It takes Cambridge to make it happen.
The University of Cambridge is one of the world's oldest universities and leading academic centres.
A self-governed community of 4,000 academics, 150 departments, faculties, schools and other institutions, it has close ties to the 31 independent Colleges. It has one of the largest estates in higher education, with an existing 640,000m² of built space within 360 teaching, research and operational buildings.
The Finance Transformation Programme is part of a series of change initiatives at the University of Cambridge, which aim to embrace new ways of working to better support our staff and academic mission.
This project has ambitious aims to improve the way that the finance function supports the University, through a modern, cloud-based ERP system, improved policies and practices, and enhancement of financial reporting.
The University is building an in-house team of finance professionals, who will release existing staff to lead the development and roll-out of new systems across all schools and departments. This approach will ensure that the acquired knowledge of new systems remains within the university long after going live.
We're delighted to be partnering with the University to recruit a flexible workforce of around 30 people to 'backfill' the finance function and create the capacity for permanent staff secondments.
Given the sizeable scale and timelines of this programme, we'll be able to guarantee all new recruits fixed-term employment of between one and three years and you'll be able to access excellent employee benefits.
History of the University
The University of Cambridge is one of the world’s oldest and most successful universities, with an outstanding reputation for academic achievement and research. It is consistently ranked among the foremost universities in the world.
The University’s sustained pursuit of academic excellence is built on a long history of first-class teaching and research within a distinct collegiate system. Its principal goal is to remain one of the world’s leading universities in an increasingly competitive and global higher education sector.
The University has an annual income of £2 billion. Research income won competitively from the UK Research Councils, the European Union (EU), major charities and industry, exceeds £500 million per annum and continues to grow.
The colleges and the University remain committed to admitting the best students regardless of their background and to investing considerable resources both in widening access and financial support. The 31 colleges are self-governing, separate legal entities that appoint their own people.
The University of Cambridge's mission is to contribute to society through the pursuit of education, learning, and research at the highest international levels of excellence.
Core values are:
- Freedom of thought and expression.
- Freedom from discrimination.
The backfill programme
If Cambridge is to maintain its status as one of the world’s leading providers of education and research, while remaining competitive in a challenging sector, it needs better financial insights and access to quality management information, so it can evaluate its financial sustainability and make informed strategic planning decisions.
Through the backfill campaign, the University of Cambridge will modernise its ways of working through new processes, technology and governance. This will enable its people to provide customers with the specialist support and guidance they need.
The Finance Division is intent on making sure the project delivery and engagement plans are fully aligned to minimise disruption to the University. A key part of this is to ensure there is sufficient resource available to allow permanent staff the opportunity to work on the project.
We're partnering with the University's Finance Division to recruit a team of finance specialists to be deployed into various schools, departments and faculties. This will free up permanent staff to have seconded periods on the programme whilst ensuring their acquired knowledge will be retained long after the programme’s completion.
Why be part of Team Backfill?
Being part of the backfill programme offers you the opportunity to work with a prestigious, reputable organisation with a rich history engrained in Cambridge. Here's why you should apply:
1. Two to three-year fixed-term contracts are available, with the opportunity for extensions.
2. You'll be a salaried employee rather than an agency worker, with a monthly payroll and access to fantastic benefits such as:
- generous pension scheme
- excellent holidays
- flexible working conditions
- fantastic discounts at a host of local and national retailers exclusively for University of Cambridge employees.
3. You'll be part of a core team which will allow you to gain a wide variety of experience across different roles and departments.
4. You'll join a like-minded team of people, who are all working towards the same goal of providing high-quality accountancy knowledge to ensure the project is a success.
The roles available will range from an accounts assistant through to finance manager and business partner - and everything in between. All available opportunities will be listed at the bottom of this page.
