Associate Director of Finance – Financial Performance Reporting and Analysis

Employer: University of the Arts London
Location: Hybrid – CSM King’s Cross/Home
Salary: £85,000 - £95,000 per annum, pro rata
Contract: Full time
Hours: Full time

Job description

The opportunity

UAL is 3 years into its new strategy and we are looking for an experienced Associate Director of Finance to cover this key role on an interim basis for 7 months whilst the post holder takes paternity leave.  This post reports to the Director of Finance and will be key in continuing the development and delivery of the financial strategy. 

As Associate Director of Finance – Financial Performance Reporting & Analysis, you will provide senior leadership on all aspects of financial performance reporting and analysis to inform fact-based decision making across the University. You will own the budgeting, reporting, and forecasting processes at the University and ensure these are optimised. You will also lead the production and consolidation of financial management information for University leadership, Governors and external bodies, including the production of the statutory accounts. We are looking to develop our data and reporting in the next 12 months and experience of delivering initiatives with impact in these areas is key. 

The post holder is required to be an active member of the Finance Department's senior leadership team, building the capability of the function to deliver an outstanding customer service and student experience.

For full details on the assessment criteria and how to apply please click the apply button to be directed to our website.  

Closing date: 23:55 on 6 May 2024. 

About you

Your profile 

Our finance professionals bring with them a diverse range of skills and experience from a variety of professional sectors. We welcome qualified accountants with experience of working in large complex organisations. This may already be within Higher Education or further afield where multiple stakeholder accountability can be demonstrated.  

Key to this role will be your demonstrable ability to analyse and explain complex information, through effective design and collation of relevant, well presented financial analysis and reports (text and numeric). If you have significant experience of the development, implementation and evaluation of business and strategic plans coupled with experience of developing data and reporting tools, we would like to hear from you. 

Key duties and responsibilities 

• Lead the continued development and implementation of a performance management framework for the University’s financial Strategy.
• Support the Director of Finance to develop the Resource Allocation Model/Budget Allocation Model used to inform the annual budget setting process. 
• Advise and provide support to all levels of University leadership in the production of financial forecasts and plans, including the annual budget, multi-year budgets, capital programme and five-year forecast.
• Identify value-adding opportunities around cost savings, increased profitability and business enhancement.
• Tightly manage working capital and plan the balance sheet to ensure full compliance with financial covenants and ensure that the University has in place appropriate loan finance to deliver its capital plans.
• To oversee the production of the University’s Financial Statements, including its subsidiary companies in accordance with accounting standards and the latest UK and US GAAP, to meet the statutory and regulatory reporting requirements and deadlines.
• Support the development and implementation of the University’s pensions strategy, identifying and evaluating options for consideration, liaising with key stakeholders, engaging professional advisors where necessary and communicating proposals for consultation.
• Supporting the Finance and Audit committees through preparation and presentation of papers, developing the forward agenda and work plans, and ensuring that all relevant information is accurately shared on a timely basis. 

If you have any queries about this role or need any reasonable adjustments for your application, please contact Hazel Bailey, Resourcing Adviser via email at PSOstaffrecruitment@arts.ac.uk 

We are UAL

University of the Arts London (UAL) offers an extensive range of courses in art, design, fashion, communication and performing arts. We are a collegiate University spread across London with six Colleges, four Institutes and five Research Centres. UAL also has two subsidiary companies, delivering specialist activities – UAL Short Courses Ltd, and UAL Arts Temps Ltd.

We’re made up of all types of people, coming together in London, the world’s creative capital. We are designers, artists, performers, thinkers, researchers and makers. Our students, staff and graduates form a global network of creatives, entrepreneurs and leaders. Together, our ideas change the world. Because the world needs creativity.

We are ranked highly across the board. We are ranked first for specialist art and design, second in the world for Art and Design in the 2023 QS World University Rankings (for the fifth year in a row), ranked fifth in sustainability and two of our colleges were rated in the top three fashion schools in the world.

This job has now closed