Financial Analyst
Posted by: Office For Students
Employed By: Office For Students
Job Title: Financial Analyst
Location: Bristol
Salary: £45,536 - £46,701 + Generous Civil Service defined benefit pension
Contract: Full-time
Application Deadline: 12 Noon Monday 17 November
About us
The Office for Students (OfS) exists to ensure that English higher education offers the best experience and the best value - for students, for taxpayers, for the economy and for the public good. It is the independent regulator of higher education in England – we regulate higher education on behalf of all students. Our vision is that every student, whatever their background, has a fulfilling experience of higher education that enriches their lives and careers.
Job Summary
Would you like a finance role without the same monthly accounting processes again and again? Then this role in our Financial Assessment team might be the role for you! You will learn and apply the OfS' approach to assessing the financial viability and sustainability of higher education providers, joining a high performing team of accountants that help and support each other and the wider directorate to get the work done. You will enjoy a variety of work, where each assessment is different and no month is ever the same!
The main purpose of the role is to undertake financial analysis based on complex data supplied by the regulated providers, information available about them in the public domain and the general knowledge regarding macroeconomic conditions in which the providers operate, to make judgements on their financial strength. This analysis is key in supporting the OfS’s regulatory decisions, so the postholder will write evidence-based assessments that are intelligible for non-experts, and deliver crucial financial insight and recommendations to decision-makers.
The role, therefore, requires engagement with internal stakeholders, but it also involves interactions with external stakeholders when necessary to support the decision-making. In addition, the role will provide an opportunity to input into improving the systems and processes that deliver services to providers.
The Key person attributes to fulfil this role are:
Qualified or part-qualified accountant (or equivalent finance background)
Ability to communicate complex financial issues effectively, orally and in writing
Ability to understand, interpret and identify risks in financial performance in diverse types of organisations
Ability to reach and convey reliable and challenge-proof judgements to non-specialists on the basis of complex and imperfect information
Ability to work with high levels of complexity and ambiguity
Experience and expertise in financial analysis is desirable
Experience of higher education sector or in another regulatory role is desirable
Ability to work collaboratively and flexibly in a complex environment to deliver the team’s functions
Enablers
The Office for Students currently uses enablers to evaluate your strengths and ask that your application describe what you’ve done and how you’ve done it. The enablers for this role are:
Knowledge and Learning
Maintains a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the regulatory context for the OfS’s work and shows desire to continue their learning.
Maintains the professional knowledge necessary to deliver the team’s financial assessment functions
Planning
Works collaboratively with others to resolve competing demands, and copes with changing priorities in a flexible and proactive way
Identifies risk to plans and delivery
Demonstrates a readiness to contribute to decision-making and to take the initiative and originate action in circumstances where norms are already established
Continually volunteers for new work and projects.
Demonstrates ability to work under pressure or to tight time scales.
Communication
Provides written financial assessments and is able to verbally explain financial matters to non-financial colleagues.
Provides actionable technical and professional feedback to colleagues on financial assessment matters
Writes in a clear and concise manner, using appropriate grammar, style and language, which is tailored for the reader. Writing will set out financial assessments in a way that is evidence-based, intelligible for non-experts, and provides confidence to decision-makers
Communicates clearly and fluently to individuals and small audiences, using appropriate style and language, and with good presentation skills
Relationships
Demonstrates a confident and co-operative style and deals effectively with people at all levels to build positive working relationships
Maintains credibility with other teams in the directorate and with external contacts
Maintains effective work behaviour in the face of setbacks or pressure and remains calm and professional in such circumstances
Working for us
The OfS regulates the higher education sector on behalf of all students. We value diversity and the wealth of perspectives, experience and ideas that it brings to our work, and we strive to embed equality of opportunity in everything we do.
We recruit based on fair and open competition and welcome applications from candidates regardless of age, disability, race and ethnicity, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation.
At the OfS, we recognise that flexibility can enable people to work more effectively. A set of organisation-wide principles shape our approach to flexible and hybrid working, which our teams then use as guidance on how they deliver their business goals. This would usually mean working from the office for two or three days in a typical week.
To attract the widest possible field of qualified applicants, flexible working, for example job share and part time working, apply to this role.