JOB DESCRIPTION  

JOB TITLE: Finance Officer 

RESPONSIBLE TO: Financial Accountant

JOB GRADE: D

LOCATION: Home based or at a UBS Hub, by agreement (Time Zone: GMT to GMT+3)

DURATION: Permanent, Full-time (flexible working arrangements considered)

HOURS OF WORK: 37.5 hours per week

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BACKGROUND 

United Bible Societies is a global Fellowship committed to making the Bible available to everyone. United Bible Societies Association (UBSA) is the service organisation  that supports this Fellowship of independent Bible Societies in 158 countries. 

The role sits within the Membership Services division of UBSA, which both provides services directly to member Bible Societies and supports the work of other divisions. Services include various forms of consultancy, management of the Fellowship’s grant programme between members, and provision of a variety of financial services.

UBSA is registered as a charity in the UK, but has staff in over 30 countries, resulting in a number of other legal presences around the world to support its global team, which means engaging with a wide variety of statutory bodies.  Maintaining appropriate compliance with statutory obligations as an organisation is a vital part of fulfilling our mission.

The Financial Accounting Function focuses on UBSA finances from an external perspective. This includes regulatory and tax authorities in the locations where UBSA is registered, including the UK, USA, Canada and Kenya. The perspective of member Bible Societies is also key as the principal users of our external financial reporting.  The function ensures all statutory reporting is filed accurately and on time and provides reporting to Bible Societies, leadership and governance regarding financial transactions between members of the Fellowship, which take place through a current account system facilitating grants, loans, short term lending and recharges. The function also oversees payment of salaries and contract fees to the global team through a number of payrolls and Bible Society secondments.

JOB SUMMARY

Supporting the Financial Accountant in fulfilling the role of the Financial Accounting Function

1. Assist in developing and maintaining an understanding of the complex and dynamic registrations in relevant jurisdictions.
2. Contribute to design and management of processes to deliver statutory financial reports and filings in compliance with the demands of each relevant authority, the bulk of which relate to UBSA’s registration as a UK charity.
3. Maintain reporting associated with managing reserves and the Fellowship current account system, providing analysis to support credit control.
4. Work with the Financial Account managers, who hold the relationships with Bible Societies, to maintain appropriate supporting documentation for transactions within the current account system.
5. Managing interaction with other UBSA stakeholders, namely Education Fund Members and Pensioners who interact with UBSA.

APPOINTED BY: Director of Finance & IT

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Maintain control accounts, especially those associated with Bible Society financial interactions, and ensure integrity between the grant management and finance systems, from a finance perspective.
2. Assist in the preparation of statutory accounts and other filings, complying with the relevant requirements and deadlines.
3. Overseeing Pension payments and managing interaction with Pensioners where appropriate. 
4. Managing the Education Fund system within UBSA.
5. Provide support and backup to the payroll processing function of UBSA.
6. Administer the year end plan and help to co-ordinate the wider team in delivering information required by our auditors and for the completion of the statutory accounts and other filings.
7. Assist in maintaining the documentation of the Financial Accounting Function, maintaining process notes and other records required.
8. Assist in the preparation of external reporting.
9. Performing such other duties as may from time to time be assigned by their line manager. 

ESSENTIAL SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

• Part-qualified or qualified by experience, financial accountant with experience of UK statutory reporting, preferably including charities.
• Ability to navigate ambiguity and bring order to complex situations.
• Ability to deliver reports and information to tight timetables. 
• Proven capacity to manage detail. 
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills (in English). 
• Comfortable working in a Christian organisation with sensitivity to the breadth of church support that UBS enjoys. 
• Ability and willingness to travel occasionally nationally and overseas for team meetings. 
• Self-motivated, with enough personal confidence to be open to continuous learning and development. 
• Setting an example by demonstrating an ability to manage one’s own emotions and behaviours, particularly through times of challenge or change. 
• Able to emulate the GMT values. An ability to work collaboratively with colleagues from other countries, cultures and time zones, with a willingness to work unsociable hours when necessary. 
• Operates with openness and integrity. 

DESIRABLE SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

• The ability to communicate confidently (verbal and written) in a language other than English (French and Spanish are official languages of the Fellowship).
• Experience of working with global networked teams, and a track record in using all available communication tools in the context of a dispersed staff team.
• Experienced in operating in a multi-cultural environment with sensitivity to different world views and opinions of the financial world.

How to Apply

To apply for this exciting opportunity, please submit the following three documents by email to recruitment@biblesocieties.org by the closing date given below. Please enter JOB TITLE as the email subject (Previous applicants need not reapply. If you wish to apply for multiple roles please send separate emails):

1. Your up-to-date CV.
2. A cover letter outlining your suitability for this role and indicating how you heard about this job posting.
3. A document outlining three key achievements (max 600 words total).

Applications Closing Date: 24 August 2025 (All applications must be received by midnight GMT. Due to the high volume of applications, please expect delays in our response)

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

At UBSA we value diversity and treat all candidates equally, we are committed to creating an inclusive environment where all employees feel engaged, supported and know their work makes an important contribution. All applications are screened based on organization needs, job requirements and individual qualifications without any regard to origin, age, sexual orientation, disability, geographical location or citizenship.

JOB DESCRIPTION