Head of Payment Services - Job description and selection criteria

Transcription

1 FINANCE DIVISION FIN/314/E Post No. Head of Payment Services - Job description and selection criteria Job title Division Department Location Grade and salary Hours Contract type Reporting to Head of Payment Services University Administration and Services Finance Division Hythe Bridge Street Competitive Full time Permanent Deputy Director of Finance Vacancy reference Introduction The University The University of Oxford is a complex and stimulating organisation, which enjoys an international reputation as a world-class centre of excellence in research and teaching. It employs over 10,000 staff and has a student population of over 22,000. Most staff are directly appointed and managed by one of the University s 130 departments or other units within a highly devolved operational structure - this includes over 6,500 academic-related staff (postgraduate research, computing, senior library, and administrative staff) and over 2,700 support staff (including clerical, library, technical, and manual staff). There are also over 1,600 academic staff (professors, readers, lecturers), whose appointments are in the main overseen by a combination of broader divisional and local faculty board/departmental structures. Academics are generally all also employed by one of the 38 constituent colleges of the University as well as by the central University itself. Our annual income in 2012/13 was 1,087m. Oxford is one of Europe's most innovative and entrepreneurial universities and this figure includes income from external research contracts of 437m. To date more than 100 spin-out companies have been created by the University. For more information please visit

2 University Administration and Services University Administration and Services (UAS) is the collective term for the central administrative departments of the University. UAS comprises structures to: support the University s core academic purposes of teaching, learning and research; ensure the University can meet the requirements of government, funding bodies and other external agencies; and facilitate the attainment of the objectives set out in the University s Strategic Plan. The offices of the UAS sections are spread across the city centre, with the main University Offices located in Wellington Square and the Finance Division in Hythe Bridge Street. For more information please visit Finance Division The Finance Division is responsible for providing advice and information on financial matters affecting all departments, divisions and subsidiary companies at the University of Oxford. Our mission is to provide sound financial advice and timely information to academics, researchers, administrators and other stakeholders. Having recently implemented Oracle financials (release ) we are looking to deliver significant benefits to the university through the consolidation, centralisation and automation of our payment services resulting in electronic transaction processing with suppliers and staff. Alongside this we expect to see a significant improvement in service levels such that customers experience a seamless process. For more information please visit Overview of the role: The Head of Payment Services is a newly created role with responsibility to the Deputy Director of Finance for the strategic leadership and operational management of the Payment Services team which covers payroll management, the supplier payment process, payment of staff expenses, royalty payments and recovery of commercial debt. The Head of Payment Services will be responsible for driving a shared service strategy and performance culture and for identifying opportunities for improvement in systems and processes to drive improved customer satisfaction and mitigate the increasing risk of payment fraud. Following the successful implementation of i-supplier and an e-expenses solution, you will undertake a leading role, working with colleagues within Finance and around the University to ensure that continuous improvement and best practice principles are adopted to ensure the University provides a first class service to staff and suppliers alike. The Head of Payment Services will continually benchmark the effectiveness and efficiency of Payment Services against historical performance and best practice. Direct reports: Team size : 3 staff 33 staff

3 Main Duties and Responsibilities: 1. Strategic management: provision of strategic direction and leadership of Payment Services group and its team managers. Translating the wider goals and vision of the University and Finance Division into service and team specific objectives, and priorities. Identifying opportunities to further enhance systems and processes by making best use of available technologies. You will require strong influencing and persuading skills to bring about change in a consultative environment. This will include: Agreeing service objectives with the Deputy Director of Finance and Divisional senior management, and setting the associated team objectives within Payment Services; Defining and agreeing with team managers the necessary strategies for achieving these objectives, ensuring that these are suitably documented and communicated to staff; Providing strategic advice and guidance to senior members of the Finance Division (through membership of the Finance Operations Board) and to senior officers of the University, including the Registrar, Vice Chancellor and Heads of Department and Division; Implementing appropriate solutions to introduce maintain and develop shared service principles. This will be centred on the effective use of Oracle isupplier and eexpenses but may also include other initiatives such as electronic data capture and data forensic applications relating to payment activities. 2. Process ownership: overall responsibility for delivering efficient and effective processing and recording of financial transactions in a high volume environment. You will provide a pro-active customer focused transaction processing service to departments, staff and suppliers who use the following financial processes : Payroll, expenses and benefits; Supplier invoice processing and payment; Royalty payments; Credit and fuel card processes; Commercial (non-research) debt recovery. 3. Staff management: you will have direct management responsibility for 3 team managers, as per the attached organizational chart, and indirect responsibility for up to 33 staff in each of the teams. You will be expected to develop, lead and motivate the Payment Services team to deliver high standards of operational excellence as a high performing team and a culture of best practice. You will be expected to provide guidance, advice and support to team managers in both a managerial and technical capacity. This will include: Staff recruitment (advertising, shortlisting, interviewing and selecting); Staff development (identification of development needs, determination of appropriate training, monitoring of training effectiveness);

4 Allocation of work (setting targets, monitoring of progress, devising contingencies for situations where deadlines cannot be met); You will also act as a point of referral where staffing and management issues within Payment Services teams require escalation due to complexity or in disciplinary situations. 4. Best practice: you will be expected to take responsibility for ensuring all users have the appropriate skills and knowledge to operate the systems by taking responsibility for embedding shared service principles and secure best practice across the stakeholder population. This may be achieved using: a programme of seminars and workshops; provision of training materials, Intranet based process notes and information updates. 5. Accounting knowledge and expertise: you will be required to demonstrate an indepth accounting knowledge of all areas for which he or she is responsible. This will include: Application of UK GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles); The Oracle accounting for each process; Ensure compliance with statutory and regulatory reporting obligations; Ensuring that procedures are put in place to reconcile all key control accounts for each process area on a monthly basis in accordance with the Financial Control Framework, including liaison with internal auditors; Year-end accounts preparation for each process area, including dealing with external auditors; Accounting advice and guidance to senior staff within the University and process users. Selection Criteria Essential A degree or equivalent qualification An accounting qualification such as ACA, CIMA, ACCA, CIPFA Substantial relevant post-qualified accounting experience including managing within a financial transactions shared service environment A demonstrable customer service ethos Substantial experience in a large complex organization with proven and demonstrable communication and analytical skills and proactive experience of change management. Substantial experience of managing a sizeable team and developing staff.

5 Strong IT understanding of financial systems, including experience of using Oracle Financials. Evidence of implementing new systems would be an advantage High levels of personal effectiveness, particularly communication, organization, and the ability to focus on achieving project deadlines Proven ability and the credibility to persuade and influence senior managers in effecting changes within an organization Strong interpersonal skills and good stakeholder management. Head of Payment Services Payroll Supplier Payments including Card Services Accounts Receivable Expenses Unit