Overview
Research Accountant (FM12942) – Bath, BA2 7AY
About the role
We’re looking for a Research Accountant to join our team to take the lead on the financial accounting and reporting of the University’s research activities. You’ll play a key role in ensuring accurate financial management, compliance, and insightful reporting, while also acting as a trusted business partner to Research Institutes and Core Research Facilities.
Your responsibilities will include:
- Monthly accounting of research costs and preparing quarterly/annual accounts
- Providing research income and overhead estimates for departmental planning purposes
- Offering advice to financial and non-financial stakeholders, building strong working relationships
- Maintaining detailed reports, supporting external returns (e.g. HESA), and ensuring accuracy of data
- Acting as Finance Business Partner for Research Institutes and Core Research Facilities, supporting budget planning, financial monitoring and overhead calculations
The role sits within the Management Information Section (MIS) team. We provide financial support to Academic and Professional Services departments, with responsibility for planning, budgeting, monitoring and reporting.
The department is based in the Virgil Building in the centre of Bath and there will be a requirement to work on the main campus at times, however, hybrid working is one of the many ways we recognise the importance of achieving a positive work life balance. Whilst the exact days you can work remotely will differ between teams and departments, it should provide you with greater flexibility, provided you are in the UK. Learn more about our future ways of working and explore further at interview.
What we’re looking for:
- A qualified accountant with experience or an interest in the Higher Education sector and how universities are funded.
- Strong accounting skills including budgeting, forecasting and other reporting.
- Excellent communication and analytical skills.
- Ability to work collaboratively across academic and administrative teams.
- Good excel skills and experience of using finance systems
Further information
The Finance and Procurement Office is responsible for handling the University’s income, expenditure, financial performance and procurement processes, ensuring value for money in its financial activities. In addition, the department provides high quality management accounting support as well as compliance with statutory and regulatory bodies.
We consider ourselves to be a university where difference is celebrated, respected and encouraged. We have an excellent international reputation with staff from over 60 different nations and have made a positive commitment towards gender equality and intersectionality receiving a Silver Athena SWAN award. We truly believe that diversity of experience, perspectives, and backgrounds will lead to a better environment for our employees and students and encourage applications from all genders, backgrounds, and communities, particularly from under-represented groups, and value the positive impact that will have on the university. We are committed to maintaining a safe and secure environment for our students, staff, and community by reinforcing our Safer Recruitment commitment.
We’re very proud to be a signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant. an accredited Disability Confident Leader; autism friendly university, committed to building disability confidence and supporting disabled staff.
What we can offer you:
We’re continually expanding our benefits package to better support you and enhance your experience with us and the below is just an example of some of the many great benefits we offer:
- Free counselling services through Health Assured
- Cycle to work scheme
- Electric vehicle salary sacrifice scheme
- Staff discount at Team Bath gym
- Staff discounts on postgraduate tuition fees
- Staff discount on language courses
- Generous employer contributory pension schemes
- Generous annual leave allowance with an additional 5 discretionary days so that you can enjoy a positive work life balance
- A wide range of personal and professional development opportunities including Apprenticeships, LinkedIn Learning and more
- Free entry to the Holburne Museum in Bath
- Local discounts and more
- A family-friendly workplace
- An excellent reward package that recognises the talents of our diverse workforce
- Relocation allowance
- Visa reimbursement and Interest-Free Loan to help with the cost of some immigration expenses
Find out more about our benefits and watch the video to hear from our staff about what makes the University of Bath a great place to work as well as following us X and LinkedIn.
Closing Date: 05 Oct 2025
Department: Management, Specialist and Administration
Salary: £47,389 to £56,535
