Forecast) andprojects, as well as the preparation of financial analysis and tables for external returnsand documents.

Problem solving, accuracy and attention detail are key attributes for success as the rolealso covers the collation of necessary information for financial due diligence, creditchecks, and maintaining the register tracker.

Key Responsibilities

• Ad hoc and scheduled transactional queries, triaging when needed.
• Journal processing for Management Accounting team.
• Resolving transactional audit queries.
• Monitoring mailboxes and triaging as required.
• Set up and checking of Finance / systems access, using identification and forms.
• Cost centre and Profit centre maintenance and mapping.
• Completing project and donation set up, monitoring, maintenance, and closure.
• Running of various reports when needed.
• Document and updating financial processes, principles, and approaches.
• Keep up to date on funder terms and conditions as required.
• Proactive engagement with stakeholders to resolve queries.
• Familiar with latest process and systems guidance, advising colleagues when required.

About You

• Relevant experience of working in an accounting environment, ideally withinmanagement accounts.
• Experience of costing /budgeting / forecasting, as well as basic accounting principlessuch as debit and credits.
• Sound knowledge of MS Excel (creating tables and charts, using financial Excelfunctions such as formulas and pivot tables, managing / manipulating large datasets).
• Experience of adhering to accounting conventions, financial regulations, andprocedures.
• Ability to manage a wide variety of tasks and prioritise accordingly.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, with the ability to deal confidently witha range of people at all levels.
• Can demonstrate how they successfully maintain attention to detail.
• Able to demonstrate strong team working and adding value to the team.
• Ability to build and maintain good working relationships within the team and the keystakeholders.
• Balanced approach to hybrid working, both in person and virtually, using variedcommunication channels as appropriate.

Support with your application

If you have any questions, or need support or adjustments relating to your application, the recruitment process, or the role, please contact us on 01908 541111 or email [e-mail] quoting the advert reference number.

What's in it for you?

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. Get all the details of what benefits we offer by visiting our Staff Benefits page (clicking this link will open a new window).

We are open to discussions about flexible working. Whether it’s a job share, part time, compressed hours or another working arrangement. Please reach out to us to discuss what works best for you.

This is a part-time, fixed-term position until 31 August 2026. The role is for 18 hours per week, working on-site on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday

Next steps in the Recruitment process

Interview are expected to take place on site week commencing 26 Janaury 2026.

Early closing date notification

We may close this job advert earlier than the published closing date where a satisfactory number of applications are received. We would therefore encourage early applications.

How to apply

To apply for this role please submit the following as separate documents:

• CV
• Supporting statement, up to 1,000 words, you should set out in your statement why you’re interested in this role and provide examples of where your skills and experience meet the required competencies for this role as detailed in the job and person specification.

You can view your progress and application communications when you are logged into our recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk folders if you do not receive associated email updates.

If you have any queries or questions about the recruitment process, or regarding your application,please contact:[e-mail] .

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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 recognise that different people bring different perspectives, ideas, knowledge, and culture, and that this difference brings great strength.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.