Application Open:
Full-Time
Job Purpose:
The Reporting Specialist supports the Head of Financial Performance Analytics and Reporting in delivering a single, trusted view of the University’s financial performance. The role is the hands-on engine of the Financial Performance Management (FPM) capability: building and maintaining the recurring reporting suite for University Operations, preparing executive-ready analysis and presentations, and supporting budgeting, forecasting, and cash call processes. The individual is expected to be highly comfortable manipulating, reconciling, and quality-assuring large and complex datasets drawn from multiple source systems. Beyond technical accuracy, the Reporting Specialist should be proficient in financial storytelling: translating detailed financial data into concise, visually compelling narratives that enable the Executive Team, Board committees, and academic and administrative leaders to make informed, evidence-based decisions.
Key Responsibilities:
Support to the Head of Financial Performance Analytics and Reporting
- Act as the primary day-to-day support to the Head of Financial Performance Analytics and Reporting, delivering the recurring and ad hoc reporting, analysis, and presentation requirements of the function.
- Prepare first drafts of monthly, quarterly, and annual financial performance reports, scorecards, and Board and Executive packs for review.
- Research, prepare, and quality-check supporting schedules, appendices, and briefing notes required for management meetings.
Budgeting & Forecasting Support
- Assist the FP&A team in the preparation, consolidation, and validation of the annual budget and periodic reforecasts for University Operations.
- Consolidate departmental submissions, check them against approved assumptions, cost drivers, and allocation models, and highlight anomalies or gaps for review.
- Load, validate, and reconcile budget and forecast versions in the planning system, maintaining clear version control and audit trails.
- Produce budget versus actual versus forecast analysis, identify key variances and drivers, and prepare clear written commentary for management.
Financial Storytelling & Executive Presentations
- Translate complex financial results into clear, concise performance narratives that explain what happened, why it happened, and what it means for decisions ahead.
- Design and produce high-quality, executive-ready presentations using PowerPoint and think-cell.
- Select the most effective visualization for each message — waterfalls, bridges, and variance charts.
- Tailor content and level of detail to the audience, from Executive Team and Board committees through to non-financial academic and operational stakeholders.
Cash Call Requests – University Operations & University Projects
- Prepare and review periodic cash call requests covering both University Operations and University Projects, in line with approved budgets, funding agreements, and governance requirements.
- Build and maintain the supporting cash flow forecasts, phasing schedules, and justification packs that underpin each cash call request.
- Reconcile funds requested, funds received, and actual expenditure; track balances, utilization, and explain movements and timing differences.
Analysis, Insight & Continuous Improvement
- Perform variance, trend, ratio, and sensitivity analysis across manpower, OPEX, and CAPEX, translating findings into actionable insight.
- Respond to ad hoc analytical requests from FP&A leadership and stakeholders with accurate, well-documented outputs.
- Identify and implement opportunities to improve the speed, accuracy, and usefulness of reporting, including IT- and AI-enabled process improvements.
Other Duties
- Carry out all other duties as reasonably directed by the line manager that are commensurate with these functional objectives.
Qualifications and Criteria:
- A minimum of a bachelor’s degree in finance, Accounting, Economics, Business Analytics, or a related discipline.
- A postgraduate degree and/or a professional qualification (e.g., CFA, CPA, ACCA, CIMA) will be preferred.
Essential:
- Minimum of 8 years of relevant experience in financial reporting, financial planning and analysis, or financial performance analytics.
- Demonstrated experience producing recurring management reporting packs and executive-level presentations.
- Hands-on experience supporting budgeting and forecasting cycles, including template preparation, consolidation, and variance analysis.
- Proven ability to work with large, complex datasets from multiple source systems, with strong reconciliation and data quality discipline.
- Advanced Microsoft Excel skills (complex formulas, pivot tables, Power Query, large-volume data handling).
- Advanced proficiency in Microsoft PowerPoint and think-cell to produce executive-grade charts and presentations.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with high attention to detail and accuracy.
- Ability to translate financial results into clear, concise narratives for financial and non-financial audiences.
- Proficiency in the Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).
- English working proficiency.
Preferred:
- Experience with Oracle EPM (EPBCS/PBCS), or a comparable budgeting and long-range planning platform will be a distinct added advantage.
- Experience with enterprise analytics and dashboarding tools such as Power BI or Tableau. Working knowledge of SQL or equivalent data querying capability.
- Exposure to AI, automation, or advanced analytics applied to FP&A and reporting processes.
