St Catharine’s College, founded in 1473, is one of the older Colleges in the University of Cambridge. There are approximately 460 undergraduates, 390 postgraduates and over 60 fellows. Most undergraduates, fellows and staff are housed or work on the main College site, in the City centre. This is where the Finance Department is based. The department comprises seven people, headed up by the Head of Finance. The College currently uses Microsoft Great Plains as its accounting system but will be moving to a new system in the near future.

Main duties and responsibilities

To be responsible for the administration of all aspects of the College’s Purchase Ledger including the collation, authorisation and input of invoices to the accounting system.
In accordance with a predetermined timetable, produce monthly BACS payment files, together with all associated audit reports.
To be the point of contact and liaise with suppliers and other creditors via email or telephone.
Work with pastoral teams at the College to facilitate payments to students when required.
Monitor and reconcile the purchase ledger at month end, including posting accruals and prepayments when required.
Be the finance lead on utilities, working with the Maintenance Department.
Provide administration for the College’s business credit card scheme.
Prepare the purchase ledger for new finance system – go live in late 2027/early 2028.

Specific Responsibilities:

Collation, Authorisation and Input of Invoices

Ensure purchase invoices and credit notes are authorised by budget holders, in accordance with the College’s authorised signatory list.
Liaise with departments to allocate invoice costs to the correct cost codes.

Payment Runs

In accordance with a predetermined timetable, produce monthly BACS payments, together with all associated audit reports.
Complete accurate filing, both physical and digital, of paid supplier invoices after the completion of the payment run process.

Liaising with Suppliers/Creditors

Check and reconcile supplier statements of account.
Monitor purchase ledger email inbox and respond to supplier queries via email or telephone.

Credit Card Administration

Provide routine administration of, and support for, the College’s Barclaycard scheme and Barclaycard holders, including:
- Download, process and reconcile, monthly, all payments made using the College’s Barclaycards by liaising with individual Barclaycard holders, ensuring that all paperwork is received and that the transactions are processed on a timely basis.
- Prepare application forms for new Barclaycard holders as required for authorisation by the Head of Finance.

Month End procedures

Perform month end procedures to support the preparation of the monthly management accounts. These include:
- Purchase ledger and Prepayments reconciliations
- Calculate and post accruals for utilities and other purchase ledger costs, including OIS costs.
At Year End, liaise with external auditors at both the interim and year end audits, providing them with information relating to the Purchase Ledger as requested.

The above is not an exhaustive list of duties. This job description may be subject to change, following consultation between the post holder and their line manager.

Please see the candidate pack for detailed description of the role responsibilities and person specifications.

Working arrangements and salary

This is a permanent appointment (subject to a 3-month probation period)

Competitive salary range of FTE £30,000 to £35,000 per annum, depending on skills and experience.

This role is full-time (37.5 hours per week), or 0.8 FTE (30 hours per week) would be considered.

Please visit the 'Join our Team' page on the St Catharine's College website for details on our staff benefits.

Application process

Please submit:

All documents should be emailed to recruitment@caths.cam.ac.uk

If you have any questions regarding this opportunity, please email the above email address.

The closing date for applications is 5pm on Wednesday 2 December 2026

Finance Administrator - Purchase Ledger