Salary: £70,000 - £75,000 per annum

Employment type: Permanent

Hours per week: 37

Reporting into: Deputy Director of Finance 

Department: Finance 

Click here to read the full job description and view our excellent benefits here

This role operates on a hybrid working arrangement that will require 1-2 days a week travel into our Coventry head office. This may fluctuate in line with business requirements. Our hybrid working model arrangements are a non-contractual benefit which could change at any point during your employment, so for this reason an Arden work location is added to our employment contracts.

About Arden University:

We are an aspirational and multi-award-winning university, delivering rapid growth with ambitious plans to disrupt the HE sector through our passion for innovation and digital education. Our vision is to become the first-choice university for career-focused lifelong learners worldwide, ensuring that everyone, everywhere can access higher education.

There has never been a more exciting time to join Arden University, as we expand into new disciplines, forge worldwide partnerships, and expand our locations.

About our Department:

The Finance Department at Arden University plays a pivotal role in supporting our ambitious growth and innovation agenda. As trusted partners across the University, we ensure that every financial decision underpins Arden’s mission to make education more accessible, affordable, and impactful for learners worldwide.

Our department is structured around excellence, collaboration, and continuous improvement — providing strategic insight, robust financial management, and efficient transactional services that enable the University to deliver on its goals. From managing core financial operations and student finance to driving digital transformation across systems and processes, we are committed to achieving best-in-class financial stewardship and service delivery.

About the Opportunity:

As Head of Financial Operations, you will play a pivotal leadership role at the heart of our Finance team, leading and inspiring a talented team of around 40 professionals who deliver exceptional financial services across the University. You’ll oversee and continuously enhance our transactional functions — including accounts payable, accounts receivable, cash management, student finance, and financial support administration — ensuring they operate seamlessly and efficiently to support our students and colleagues.

This is an exciting opportunity for a strategic, forward-thinking leader with deep operational expertise and a passion for driving transformation. You’ll champion innovation, process improvement, and digital enablement to create scalable, efficient systems while fostering a culture of excellence, collaboration, and outstanding customer service in a fast-paced, evolving environment.

About You:

Essential:

• Minimum of 10 years of experience in transactional services, finance operations, or a related field, with at least 5 years in a leadership or management role.
• Extensive experience managing accounts payable, accounts receivable, and cash management functions.
• Proven track record of process improvement and driving efficiency in transactional operations.
• Strong experience with ERP systems and financial software platforms.
• Experience in improving customer service and experience outcomes
• Strong leadership and team management skills, with a focus on mentoring and developing talent.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate across departments and engage senior leadership.
• In-depth knowledge of financial regulations, compliance, and auditing standards.
• Proficient in data analysis, reporting, and the use of business intelligence tools.
• Strong project management skills and ability to manage multiple initiatives simultaneously.
• Knowledge of process automation tools and digital transformation strategies.

Why Arden:

At Arden, you will become a part of a passionate and dedicated team who are committed to removing unnecessary barriers to learning and making education more accessible. Our people work hard to ensure our students journeys are the best they can possibly be, as such we want to reward our people with fantastic benefits. Employees benefit from:

• 30 days holiday + bank holidays on-top, and even a Christmas closure!
• A generous Aviva pension plan, company contributions starting from 7%
• SimplyHealth plan option
• Private Medical Insurance coverage (applies to certain job roles)
• Access to Perkbox benefits
• Study any Arden course for free, with a discount for all family and friends
• Plus, other excellent benefits
• Our ‘Golden Ticket’ which allows you to gift anyone in your life a free Arden education
  

Our Values:

Stand out, Progressive, Accessible, Resourceful, Kindness, reflect who we are as an institution, a team and as individuals. If they also reflect you and you are excited by the chance to be the driving, creative force within a growing business, we want to hear from you.

There has never been a more exciting time to join Arden University, as we expand into new disciplines and locations.

Closing Date: Sunday 23rd November 

We reserve the right to close this vacancy before the specified closing date should we receive sufficient applications or in order to respond to business needs. In order to avoid missing an opportunity to apply please submit your application as early as possible.

If you are a current Arden student or have an upcoming course with us, you are not eligible to apply for Finance roles due to a conflict of interest related to system access.

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion:

Arden University is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. This means that if you have a disability, as defined by the Disability Equality Act 2010, you may be guaranteed an interview if you meet the essential criteria for the role.

If you wish to be considered under this scheme, you can indicate via the application form below. By doing so, you are also consenting for this information to be shared with the hiring team. For more details on what qualifies as a disability under the Disability Equality Act 2010, please refer to the guidance here.

As an Equal Opportunity Employer we celebrate diversity and are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. Therefore, we make sure that our recruitment and selection processes never discriminate based upon people's age, disability, gender, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or other personal circumstances, and actively welcome applications from all groups.

Sponsorship statement:

Please be aware that some roles may not meet the points requirement for a sponsored Skilled Worker visa under the points-based immigration system. However, we welcome applications from candidates who do not currently have the right to work in the UK but may be eligible for a visa through an alternative route.