Junior Functional Expert (HR & Payroll) - Finance Office - 105901Z26 - Grade 5

Location: United Kingdom Department: Specialist/Professional

Position Details

Finance Office

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £30,062 to £31,900, with potential progression once in post to £35,883

Grade: 5

Full Time, Fixed Term contract up to November 2027

Closing date: 25th October 2026

Our offer to you

People are at the heart of what we are and do.

The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years, and we are equally proud to be recognised as a leading global university. We want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond, support them to succeed, and celebrate their success.

We are committed to helping the people who work here to develop through our sector-leading Birmingham Professional programme which provides all professional services staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full potential. With almost 5,000 professional services jobs in a wide-range of functions in Edgbaston and in our campus in Dubai, there are plenty of opportunities for you to be able to develop your career at the University.

We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation, and debate. We warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we are, and how we work.

Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important both to our employees and to the success of the University and, depending on the role, we offer a variety of flexible working arrangements. We therefore welcome discussions on all forms of flexible working. In addition, you will receive a generous package of benefits including 40 days paid holiday a year, one paid day a year for volunteering, occupational sick pay, and a pension scheme. We also have three high quality subsidised day nurseries.

The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and there are excellent transport links to our beautiful campus, including main bus routes and a train station on site. On campus we have a state-of-the-art sports centre with pool, shops, places to eat and drink, our own art gallery, museum and botanical gardens.

Find out more about the benefits of working for the University of Birmingham

Background

The Core Systems Optimisation team, (CSOT), is responsible for Oracle quarterly release management, helping to stabilise and optimise the build of the system, co-ordinating and delivering end-user support and training and overseeing the work of the Managed Support Provider. CSOT work with key stakeholders across the University community to deliver enhancements to system functionality, resolve defects and manage quarterly upgrade releases.

Role Summary

This role will play a key role in preparing data for testing, amending tests scripts as required, running tests and providing relevant test evidence and other test relates duties, as required. They will be responsible for resolving incidents, deploying enhancements, supporting training and overseeing regression testing. The postholder will also have a good awareness of the business processes and system functionality.

Main Duties

System Functionality

Develop an in-depth knowledge of system functionality across all modules.

Manage requests for new positions and work schedules in Core Systems in a timely manner.

Ensure system processes, reporting and schedules run accurately.

End-User Support

Resolve all Level 2 calls assigned from the ITS Service Now Desk, including break/fix calls, configuration issues, troubleshooting requests including data issues or dealing with issues associated with user-error.

Undertake configuration changes, (integrations, conversions, enhancement, forms), as required.

Keep all documentation up to date and accurate.

Develop reports to satisfy business intelligence requirements for the relevant processes.

Developing a comprehensive knowledge of Core Systems functionality so as to be best placed to respond to Core System’s users queries and issues

Problem solving and troubleshooting in order to provide second line support to staff via ServiceNow incidents

Taking ownership, monitoring and tracking incidents through to resolution, which will include raising incidents with our third-party Managed Support Provider, or third-line University IT Services.

Responding to incidents in a timely and professional manner

Liaising with members of other teams to aid in the timely resolution of Core Systems relates issues (E.g. IT Services Desk, HR, Finance, Worklink)

Create and maintain positions and work schedules, ensuring tasks are dealt with in a timely manner whilst also ensuring data accuracy

Liaise with Finance colleagues, sharing weekly spreadsheets in order that position costing can be maintained

Investigate data issues and identify ways to resolve them, using excel look-ups to compare and reconcile data.

Create/update test scripts

Undertake testing to ensure that functionality is configured appropriately, recording outcomes and providing appropriate test evidence documentation

Update process maps and standard operating procedures (SOPs) to ensure that they are kept fully up to date.

Release Management

Evaluate forthcoming releases associated with the range of modules.

Undertake all necessary regression testing to ensure that functionality is configured appropriately. Review requirements and specifications and define test conditions. Design test cases and test scripts under own direction, mapping back to pre-determined criteria, recording and reporting outcomes. Analyse and report test activities and results. Identify and report issues and risks associated with own work. Compile results for feedback.

Ensure all process maps are kept fully up to date