Jacob Puplett

Senior Financial Analyst - Financial Assessments @Office for Students

Bristol, GB

Office for Students (OfS) is the independent regulator and funder of Higher Education in England. It is an independent public body but reports to, and works closely with, the Department for Education. My role within the financial assessments team consists of analysing financial reporting data provided by universities, constantly evolving macroeconomic information and policy changes from the government to identify key financial risks that institutions may face. The main risks are identified using key indicators including but not limited to operating surplus/(deficit) as a percentage of income, net operating cash flow, working capital and gearing ratios, net liquidity days, and net total assets as a percentage of income. After assessing these indicators I\'ll conduct in-depth analysis which focuses on the \"what and why\" of each key risk, and produce modelling to understand what the relating impact will be going forward, taking into account varying revenue streams, student number fluctuations and a variety of other forecast assumptions. This enables me to stress test the financial reporting data and ensure the provider is financially viable and sustainable for the coming 5 years.After identifying and analysing the above risks, I then produce a final assessment/report that informs us as a regulator of next steps and essential engagement points with the institution. Its key that in this report I\'m using strong written and verbal communication skills that enable a non-finance audience to understand the extent of the financial risks, its therefore key I use my financial accounting skills and knowledge to be able to breakdown the financial information and highlight the key areas in layman\'s terms.