Description Senior External Projects Assurance Officer The full-time starting salary is normally £37,332.00 per annum, with progression available in post to £40,581.00 per annum. Grade: SO2 Full time, Permanent Innovation and Enterprise Birmingham City University is a large and diverse learning community with over 30,000 students from around 100 countries. We are passionate about providing our learners with a transformational journey, enabled by an exceptional supportive academic community, state-of-the-art facilities and focus on practical skills and professional relevance to support their future employability. We are also committed to world-class research, to advance knowledge and practice, to address real-world problems and fuel innovations outside of the university. We are looking for an individual with demonstrable knowledge and skills in project management and administration of externally funded projects. Working within the Birmingham City University’s Compliance Team we are seeking an individual who has the skills to work across several disciplines and can manage funder obligations; produce Management Information Systems (MIS); articulate and understand compliance and funding assurance. The individual will be providing technical support for project teams and working across all faculties engaged in research and enterprise funded projects. The role will require good working relationship with teams in both a pre and post award assurance capacity. It is desirable that the successful applicant will have the ability and skills (or can demonstrate aptitude to learn) of the following: The experience and the knowledge of working with UK Government and EU Funded Projects Funded Projects in either a financial or compliance / assurance capacity; The ability to both learn and assist in the development of new MIS Systems; The ability to understand complex funding regulations; Excellent communication skills; The ability to be flexible in working hours when required; Successful applicants should have a degree in a relevant subject area. Job Purpose The Senior External Project Assurance Officer will be responsible for supporting and providing assurance for Projects in line with the agreed project management standards. Focusing on Financial Management and Compliance; including the development and technical review of detailed projects’ financial; audit documentation produced by the Project and Finance Teams. The Post Holder will also ensure financial assurance and compliance of externally funded projects with all statutory, contractual and funding requirements. The holder will also lead on remedial action plans; sample audits and reviews whereby projects have not fulfilled external funding financial requirements. The Senior External Project Assurance Officer will have the following responsibilities: Develop, implement and update project financial management guidance for the project teams. Develop and implement financial audit controls to ensure that project risks and appropriate control measures have been identified at pre and post award stage. Develop & Update systems and processes with regards to systematic financial reporting systems for the Project Managers / Principal Investigators of externally funded projects. Support Project Teams in preparation for Internal and External Audits. Work with Head of Compliance Manager to develop new policies and procedures relating to External Funding. For full details applicants are advised to consult the attached Job Description and Person Specifications for the post. The Senior External Projects Assurance Officer will have the following essential requirements: First Degree in Finance, Business or other related areas. Relevant experience of stakeholder relationships / partnerships. Demonstrable experience and competency in report writing skills specially to convey complex information for wide variety of audience. It would be the desirable for the post holder to have: Project Management Qualification such as PRINCE 2. Experience of Higher Education Sector. Holder of a professional qualification. What’s in it for you? In return for your dedication and hard work, you will benefit from ongoing opportunities for personal and professional development, as well as the following key benefits: Opportunity for hybrid working. Generous annual leave entitlement of 40 days (including bank holidays and closure periods). An attractive direct contribution pension scheme, or the option to retain LGPS for existing and previous members. Wellbeing advice and support through our Employee Assistance Programme. Cycle to Work Scheme. We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible. Why not take a look on the interactive map that shows the facilities across campus. Come and be a part of the team. Please click the below link to download the Job Description: Job Description