Senior Management Accountant

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen within our Team for a Band 7 Senior Management Accountant on a 12 month fixed term contract, providing backfill for a secondment.

You will become an integral part of our dynamic and friendly Finance Team, working in a challenging, diverse but rewarding NHS environment that strives to provide better health and care for all.

Reporting into the Finance Business Manager, you will play a valued role overseeing the routine production of cyclical management accounting reports and providing effective senior financial support to operational managers.

The services that this post supports will be agreed dependant on the skills and experience of the successful candidate.

Main duties of the job

• The role will be responsible for overseeing the production of the monthly management accounts for Surgical Services, including the review and presentation of year to date and forecast positions with supporting analysis. Delivery of cost improvement and efficiency savings will need to be tracked and reported.
• The role also requires regular contact with clinical colleagues, providing sound, accurate and timely financial advice on a range of topics to enable Operational Managers to have effective financial management of their budgets.
• The post holder will provide vital support assisting the Finance Business Manager with the planning and delivery of the annual budget setting process, which in turn contributes to the Trust's short and medium term financial strategies. Throughout their work, the post holder must ensure our operational and clinical teams are aware of the need to deliver financial balance, achieved through effectively conveying complex financial information.
• The post has direct line management responsibility, as well as managerial input to the smooth running of the wider team.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Provide comprehensive and senior level finance support to Division(s).
• The post holder will be required to meet regularly and liaise with Operational Managers, Associate Directors of Nursing and Professional Practice (ADNPP’s), Ward Managers, Practice Managers and other senior budget holders on a routine basis or as required to advise on complex financial issues, identify possible corrective action on budgets in deficit and run rate increases, and will work with Finance Business Managers to provide analysis of multiple years/months run rates, and examine methods of maintaining a balanced financial position.
• The post holder will need to ensure that the financial implications of service change and cost pressures are fully costed and will be required to play a key role in assisting Senior Budget Holders in prioritising these initiatives in line with key local and national targets.
• The post holder will be required to be able to use the general ledger budget system (Unit4) and associated reporting tools, such as Excelerator and any others designed to a high standard, thereby ensuring that best accounting practices are followed and maximum information is available to the Trust. This will also include the Trust’s Unit4 Web reporting tool used by Budget Holders and other finance system feeder files.
• Responsible for line management of the Division management accountants, providing support, advice and guidance. This includes undertaking all tasks relating to that of a line manager such as appraisals, sickness management, mandatory training reviews and other HR policies as required.
• Significant involvement in the annual planning process including re-costing of budgets and reviews of pay costing during the budget setting process.  Working with operational colleagues on the short to medium term financial strategy.   This includes production of the information to maintain the Unit 4 system.
• The post holder will be required to undertake service efficiency reviews, and provide complex financial data using both financial and non-financial data and report on recommended actions, to the Business Support team. The post holder will deputise for their Finance Business Manager where necessary and assist in identifying inefficient, uneconomic and ineffective use of resources through the process of bench marking and cost analysis, thereby ensuring the most effective use of public sector funding.
• Support the Finance Business Manager to provide service line reporting, patient level costing, benchmarking, business cases, cost improvement and efficiency plans and monthly income & expenditure financial positions.
• The post holder will be required to provide financial information to the Corporate Finance Team to support NHSE reporting analysis, strategic planning, agency analysis and forecasting.
• The post holder will work autonomously to achieve agreed objectives using their own professional knowledge and experience within the professional regulatory and organisation framework.  This includes having a full awareness and operation of Trust and DHSC financial policies and procedures and accounting standards, following procedures when undertaking tasks and interpreting such standards and policies when necessary.  The post holder will use their own professional knowledge and judgement to decide appropriate actions and responses, only referring to senior colleagues for any sensitive or ambiguous issues.
• The post holder will propose and implement changes to working practices and procedures, policy or service changes which have an impact on own and other areas organisation wide. For example, any Trust documentation that comes through finance for formal review.
• Undertake ad hoc tasks as necessary and provide cover within the section whilst enabling reporting deadlines to be met.