Senior Innovation Finance Officer Ref: 42146

University of Sussex; Brighton; On-site; GBP 34,000 - 39,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading university in Brighton is seeking a Senior Innovation Finance Officer to manage post-award financials for innovation projects. You will play a key role in delivering financial advice and ensuring compliance with funding requirements. The ideal candidate will have experience in project accounting and strong communication skills to engage with various stakeholders. This permanent full-time position offers a competitive salary and the chance to work in a dynamic research environment.

Qualifications

• Experience in project accounting within complex environments.
• Strong understanding of accounting principles.
• Ability to manage workload and oversee multiple projects.

Responsibilities

• Manage post-award financials for innovation projects.
• Provide expert financial advice to academic colleagues.
• Ensure compliance with funder requirements.

Skills

Project accounting

Financial management

Stakeholder engagement

IT skills

Communication skills

Organizational skills

Education

Relevance to higher education accounting principles

Job description

Senior Innovation Finance Officer Ref: 42146

Brighton, UK

Hours

Full time. Requests for flexible working options will be considered (subject to business need).

Grade 6 starting at £34,610 to £38,784 per annum, pro rata if part time.

Contract Type

Permanent

About the role

As a Senior Innovation Finance Officer, you will be responsible for all aspects of post-award financial management for a portfolio of innovation/commercial projects, from project set-up through to project closure and any associated audits. You will provide expert post-award financial advice and guidance to academics and professional colleagues across the University, ensuring compliance with funder requirements and institutional policies.

While experience within higher education is desirable, candidates without direct HE experience are strongly encouraged to apply. If you can demonstrate relevant transferable skills—particularly in project accounting, financial management, or stakeholder engagement—your application will be fully considered.

About you

You will ideally have experience in project accounting, preferably within a higher education or similarly complex environment, supported by a strong understanding of accounting principles. You will possess well-developed IT skills, alongside clear and effective communication skills, enabling you to work confidently with a range of stakeholders.

You will be highly organised, with the ability to prioritise and manage your own workload effectively while overseeing a varied portfolio of projects. You will also be comfortable providing clear, pragmatic advice to colleagues and supporting informed decision-making.

About our Division

The Research and Innovation Division plays a central role in developing ideas and innovations that contribute to the global community. Through our work, we support the creation of new knowledge, insights, and solutions that lead to meaningful change and real-world impact.

Our strategy focuses on people, research strengths, interdisciplinarity, integrity, grant capture, and international reputation. The scale and pace of our activity reflects this ambition: in the last year alone, we submitted 681 funding bids, secured 230 awards, and completed the set-up of 227 projects—illustrating just how dynamic and fast-moving the Division is.

Our university is situated off the A27, next to the beautiful South Downs where you will enjoy everything that our 150-acre campus has to offer. We are accessible by public transport; Falmer train station is a five-minute walk to campus and several bus stops are located within campus. We also have dedicated cycling paths and encourage our staff to use these with our offering of a cycle to work scheme.

Sussex is a renowned, multi-accredited, research-led International University and this is only possible because of the people that work here. Whether you are a member of Faculty, part of a Professional Services team or a Student, it’s our people that make us great and we want you to be part of that.

Please contact Bikram Singh ([e-mail]) for informal enquiries.

The University of Sussex values the diversity of its staff and students, and we welcome applicants from all backgrounds.

The University requires that work undertaken for the University is performed in the UK.

This role may be eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route. The assigned SOC code is 4124 Finance officers and the going rate is £41,700. Eligibility for sponsorship will depend on whether the candidate can make use of tradeable points to meet the salary offered and also holds an existing Skilled Worker sponsorship which began before 22 July 2025.

If you are experiencing any issues using our application portal or if you require adjustments to be made to the selection process, please contact us on [phone] or [e-mail] to discuss your requirements.