Student Finance Assistant
Salary: £30,000 to £32,000
Location: St Edmund’s College, Cambridge
Contract type: Full Time, Permanent (36.5 hours per week Monday to Friday)
We are seeking an organised, numerate and customer‑focused Student Finance Assistant to join our small and friendly Finance Team. Reporting to the Student Finance Officer, you will support the delivery of an efficient and accurate finance service, combining transactional finance work with the administration of student billing and account enquiries.
This is an excellent opportunity for someone who enjoys working with people, takes pride in accuracy, and thrives in a busy, service‑oriented environment with lots of different types of stakeholder.
Working patterns
This role offers flexibility in daily start and finish times within agreed parameters. Core working hours generally fall between 07:30 and 19:00, and specific patterns can be discussed and confirmed with the successful candidate. During the initial training period, the post‑holder will be expected to be fully onsite to support learning and induction. Following this, the role can accommodate up to two days per week working from home, subject to operational needs and ongoing review.
Job Responsibilities
- Process student receipts and payments under the guidance of the Student Finance Officer.
- Prepare and process credit notes and payments for student accounts, including catering credits and room deposits.
- Undertake credit control activities for students and fellows, reporting on outstanding debts.
- Manage a designated cohort of student accounts, acting as the first point of contact for finance‑related queries and issuing payment confirmations.
- Maintain accurate student meal accounts, responding to enquiries and processing transactions for informal and formal dining.
- Update meal card accounts with catering credit transactions each term.
- Collect and distribute incoming Finance Team post.
- Provide cover for colleagues during periods of absence or peak workloads.
- Ensure processes are documented and support continuous improvement initiatives.
- Work collaboratively with colleagues to share best practice and ensure policy compliance.
- Contribute to the general upkeep of the College environment, reporting issues and helping to keep the site litter‑free.
- Suggest and implement new ways of working, championing continuous improvement.
The Ideal Candidate
You will be someone who is comfortable working with numbers, enjoys helping others, and can balance accuracy with efficiency. You will be proactive, supportive, and able to work well within a small team.
Essential Criteria
- Experience in administrative or financial roles.
- GCSEs (or equivalent) in English and Maths, or relevant experience.
- Strong IT skills, particularly Microsoft Excel.
- Excellent attention to detail and high levels of accuracy.
- Ability to organise and prioritise workloads to meet deadlines.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Professional approach to handling confidential and sensitive information.
- Ability to learn new software systems (training provided).
- Works well within a small team, motivating and supporting colleagues.
- Proactive approach with minimal supervision.
- Demonstrates College values: open‑mindedness, integrity and inclusivity.
Desirable Attributes
- Experience working in finance in a higher‑education environment.
- Familiarity with student billing or credit control processes.
As well as a great salary and friendly team you will also receive:
- Working daily allowance for food and drinks*
- Free car parking (where available)
- 25 days holiday plus bank holidays (increasing with length of service)
- Generous pension contributions
- Discounts at restaurants, shops & more
- Outdoor gym
- Death in service
*On days when the college canteen is open
About St Edmund’s College
St Edmund’s College is one of the 31 constituent colleges of the University of Cambridge. Our vibrant student body is made up of around 420 post-graduates and 130 mature undergraduates. With over 260 senior members – academics working at the cutting edge of their field or eminent members of their profession – and around 70 staff, you will be joining a dynamic and growing College with an ambitious vision for our role in shaping the future of higher education and collaborative research.
Relaxed, non‑hierarchical and diverse, we pride ourselves on being the friendly college where people of all backgrounds are welcomed, feel at home and can flourish. We warmly welcome applications from candidates of all demographic backgrounds, including gender, race, disability, neurodiversity, religion, age, sex and sexual identity.
How to apply
Please send your cover letter and CV to the HR Team at [email protected].
Closing date for completed applications: 2 August 2026**
**Please note that we reserve the right to close the advert early should a suitable candidate be identified.
Interviews will be held on: week commencing 10 August 2026
Please note that interviews are expected to take place in a single stage and will include a short task and a tour of the College grounds.
For informal enquiries about the post, please email the College Accountant, [email protected].
Please note that this role is not eligible for visa sponsorship, as it does not meet the required criteria.
In applying for this role, you will provide personal data which the College will process in accordance with its Data Protection Policy: http://www.stedmunds.cam.ac.uk/data-protection
Any offer of employment is subject to evidence of your right to work in the UK and satisfactory references.
Pay: £30,000.00-£32,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Canteen
- Free flu jabs
- Free parking
- On-site parking
Work Location: In person
