Assistant Finance Manager Review

I joined the University as a Finance Assistant, and I have done a few secondments which allowed me to work across different departments; some of which were financial reporting within Corporate Finance, project management within our Change Programme and transactional services in three of the five Faculty Finance teams. I am extremely proud of the career path I have built thus far as this enabled me to progress into my current role as the Assistant Finance Manager for the Faculty of Engineering (FoE). I usually look after the budget for the different departments within FoE. I also assist the Finance Manager during month-end by posting accruals and prepayments. There is also a separate transactional team who I support when it comes to budget checking.

Leadership skills in terms of influencing senior leaders within the Faculty Communication as I usually do presentations to various members of the team and I do systems training as well to the wider University Flexibility as I have been working from home now for over a year and it definitely required me to be able to adapt to various changes within my working environment

I get to speak to my Talent Coach who is very good at communication and updating us of what's happening out there. It definitely has opened doors for me in terms of promotion within work and I was also able to attend a couple of Development Days which was really fun.

At the beginning, the Talent Coach assigned to us was not very good but that was dealt with as soon as possible and now my new mentor is so much better. I get a six-weekly catch up with my Talent Coach, everything is recorded and sent to my Finance Training Manager to keep me on track.

I receive financial support as they pay for my exams and they give us ten day study leave every year which is really great. If I needed to learn something, they can offer job shadowing and also secondment to a different department which is good for my learning and studies.

I get contacted by my training provide on a 6-week basis and we talk for about an hour. She checks up on me and asks me how I'm getting on with work and personal life. She's very approachable and is always happy to help. She also engages with my Finance Training Manager so that my employer knows how I'm getting on.

I have definitely learnt a lot in terms of accounting as I have progressed with my job. There are things that I didn't really understand before but because of my qualification, I was able to become a better FInance Business Partner to our stakeholders. I have gained invaluable and transferable skills which I know can only help me further my career in the field I'm in.

There are loads - I do a lot of Volunteering within the University, I'm part of the Family Link, Friends of Jubilee and UP and also am an Impact Campaign Officer. As a Family Link volunteer, I need to accommodate International Students and help them settle in to Nottingham as they might not know anyone here and may feel a bit secluded. Language can be a barrier at times but because I really enjoy doing it, it's never been an issue and I feel like I've gained new friends. The Friends of Jubilee steering group consists of the Estates Manager, some local councillors and other external public members who are well-versed in their fields. As an Impact Campaign Officer, I once organised a Bake Sale and managed to raise about £350 in one day just from cakes and sweets and it was truly a special moment for me as I've never done anything like it before. Having that confidence to ask people to bake for charity and then actually sell these to the public entailed some convincing skills and I'm happy that I was able to do that.

Yes

It's an amazing place to work for - I feel proud that I'm part of the University as I feel like I'm giving back to the community. There are so many opportunities within the University both professionally and personally. I have met some wonderful people in the last 5 years and I can't wait to spend the next few years learning and being the best I can be within my role.

Definitely show some enthusiasm to Higher Education and Nottingham in general, at the end of the day, we are a massive community. Have that passion for enriching other people's lives because that's what we're here to do. Do your research about the department you're applying for and of course just be you, that's the best you can do!