Power Query / Excel Expert

• Short term role c 6 - 8 weeks initially
• Interesting piece of project work within not for profit`
• West Yorkshire based

Temporary Finance Analyst - Excel / Power BI Project About This Opportunity A large not for profit organisation is seeking an experienced Finance Analyst for a short-term project to transform how they manage funding from multiple diverse sources. You'll design and implement Power BI and Power Query solutions that provide better visibility and control, while building the capability of the finance team to maintain these systems going forward.Key Responsibilities Process & System Design

• Design standardised processes for setting up new studentship schemes from diverse funding sources
• Create Power Query workflows to efficiently onboard new studentship data and funding arrangements
• Build controls and validation checks to ensure data accuracy and completeness
• Develop systematic approaches to tracking different funding sources, terms, and billing requirements

Billing & Financial Control

• Establish Power BI dashboards providing visibility of billing schedules and upcoming payment obligations
• Create alerts and tracking mechanisms to ensure timely billing to funders
• Design processes to monitor studentship expenditure against allocated budgets
• Build reconciliation tools to maintain accuracy across multiple funding sources

Budget Reporting & Monitoring

• Develop comprehensive Power BI budget reports showing spend, commitments, and remaining balances by studentship and funding source
• Create automated budget update reports that can be easily refreshed with current data
• Design Excel templates and Power Query solutions for regular budget forecasting and variance analysis
• Build summary dashboards for senior management oversight

Knowledge Transfer & Documentation

• Train finance team members to maintain and update the Power BI reports and Power Query processes
• Create comprehensive documentation including user guides, process maps, and troubleshooting tips
• Deliver hands-on training sessions covering advanced Excel techniques, Power Query data transformation, and Power BI report management

Essential Skills & Experience Technical Expertise

• Advanced Excel and / or Power BI with proven experience creating interactive dashboards
• Advanced Excel including pivot tables, complex formulas (XLOOKUP, INDEX-MATCH, array formulas), conditional formatting, and data validation
• Experience working with financial data and understanding financial reporting principles
• Ability to work with ERP systems and extract/transform data (SAP experience advantageous)

Training & Communication

• Demonstrated ability to train and coach colleagues in technical tools
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with ability to present complex financial and technical information clearly
• Experience creating training materials, process documentation, and user guides

Desirable Experience

• Previous work in higher education finance or understanding of studentship/research funding structures
• SAP finance system experience
• Experience designing financial processes and implementing internal controls
• Multi-source funding management or grant/project accounting experience
• Microsoft Power Platform tools (Power Automate, Power Apps)
• SQL or database querying experience

Personal Attributes

• Self-motivated with strong project management skills and ability to work autonomously
• Excellent problem-solving skills with a process-improvement mindset
• Ability to work effectively under pressure with multiple stakeholders to tight deadlines
• Detail-oriented with commitment to accuracy and robust financial controls

Position Details

• Contract Type: Fixed-term project
• Duration: Approximately 2 months
• Location: West Yorkshire (hybrid working arrangements negotiable, but 2 - 3 days on site required)
• Start Date: As soon as possible
• Salary: Competitive day rate commensurate with experience - likely to be inside IR35 and c£200 - 300 per day via umbrella company