The Role

The Group Financial Services Manager plays a critical role in financial management and oversight at Unite Students. The role has several responsibilities centred around ensuring compliance with regulations and providing strategic financial insights to support decision making. As Unite continues its business wide transformation this role is also key to the delivery of an effective and efficient finance platform, setting both the Finance team and the whole business up for success with our ambitious growth plans.

The Group Financial Services Manager will be responsible for leading and delivering efficient and effective customer focused financial transactional processes that support the business, working with key stakeholders in our Operations business and Support teams and driving excellent internal and external customer service.

This role will be responsible for the Financial Services, Cash and Customer Account Services and Payroll. You will lead and manage a high quality, efficient and customer focused team who deliver services in line with Unite`s purpose and values. Working closely with key stakeholders, you will act as the conduit for business change and performance to ensure systems and processes are fit for purpose in an evolving business.

What You`ll Be Doing

• Provide support throughout the half and full year audit cycles to both internal colleagues and the external auditors.
• Inspire, manage and lead the team by providing effective levels of responsibility, delegation, and recognition for the team so that levels of engagement and ownership are delivered to a high standard.
• Build and maintain strong collaborative relationships with the wider Unite Students management team and other stakeholders.
• Proactively look for industry best practices and effectively introduce these where appropriate so that there is a constant focus on continual improvement in the delivery of services to all stakeholders (employees, suppliers, students, Universities).
• Support the finance leadership team by providing leadership and direction to the Finance team to deliver great customer service, balanced with the requisite control environment.
• Support the identification of opportunities for process automation and efficiency improvements, leveraging technology solutions.
• Oversee daily financial operations including accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll, and general ledger activities.
• Effectively plan workload priorities for direct reports and at a team operational level
• Managing the Team and setting objectives, which meet the needs of the Finance team, ensuring development ofteam members including the apprenticeship scheme.
• Be the go-to person for issues/escalation by key business stakeholders.
• Ownership of automation for Finance to drive process efficiency and cost reduction including supporting automation opportunities across Unite.
• Oversee the implementation and maintenance of financial systems and tools used within the shared services function.
• Ownership for the key Financial systems underpinning the Finance and ensure that they are correctly used and that the transactional flows reflect standard accounting practises at all times.
• Actively lead the team through the business transformation including the implementation of our new finance platforms and post implementation activities; ensuring efficiencies are maximised and effectively delivered.

What We`re Looking for in You

• Demonstrable professional maturity and experience to work and lead in a fast paced, high change environment and to manage multiple demands effectively whilst maintaining a high level of accuracy and attention to detail.
• Passion and commitment to driving service improvement whilst maintaining the appropriate levels of control.
• Capable of leading and delivering change across people, processes and systems to provide continuous improvements to a large finance function.
• Have the gravitas and skills necessary to rapidly acquire respect from fellow colleagues and credibility in their role as the head of the department.
• A high achiever who sets and demands high standards for both themselves and those of their team.
• Proactive and able to be hands on in the detail where required.
• Educated to degree level and preferably a qualified Accountant.
• Appropriate financial ability and skills to communicate financial issues to non-financial stakeholders of all levels.
• Understand the importance of great customer service and its impact on the business with effective governance and controls.
• Managed transactional teams (accounts receivable, accounts payable and cash management) within a complex group structure environment.
• Operated at a senior management level with experience in embedding new ways of working.
• Has worked within a service driven environment

What You`ll Get in Return

• A discretionary annual bonus so you can share in the company`s success
• 25 days` paid holiday and an annual holiday buying scheme, with 5 additional days awarded for long service
• A generous pension scheme - employer contributions between 5% and 11% depending on how much you save
• Various benefits to support your health and wellbeing including a Healthcare Cash Plan, an Employee Assistance Programme, a Wellbeing platform and a Gym benefit that you can share with your family and friends
• Enhanced Family Leave including 18 weeks full pay for birthing parents and 4 weeks for non-birthing parents
• Lots of other great benefits including an annual ShareSave scheme, Employee Life Assurance, a discounts portal and more!

About Unite Students

Founded in 1991, Unite Students is a FTSE 100business and the UK`s leading provider of purpose-built student accommodation. You can find us in 25 leading university towns and cities, with 74,000 students calling US home! We are driven by our values, culture, and a commitment to develop diverse and inclusive teams, filled with positive energy and new ideas.

Instinctive inclusion. We know that to create and maintain a happy healthy organisation, we have to work hard to ensure inclusion isn`t just what we do but who we are.

People make Unite Students. Employees, students and neighbours all contribute to building environments where we can all thrive.

Room for Everyone

We`re proud to be an employer that embraces individuality, and we`re passionate about building inclusive teams. We focus on creating a collaborative culture where you can be you, where your voice is heard, and where you can truly belong. We take great pride in being rated Gold Investors in People and are constantly striving to provide the highest standard of learning and development opportunities and professional pathways for our people. Building a home for success, for both our employees and students, requires exceptional people with a passion for creating room for everyone, doing what`s right, keeping US safe, and raising the bar. Join us as we build better experiences for students that live with us.

We are US.