Manager (Finance, Budgeting and Administration), Department of Student Services (maternity leave cover)

The Manager (Finance, Budgeting and Administration) will provide financial and analytical support, operational financial and economic management, and administrative support for the Department of Student Services. Key responsibilities include budget planning, monitoring execution, procurement management, document workflow, and coordinating with university units. The role also involves project and expert activities, assisting in best practices research and digitalization initiatives, and requires strong financial, administrative, and communication skills.

Must Have

• Participate in the development of short-term and medium-term budget plans for the Division.
• Coordinate the preparation process of the Division’s budget request and investment plan.
• Conduct regular monitoring of budget execution, procurement plans, and investment plans.
• Develop analytical materials and proposals to improve resource utilization efficiency.
• Provide consultations on budget planning, budgeting, procurement activities, and record-keeping.
• Enter the Division’s budget data into the corporate budgeting system.
• Develop and manage the Division’s procurement plan (goods, works, services).
• Prepare necessary reports, summary tables, statistics, and presentations upon management’s request.
• Control the expenditure of budget funds and maintain reporting on budget execution.
• Ensure the management of the Division’s document workflow.
• Prepare drafts of memoranda, reports, official letters, and other documents for management.
• Organize the dispatch/receipt and control of timely delivery of correspondence.
• Maintain the timesheet for the Division’s employees.
• Participate in the preparation of documents related to personnel changes.
• Support the onboarding processes for new employees of the Division.
• Prepare reference and analytical information for management on personnel issues.
• Coordinate interaction with the University’s structural units regarding documentation and reporting.
• Conduct business correspondence within functional tasks.
• Serve as Secretary in the review of student applications within the Student Emergency Fund program.
• Assist in collecting and analyzing information about best practices in student life support.
• Prepare proposals for implementing effective solutions to increase transparency and efficiency.
• Participate in projects related to the digitalization of processes and optimization of internal procedures.
• Higher professional education in management, finance, human resource management, or business administration.
• At least 3 years of relevant work experience OR at least 1 year with a Master's degree in a related field.
• Fluent in Kazakh, Russian, and English.

Company Description

Nazarbayev University Department of Student Services

Job Description

Responsibilities (tasks, key areas of responsibility, and functions):

1. Financial and Analytical Support for Department Activities:

1) Participates in the development of short-term and medium-term budget plans for the Division within the framework of student life development programs, including extracurricular activities.

2) Coordinates the preparation process of the Division’s budget request and investment plan, including projects related to students’ extracurricular activities.

3) Conducts regular monitoring of budget execution, procurement plans, and investment plans; prepares reports, identifies deviations, and formulates proposals for corrective actions.

4) Develops analytical materials and proposals to improve the efficiency of resource utilization within the Division, including based on the analysis of experiences from other universities and international practices.

5) Provides consultations to the Division’s leadership and staff on budget planning, budgeting, procurement activities, and record-keeping.

2. Operational Financial and Economic Management:

1) Enters the Division’s budget data into the corporate budgeting system and supports the stages of their approval and confirmation.

2) Develops and manages the Division’s procurement plan (goods, works, services).

3) Prepares necessary reports, summary tables, statistics, and presentations upon management’s request within the scope of competence.

4) Controls the expenditure of budget funds and maintains reporting on the execution of the Division’s budget and procurement plan, including for specific programs, projects, and directions in accordance with University regulations.

3. Administrative Support and Document Management:

1) Ensures the management of the Division’s document workflow (including the creation and registration of files according to the approved classification, storage, and transfer to the University archive).

2) Prepares drafts of memoranda, reports, official letters, and other documents for management as part of administrative support for the Division’s activities.

3) Organizes the dispatch/receipt and control of the timely delivery of outgoing/incoming correspondence of the Division.

4) Maintains the timesheet for the Division’s employees, controls the timeliness and accuracy of recorded data, and interacts with the University’s HR and accounting departments.

5) Participates in the preparation of documents related to personnel changes in the Division (upon direct supervisor’s instruction and within the current regulations).

6) Supports the onboarding processes for new employees of the Division (including organizing access to information systems, document management, and conducting initial briefings).

7) Prepares reference and analytical information for management on personnel issues (structure of the division, workload, turnover, leave schedules, etc.).

4. Coordination and Communication

1) Coordinates interaction with the University’s structural units regarding the provision of documentation, reporting, approvals, and deadlines, and cooperates with University services on personnel and financial administration issues within the scope of competence.

2) Conducts business correspondence within functional tasks, including financial-economic, procurement, administrative, personnel, and informational inquiries.

3) Serves as Secretary in the review of student applications within the Student Emergency Fund program, cooperating with related divisions on their consideration and funding.

5. Project and Expert Activities:

1) Assists in collecting and analyzing information about best practices in student life support implemented at other local and international universities and associations.

2) Prepares proposals for implementing effective solutions aimed at increasing transparency and efficiency in the Division’s administrative activities.

3) Participates in projects related to the digitalization of processes (budgeting, procurement, document management) and optimization of internal procedures.

Qualifications

Education requirements (level, field, licenses, professional certifications, etc.):

Higher professional education in management, finance, human resource management, or business administration.

Work experience requirements:

1) At least 3 years of relevant work experience

2) At least 1 year of relevant work experience with a Master's degree in a related field

Additional Information

Knowledge, skills, and competencies requirements:

Knowledge:

1) Knowledge of the legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the fields of education, culture, and youth policy;

2) Knowledge of the educational system and administrative practices of universities in North America and the United Kingdom, including approaches to financial management and support of student initiatives;

3) Knowledge of MS Office programs: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, 1C;

4) Knowledge in budgeting, financial management, and accounting;

5) Knowledge of project management principles, including resource planning, financial management, and project reporting;

6) Knowledge of the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan “On the Status of Nazarbayev University,” “Nazarbayev Intellectual Schools,” “Nazarbayev Fund,” as well as legislative and other regulatory legal acts of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the field of higher education.

Skills:

1) Skills in budget formation and management, including development, justification, monitoring of execution, and adjustment according to changing priorities;

2) Proficiency in financial and economic analysis methods, including calculation of indicators, variance analysis, and evaluation of resource utilization efficiency;

3) Skills in organizing administrative processes, managing document flow and record keeping (including electronic formats and archiving);

4) Skills in preparing analytical and financial reports, explanatory notes, and presentation materials for management, committees, or external auditors;

5) Skills in coordinating and supporting contracts, tender documentation, procurement, and other administrative aspects.

Competences:

1) Ability to develop, justify, and coordinate budgets, including monitoring execution and optimizing expenditures.

2) Ability to conduct regular analysis of costs, revenues, budget variances, and provide well-founded recommendations to improve financial discipline.

3) Ability to design, analyze, and improve business processes related to financial, economic, and administrative management.

4) Ability to make independent decisions within the scope of competence and take responsibility for their implementation and consequences.

5) Ability to effectively allocate resources (budgetary, time, human) under constraints, meeting deadlines and priorities.

6) Ability to work efficiently under uncertainty, tight deadlines, and high workload.

7) Ability to build effective collaboration with other University departments on financial, procurement, and documentation matters.

Language requirements:

Fluent in Kazakh, Russian, and English for effective business correspondence, documentation, analytical materials, interaction with students and other structural departments, consultants, and partners

Recruitment and selection process

Recruitment and selection at Nazarbayev University include the following process: preliminary selection based on experience and qualifications, assessments (e.g. technical skills/capabilities, aptitude, personality, work samples, in-basket exercises, and informal interviews), and motivation.

Formal interviews form the final stage of the selection process.

They are typically based on organizational values and behaviors and conducted in English.

You are encouraged to share your views and values to identify how they fit into Nazarbayev University core values