Senior Administrator

JOB PURPOSE:

These are key positions within the Research Finance Office of the University and will offer an excellent opportunity to a highly motivated individual to further develop their skills and experience. The ideal candidates will have experience of working with computerised accounting systems, possess excellent spreadsheet techniques and capabilities, have strong interpersonal skills and be able to communicate effectively both orally and in writing. 

The key purpose of the roles is to provide a range of financial services, supports and advice to the research community within the University and also to the funding agencies and other partner Higher Education Institutes (HEI’s) external to the University and in doing so develop and maintain strong relationships both internally with the customers of the Research Finance Office and externally with funding agencies, industry partners and also with other partner Universities.

• To manage the budgets and conduct financial reporting of several complex research projects across a range of funding agencies.
• To liaise with industrial partners, Research Centres and PIs to ensure efficient research debtors’ function. This involves timely and accurate generation of invoices and efficient debt collection.
• To plan, manage and report on many audits conducted throughout each financial year both internal and external.
• To participate in several projects and process improvements within the Research Finance office which impact the long-term strategy of the Finance Department.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES:

The duties of the post will include the following: 

• Financial reporting to both internal and external constituencies.
• Planning and management of research audits.
• Provision of financial advice to the University research community.
• Budget management of research projects.
• Administer the Research Debtors Function – raising invoices, debt collection and debtors’ reconciliation.
• Funds transfer to external organisations and income coding.
• Liaising with external funding agencies.
• Assist with financial reporting and analysis of campus-based Research Institutes & Research Centres.
• Working as part of a team within the Research Finance Office.
• Assisting in on-going development of systems for reporting and analysis.
• Other work as assigned by the Research Finance Manager.

Due to the nature of the role, flexibility will be required. Accordingly, the list of duties detailed above is not intended to be exhaustive or restrictive.

Key Working Relationships & Contacts

Internal constituencies

• Finance department.
• Office of the Vice President Research including Research Support Services, Research Post Award and Technology Transfer.
• Research support areas including HR.
• Research community within the University.
• Research Institutes.
• Nexus Innovation Centre & International Business Centre.

External constituencies

• Funding agencies both National and European.
• Industry research partners.
• External auditors including C&AG and funding body appointed auditors.
• External tax advisors.
• External research partners on collaborative research projects.

An ability to build strong working relationships within the Finance Department and wider university through working co-operatively towards common goals and sharing information, knowledge, experience and expertise is crucial. Excellent communication skills, ability to problem solve along with a strong customer focus are also required competencies. An ability to drive process improvements to enhance service provision is also necessary.

Working Environment/Special Circumstances

Appointee will be based in the Finance Department in the University of Limerick. Dealing with large volume research projects, principal investigators, funding agencies both on pre award and post award matters. This will necessitate strong planning and organisational skills to meet fixed reporting deadlines and audit timelines while prioritising fluctuating demands on your time.

Job Boundaries

• Within the boundary of their area the Senior Administrator will have to make the best use of resources available, make decisions and plan and organise their work as they see fit and report progress on key activities to the Research Finance Manager.
• The role interacts with many other areas of the University and with external agencies and auditors.
• The role requires an ability to use initiative to resolve problems where the solution may not be immediately apparent.
• The role requires an ability to work independently.

DIMENSIONS:

The research income generated by the University is in the order of €40m per annum. Financial management and reporting of all the University’s research income to the sponsoring agency is managed by the Research Finance Office. This ranges from initial budget proposal stage through to project set up and financial management and subsequent audits. In addition, the Research Finance Office reports on the total project including partner expenditure for five UL hosted national research centres. These roles are two of nine staff in the Research Finance Office that supports the management of that research activity and supports two primary customer groups: the research community within the University and the external funding agencies and other funders of the University.

Staff: No direct line management responsibility.

Customer: This is a customer-facing role - internal and external customers.

Operational: Solves problems, makes decisions independently within own area of responsibility, or in conjunction with other team members or more senior staff.

Administration: Effectively plans and priorities with reference to line manager and can organise work to meet designated deadlines.

KNOWLEDGE, FUNCTIONAL SKILLS, EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS:

Knowledge  

• Knowledge of enterprise resource packages e.g. Agresso – Essential
• Understanding of financial systems – Essential
• Excellent working knowledge of Microsoft Office – Essential
• Financial reporting, budget management, expenditure review & Analysis – Essential
• Ability to interact with auditors, external funding bodies and HEIs and represent the University in dealings with same – Essential

Functional/Work-based Skills

• MS Office, Excellent MS Excel spreadsheet techniques, Agresso – Essential

Experience

• Minimum 3 years’ experience in a similar role – Essential
• Experience of working with computerised accounting/financial systems e.g. Agresso – Essential
• Experience of preparing financial reports, budget management, expenditure review & analysis – Essential
• Substantial experience in the Higher Education sector – Desirable
• Experience within a large organisation – Desirable
• Experience of working in a fast-paced environment – Desirable

Qualifications

• Leaving Certificate or equivalent – Essential
• Higher Education/Professional/Technical qualification – Desirable

Salary Scale: €37,878 - €51,067 per year