Associate Director of Finance – Financial Management and Reporting

Job overview

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We are seeking an Associate Director of Finance – Financial Management & Reporting to provide senior leadership within the Finance Directorate and play a key role in supporting the Trust’s strategic and operational objectives.

Reporting into the senior finance leadership team, you will be responsible for leading the financial management and reporting function, ensuring the delivery of accurate, timely and high‑quality financial information to internal and external stakeholders. You will coordinate the Trust’s budget setting process in line with the medium‑term planning cycle and provide expert financial advice and support to budget holders across the organisation.

Working closely with operational and clinical leaders, you will help ensure the Trust is appropriately resourced to deliver safe, high‑quality and cost‑effective patient services. You will also support the delivery and robust accounting of efficiency programmes, contributing directly to the Trust’s financial sustainability and long‑term planning.

Main duties of the job

The purpose of the role is to:

• Ensure that a financial management strategy is formulated which is consistent with the Trust’s overall strategy, is understood by all stakeholders and is delivered utilising all available resources efficiently and effectively
• Ensure the financial management function delivers accurate and timely information to a wide variety of internal and external stakeholders.
• To co-ordinate the delivery of detailed budgets in accordance with the three year  planning cycle
• Ensure that appropriate financial advice and support is provided to budget holders across the Trust on the financial planning process.
• To ensure that the Trust is adequately resourced to deliver and develop high quality, patient focused and cost effective services in line with the requirements of the Trust’s commissioners, the national and local modernisation agenda, the Trust’s strategic direction and annual service plans.
• To support the Efficiency Team in the delivery and accounting of robust Efficiencies.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

KEY RESULT AREAS

Strategic Responsibilities

• Develop and implement a strategic approach to the annual budgeting round across the Trust.  Develop the policy and framework for the production of the Trust’s annual budgets to ensure there is a sustainable financial base for the Trust.
• Assist in the development of business cases from conception to authorisation and implementation for strategic projects and new business opportunities which would be of clinical and/or financial benefit to the Trust, and provide expert knowledge, challenge and rigour where appropriate.
• Assist with the development of long term plans and projects to improve the quality and efficiency of services in line with Commissioners’ strategic intentions and Trust requirements.
• With CIP Programme Management Office colleagues agree how policies on how CIPs are defined and measured.
• Forge positive internal and external working relationships, in order to support effective management approaches to achieve trust objectives.

Operational Responsibilities – Financial Management

• Manage a team of approximately 25 wte.
• Plan the various reporting timetables in liaison with the Board and other Directorates.
• Manage the production of timely financial information that meets the needs of the Trust Management Executive, Finance and Investment Committee and Trust Board.  Ensure that reporting is incisive and identifies drivers and trends, plus remedial actions to respond to adverse trends.  The use of a variety of presentational methods is expected and reporting information processes and outputs will be expected to be continuously improved.
• Manage the production of a robust, bottom up forecast on a regular basis, which is owned by the Clinical Directorates, where finances triangulate with activity and workforce forecasts.
• Manage the process of providing commentaries to financial plans and regular monitoring reports to Trust Management Executive, Finance and Investment Committee, Trust Board and the Trust Development Authority.
• Ensure that appropriate financial advice and challenge is available to Directorate leadership teams, and that high levels of internal customer satisfaction are maintained.
• Lead the annual budget setting process ensuring Directorates are enabled to develop their own budgets within the Trust’s financial strategy whilst producing an overall budget which assures delivery of the Trust’s financial duties and targets.
• Co ordinate details of service cost pressures, impact of inflationary changes to income and expenditure and evaluating strategic financial implications of any changes in commissioning arrangements and ensure these are reflected in budgets.
• Ensure the integration of strategic and business planning across all services and functions with budget setting.  Ensure that robust links are maintained between capacity planning, directorate plans and corporate objectives.
• Ensure that the budgets are agreed and signed off by Clinical and Executive Directors, and that finance, workforce and activity information are aligned.
• Be a visible champion of cost improvement programmes throughout the organisation, helping and enabling Directorates to produce and deliver local savings whiles contributing to shape Trust wide savings initiatives.
• Work closely to support the Efficiency Team in producing clear and accurate reporting of budgeted, actual and forecast Efficiencies.
• Manage the production of the Trust’s financial and performance reports including supporting the completion of all internal and external financial returns.
• Monitor and assist in the development of Trust Recovery Plans by assessing and validating the financial implications of any service redesign proposals.

Governance

• Promote all matters of corporate governance (including development and improvement of arrangements) throughout the Trust.
• Ensure the Directorate’s policies, procedures and Trust’s Standing Financial Instructions are strictly adhered to.
• Contribute to the development of systems, control processes and risk management that ensure full compliance with internal and external governance and best practice requirements relating to financial management, financial projects and costing processes.
• To ensure the Trust meets its statutory financial duties.

Professional Leadership & Management Responsibilities

• Manage, motivate and develop staff within Financial Management to ensure that they are able to undertake their roles and responsibilities effectively and deliver the responsibilities of the Trust (approximately 25 wte).
• Plan and organise own workshedule and those in the teams to ensure activities are completed within agreed weekly, monthly and annual financial timescales.
• Responsible for human resources management of these staff including, recruitment, development, addressing and resolving employee grievances and disciplinary issues where necessary in accordance with Trust policies and procedures.
• Ensure all accountable staff are aware of corporate priorities, targets, and standards, and that these are reflected in their individual priorities and methods of working.
• Ensure all accountable staff have up to date objectives and development plans, and ensure that these are regularly monitored.
• Ensure that all accountable staff operate to expected standards, offering support, and other actions where necessary, to maintain standards.
• Promote multi disciplinary team working by creating the environment and resources that enable teams to identify real issues and create innovate solutions to problems.
• Work as part of the Finance Directorate Management team, managing and motivating staff in the wider Directorate.
• Participate in the training of non-financial staff to ensure they are equipped with the appropriate financial skills and have an understanding of the financial and economic implications of management policy.  Ensure this traning supports the Trust’s longer term aims and objectives.
• Develop and implement a culture of staff empowerment and continuous improvement with a clear performance management framework.

Information Management

• Provide and receive highly complex, sensitive and contentious information, including presenting information about service integration and dependencies involving a wide range of stakeholders in formal settings.
• Manage the archiving, storage and retrieval of financial information in line with statutory requirements and Trust policies.
• Provide ongoing enhancements to current management information and reporting to enhance decision making.
• Research and evaluate proven financial management tools in use elsewhere and implement where appropriate
• Work with other finance colleagues to develop an information environment where clinical divisions can identify opportunities for growth through analysis and interpretation of data e.g. service line reporting.