Data & Reporting Systems Lead Finance Office 106800 Grade 8

Position Details

Finance Office

Location: University of Birmingham Edgbaston Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range 47389 to 56535 with potential progression once in post to 63606

Grade: 8

Full Time Fixed Term contract up to February 2027

Closing date: 21st December 2025

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 andweare equally proud to be recognised as a leading global 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 todevelopthrough our sector-leading Birmingham Professional programmewhichprovides allprofessionalservices staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full almost 5000professionalservices jobs in a wide-range of functionsin Edgbaston andin our campus inDubai there are plenty of opportunities foryou to be able to develop yourcareer 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 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 areand how we work.

Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important both to our employees andtothe success of the University and depending on the role we offer avarietyof flexible working arrangements. We therefore welcome discussions on all forms of flexible addition you will receive a generous package of benefits including 40 dayspaid holidaya 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 campus we have a state-of-the-art sports centre with pool shopsplaces to eat and drinkour own art gallery museum and botanical gardens.

Find out more about thebenefits of working for the Universityof Birmingham

Role Summary

The Core Systems Optimisation Team (CSOT) is responsible for delivering maintaining and continually enhancing the Universitys Core Systems which underpin critical academic administrative and business operations. These systems are central to the Universitys strategy to enhance digital maturity drive operational efficiency strengthen data-driven decision-making and support ambitious plans for income growth cost control and service excellence.

Reporting to the Deputy Head of CSOT the Data & Reporting Systems Lead will act as the Universitys authoritative specialist for Oracle-based reporting data integrity user governance and data security. The role holder will provide expert guidance across the institution shaping best practice influencing senior stakeholders and leading strategic reporting and data management initiatives. They will operate with professional autonomy and will contribute to the long-term development of core data capabilities and University-wide reporting strategy.

This role is suited to an expert practitioner with hands-on experience of business intelligence reporting ideally Oracle OTBI BI Publisher (BIP) SQL and with an advanced understanding of user access management data governance and security models in enterprise systems.

Main Duties

Reporting Data Analysis & Technical Leadership

• Develop maintain and optimise complex Oracle OTBI and BI Publisher (BIP) reports to meet diverse business and operational needs acting as the primary point of contact and trusted advisor for reporting users across the University.
• Lead the design development and deployment of data and reporting solutions that enhance insight quality and decision-making.
• Write troubleshoot and performance-tune advanced SQL queries to support reporting analytics and integrations.
• Act as the technical authority for Oracle reporting enhancements and cross-system integrations providing expert recommendations to senior stakeholders and project teams.
• Lead University-wide Business Intelligence (BI) system implementation and enhancement projects ensuring alignment with strategic priorities.

Project Leadership & Strategic Contribution

• Lead data and reporting projects from initiation through to delivery including scoping requirements gathering analysis stakeholder engagement testing deployment and evaluation.
• Provide expert input into the development of institutional data strategy reporting frameworks and governance processes.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to proactively identify opportunities for improved reporting and data-driven efficiencies.
• Produce high-quality technical documentation user guides and training materials to upskill colleagues and build internal capability.

Access Management Security & Compliance

• Manage user roles permissions and access controls across Oracle systems and related platforms ensuring compliance with internal policies GDPR and segregation-of-duties principles.
• Oversee data security practices including monitoring auditing and implementing proactive controls.
• Support OCI environments where required including configuration monitoring and troubleshooting.
• Provide expert advice to senior staff on data governance and security implications of system changes sector developments or policy shifts.

Continuous Improvement & Innovation

• Proactively identify opportunities to enhance reporting processes data flows system governance and user experience.
• Keep up to date with industry developments best practice and emerging tools/technologies advising on their relevance and potential adoption.
• Contribute to University-wide policy development in areas relating to data management reporting standards and system governance.

Required Knowledge Skills Qualifications Experience

Technical Expertise

• Proven experience with BI reporting Oracle OTBI and BI Publisher.
• Strong proficiency in SQL for analysis reporting and integration.
• Experience managing data and user access permissions and data security.
• Proven ability to lead or coordinate complex data/reporting projects with institution-wide impact.

Communication & Stakeholder Engagement

• Able to communicate complex technical concepts clearly to non-specialists senior management and project groups.
• Builds strong credible relationships across the University influencing decisions and gathering balanced feedback.
• Provides high-quality customer service through strong interpersonal listening and communication skills.
• Able to advise persuade and coach stakeholders on reporting data governance and system best practice.

Problem Solving & Analytical Capability

• Able to diagnose reproduce and resolve complex and unfamiliar issues using expert judgement and considering wider institutional impacts.
• Demonstrates innovative thinking contributing to policy development and long-term system improvements.
• Provides authoritative advice on root causes and future prevention of systemic issues.

Organisational & Leadership Skills

• Able to plan and coordinate both individual and small-team activity to meet strategic objectives.
• Comfortable balancing long-term planning with short-term operational demands.
• Experienced in leading specialist project work and integrating contributions across multiple teams and departments.

Desirable Knowledge Skills Qualifications Experience

• Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) environments including configuration troubleshooting and performance monitoring.
• Project management.

Informal enquiries to Vera de Oliveira Batista email:

View our staff values and behaviours here

Use of AI in applications:We want to understand your genuine interest in the role and for the written elements of your application to accurately reflect your own communication style. Applications that rely too heavily on AI tools can appear generic and lack the detail we need to assess your skills and experience. Such applications will unlikely be progressed to interview.

We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyoneon our website.