Head of Financial Management

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic finance professional to support and lead a financial management team.

We are looking for an individual with previous financial management experience in a complex organisation, who is enthusiastic, innovative and keen to work to develop services and support the provision of a high quality financial management service to both clinical and non-clinical teams.

The Trust has annual revenues of £1.8bn and consists of 7 Clinical Management Groups (CMGs) and 9 Corporate Directorates.  We are advertising for a Band 8b role which will be supporting a large CMG.

Responsible to the Group Head of Financial Management, this post will act as the primary financial link to their CMG, advising on all relevant matters, supporting delivery of financial and non-financial targets.  The post is essential to supporting operational delivery and ongoing financial planning.  Candidates will work closely with clinical and non-clinical CMG team members as well as the wider finance team and the Trust’s senior management team.

The Finance service at UHL is embarking on a staff led improvement programme to drive forward changes in culture, behaviours and outcomes for staff working within the service and this post holder is expected to play their part in embedding and monitoring these changes.

For further details or an informal discussion please contact:

Ryggs Gill, Group Head of Financial Management ([email protected])

Main duties of the job

The post holder will be required to support one of the following areas (referred to subsequently as the ‘Operational Area’):

• A single CMG
• Estates and Facilities Directorate
• Corporate Directorates

Responsibility for ensuring a robust, high performing and sustainable financial performance function is delivered to the Trust for the Operational Area.

The post-holder will be a vital and integral member of the Operational Area Board and participate fully in the agendas, not just on financial matters. They will provide expert strategic financial advice to the Board members and to relevant Executive members.

To provide a comprehensive financial advisory and planning service to key Operational Area staff supporting them in their role in managing resources efficiently and flexibly. To be responsible for ensuring rigorous financial control is implemented and controlled across the Operational Area.

The post holder will be required to deliver and analyse wide-ranging aspects of financial monitoring. They will provide financial reports and forecasts reflecting the performance of the Operational Area, and will highlight remedial action where appropriate. They will be the sole gatekeeper of financial information relating to the achievement of cost savings target to the Assistant Director of Financial Planning and Analysis/Group Head of Financial Management. The information they provide will also form the basis of external reporting to NHSE/I.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

KEY RESULT AREAS

• Advising the Operational Area on the implications of financial strategy & policy.
• To take the lead responsibility for reporting a robust in year and forecast year end position for the Operational Area, at all levels, reporting financial information to the Operational Area as well as to individual budget holders.
• To ensure the operation and communication of effective variance analysis and investigation of factors causing movements, influencing and agreeing with managers the level of control action to be taken.
• To ensure that Operational Area proposals for efficiency/productivity schemes are robust and that savings achieved are monitored and reported.
• To be the Operational Area’s Accountable Officer for the Better Payment Policy target.
• Co-ordination of annual planning process for the Operational Area within the overall Trust financial framework.
• Apply appropriate costing methodologies, in accordance with best practice, to the provision of operational management information, business cases and statutory information requirements (including Private Patient and other tariffs). Introduce and co-ordinate, as required, financial flow agenda requirements.
• Co-ordinates available performance monitoring information for the Operational Area, advising on the financial implications of activity variances at commissioner level.
• Monitor and report on the financial aspects of the contracts relevant to the Operational Area.
• To provide professional representation for the Operational Area (as appropriate) in the implementation of service line reporting/management and patient level costing. T
• To ensure the continuous development and application of IM&T solutions to improve financial information.
• Provide support to statutory reporting requirements through the provision of supporting information for the Operational Area, for both income and expenditure and balance sheet entries, together with other returns as required.
• Provision of financial briefing to Operational Area Boards, and attendance at senior management and executive forums as required.
• Provision of financial input to business cases, applying appropriate financial appraisal techniques to both capital and revenue issues.
• Responsibility for the day to day line management of staffing, including recruitment (or assisting with recruitment), appraisal, discipline, sickness and absence management, training and delegation.
• Ensuring that audit report recommendations are followed up and implemented.
• Provision to the Operational Area of appropriate advice concerning all aspects of financial control (SFI’s, SO’s etc), probity and stewardship, charitable funds guidelines and VAT principles and regulations.
• To identify own training and development needs and undertake appropriate training / education as required, supported by regular PDP.
• The post holder will support the development, maintenance and review of financial procedures and policies.
• The post holder will support the development and review of financial systems.
• The post holder will be expected to take part, and in some instances lead, on a number of NHS modernisation initiatives.
• The post holder will work within a rotational programme which may mean a change in responsibility periodically.
• To participate in Trust committees and meetings as appropriate.

Please see the attached Job Description for further details.