Budget Monitoring
Reviewing expenditure, commitments, income and balances against approved budgets.
- Project-to-date reviews
- Variance investigation
- Available balance checks
Research Finance • Grant Administration • Professional Support
Financial control for research.
Clear delivery from award to close.
I am a Research Finances Officer with higher-education experience supporting externally funded research through award handover, project setup, budget monitoring, reconciliation, invoicing, income management, financial reporting, audit readiness and structured project administration.
Birmingham, UKProfessional base
Post-Award FocusResearch finance & grants
Higher EducationUniversity research support
About
Accuracy, structure and dependable follow-through.
I bring a finance-led approach to the administration of research projects and professional services.
My work combines financial control, research administration and clear stakeholder support. I am comfortable working with award documentation, ledger information, budgets, payment schedules, reporting requirements and project records while keeping the practical objective in view: ensuring actions are understood, documented and completed.
I work with Principal Investigators, academics and professional-services colleagues, translating financial information into clear actions and maintaining records that support good governance, audit readiness and timely delivery.
Financial accuracyCareful review of budgets, transactions and balances.
Clear communicationPractical explanations for finance and non-finance stakeholders.
Organised deliveryTrackers, documentation, deadlines and follow-up.
Continuous learningBuilding deeper research-funding and systems knowledge.
Core expertise
Research finance capabilities that support sound project delivery
My experience is strongest in post-award finance, supported by practical exposure to approved costing, fEC review, funder requirements and award handover.
Reconciliation
Checking ledger activity, identifying discrepancies and maintaining accurate records.
- Transaction review
- Income/expenditure checks
- Audit trail maintenance
Invoicing & Income
Supporting research invoicing and income recovery using agreements and payment schedules.
- Invoice schedule review
- Previous invoice checks
- Income tracking
Financial Reporting
Preparing clear information for internal review and funder reporting requirements.
- Expenditure statements
- Forecast support
- Financial summaries
Grant Compliance
Working with award conditions, deadlines and documentation through the project lifecycle.
- Funder terms
- Audit evidence
- Deadline control
Project Setup
Supporting activity-code setup, project master data and the transition into live financial management.
- Activity-code requests
- Budget/master data
- Structured records
Funding lifecycle
Pre-award exposure and post-award delivery
A clear distinction between the areas I have practical exposure to and the post-award activities I currently deliver.
Pre-award exposure
Before a project goes live
- Approved costing and full economic costing (fEC) review
- Research budget and staff-cost review
- Funder requirements and eligibility checks
- Internal approvals and award handover
→
Post-award delivery
From setup through closure
- Project/activity-code setup and budget control
- Expenditure, commitments and income monitoring
- Claims, invoicing and financial reporting
- Reconciliation, audit evidence and closure support
Professional experience
Research finance, project finance and professional support experience
A focused career background combining current university research finance, earlier project finance and regulated professional support.
Jul 2026 – Present
Research Finances Officer
University of Roehampton • Research Office, London
Supporting post-award financial administration for externally funded research projects from award handover and setup through reporting, amendments and closure.
- Review agreements, award letters, approved budgets, payment schedules and reporting conditions.
- Support activity-code setup and project master data in Unit4/Agresso.
- Monitor expenditure, commitments, income and balances and investigate discrepancies.
- Support invoicing, income recovery and project-to-date financial reporting.
- Maintain post-award trackers and structured SharePoint finance records.
Jan 2012 – Jul 2019
Revenue / Finance Officer
OCEE Resources Ltd, Nigeria
Prepared project budgets, monitored expenditure and supported donor and management reporting across project and consultancy activity.
Dec 2006 – Jun 2012
Finance / Cash Officer
Frontline Farms Ltd, Nigeria
Prepared reconciliations, claims documentation and supporting evidence and assisted with month-end income tracking and financial reporting.
Apr 2022 – Present
Support Facilitator (Bank)
Cygnet Health • Birmingham
Maintain accurate confidential records in a regulated environment, follow governance and safeguarding requirements, and communicate clearly across multidisciplinary teams.
Systems & knowledge
Digital tools, analysis and funder awareness
Systems experience that supports accurate research-finance administration, reporting and collaboration.
Systems & analysis
Tools used across research finance, financial administration and structured project records.
Unit4 / AgressoBusiness WorldWorktribeSharePointMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft 365PivotTablesSUMIFSXLOOKUP / VLOOKUPFilters & reconciliation
fEC / TRACApproved costing review and research-finance context.
UKRI / Research CouncilsAwareness of funding rules and financial requirements.
NIHR & WellcomeFunder knowledge supporting grant-management work.
Charities & international sponsorsWorking across varied funding conditions and reporting needs.
Audit readinessStructured evidence, records and traceable financial support.
Stakeholder communicationClear financial guidance for PIs, academics and colleagues.
Education
Academic foundation in analytics, business and accounting
MSc Data Analytics with International Business
Ulster University, United Kingdom
BSc Accounting
Lagos State University, Nigeria
Professional approach
How I work
Good research finance depends on disciplined detail and reliable communication, not just calculations.
01
Check the source
Start with the agreement, award, budget and reporting requirements rather than assumptions.
02
Reconcile the position
Use ledger evidence, commitments, income and supporting records to understand the financial position.
03
Communicate clearly
Explain what the figures mean, what action is required and what still needs confirmation.
04
Follow through
Maintain trackers and records until the task, report, invoice or query is properly completed.
Contact
Let’s connect professionally.
For research-finance opportunities, professional connections, grant-administration work or general enquiries, complete the form and press Submit Message.
LocationBirmingham, United Kingdom
Telephone+44 7404 361858
Emailpetersakpo@gmail.com
Websitewww.akpopeters.co.uk