Job summary
South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SCAS) is one of 10 ambulance services in England and we serve the counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire and Oxfordshire, and Sussex and Surrey for Non Emergency Patient Transport Services.
We are looking for a highly motivated and enthusiastic individual to join our finance team as Senior Finance Manager. The successful applicant will business partner with our operational leadership teams and corporate functions, supporting delivery of our operational and financial strategies.
This is a hybrid working position with homeworking and regular attendance at the Trust's headquarters in Bicester, plus other SCAS locations as required. Further information about SCAS can be found at www.scas.nhs.uk.
Main duties of the job
The Senior Finance Manager is responsible for the provision of effective financial management for operational and/or corporate directorates and providing leadership across the wider Finance directorate. The post holder will need to be adept at managing both their own and their team's priorities alongside the wider agenda of the finance function and the Trust, and be flexible in their approach to situations.
About us
Benefits we offer:
- Full training and support when you join and ongoing throughout your employment with us.
- Holiday entitlement is 27 days rising to 29 days after 5 years and 33 days after 10 years, plus 8 bank holidays (pro rata for part time).
- Enrolment into the NHS Pension Scheme.
- Access to continual professional development and opportunities within SCAS and the NHS.
- Occupational Health support along with an Employee Assistance Programme.
- NHS Discounts in over 200+ stores including Holidays, Days out, Car insurance, Restaurants and Clothing.
- Staff networking and support groups.
About Us
South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust provides a range of emergency, urgent care and non-emergency healthcare services, along with commercial logistics services.
The Trust delivers most of these services to the populations of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire and Oxfordshire as well as non-emergency patient transport services in Surrey and Sussex.
We serve a population of over 7 million and answer over 500,000 urgent calls a year. We employ 4,551 staff who, together with over 1,100 volunteers, enable us to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Financial Management and Reporting
- Provide professional expertise to the design, planning, implementation and monitoring of the Trusts financial strategy, policies and business plans. This will involve the production and interpretation of highly complex information.
- Develop and maintain effective systems for the accurate recording of the Trusts income and expenditure in line with required accounting standards and relevant public sector guidelines.
- To provide timely, accurate, concise and relevant financial reports for senior forums across the Trust and to fully brief the Chief Financial Officer, Deputy Chief Financial Officer and Head of Finance on the financial performance of specific directorates including risks, opportunities and mitigations.
- Maintain a system of effective budgetary control, ensuring budget holders have access to the necessary knowledge, information and skills to manage their financial performance.
- Provide dynamic, challenging and constructive business partnering to operational and/or corporate directorate leads. Ensure that financial information within directorate business cases is robust and presented clearly. Provide advice on pricing and commercial strategy for new business ventures.
- Contribute to the annual budget setting process, ensuring alignment of the directorates financial plan with its wider operating plan and strategic priorities. Support the development of medium and long term financial plans in line with the Trusts strategic vision.
- Support the development of the Trusts Patient Level Costing Information Systems, and increased use of costing and benchmarking information across the finance function and the wider Trust.
- Ensure that external finance reports to commissioners and regulators are accurate and submitted by required deadlines with the appropriate level of internal approval.
- Support a culture of continuous improvement where all financial processes and systems are regularly reviewed with reference to best practice to ensure they are efficient, resilient and robust.
- People Management
- Manage the recruitment and selection of staff within the Financial
- Management function.
- Maintain an effective system of staff performance appraisals and objective setting to ensure staff development and training is encouraged, including a Personal Development Plan for each staff member.
- Ensure the Financial Management team builds effective working relationships with stakeholders including budget holders, corporate functions, and the Trust Board.
- Monitor, review and amend staff workloads, as necessary, delegating and prioritising the departments work.
- To manage sickness and absences and be responsible for ensuring adequate cover is provided.
- Establish a supportive, fair and open culture in line with the Trusts Organisational Development programmes including Just and Learning Culture, Freedom to Speak Up, and Equality Diversity and Inclusion.
- Act at all times in accordance with the Trusts values of Caring, Professionalism, Innovation and Teamwork, and promote these across the wider organisation
- Leadership and Corporate Governance
- Support the maintenance of effective corporate and information governance arrangements for Financial Management.
- Deputise for the Head of Finance as required.
- Ensure that the trusts management processes are open and transparent and encourage the confidence of staff, the public and other agencies.
- Establish and develop effective networks and partnerships with other organisations to enable the Trust to continuously improve and learn from best practice.
- Support the preparation and management of information relating to financial audits, including ensuring the preparation of clear and accurate working papers relating to the Trusts income and expenditure for the audit of the annual accounts.
- Ensure that the Trusts funds are properly used, represent value for money, and can withstand public scrutiny.
- Act at all times in conformity with the Trusts Standards of Business Conduct and other codes of conduct, advising on their local application and promote awareness to Trust staff.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Financial Management and Reporting
- Provide professional expertise to the design, planning, implementation and monitoring of the Trusts financial strategy, policies and business plans. This will involve the production and interpretation of highly complex information.
- Develop and maintain effective systems for the accurate recording of the Trusts income and expenditure in line with required accounting standards and relevant public sector guidelines.
- To provide timely, accurate, concise and relevant financial reports for senior forums across the Trust and to fully brief the Chief Financial Officer, Deputy Chief Financial Officer and Head of Finance on the financial performance of specific directorates including risks, opportunities and mitigations.
- Maintain a system of effective budgetary control, ensuring budget holders have access to the necessary knowledge, information and skills to manage their financial performance.
- Provide dynamic, challenging and constructive business partnering to operational and/or corporate directorate leads. Ensure that financial information within directorate business cases is robust and presented clearly. Provide advice on pricing and commercial strategy for new business ventures.
- Contribute to the annual budget setting process, ensuring alignment of the directorates financial plan with its wider operating plan and strategic priorities. Support the development of medium and long term financial plans in line with the Trusts strategic vision.
- Support the development of the Trusts Patient Level Costing Information Systems, and increased use of costing and benchmarking information across the finance function and the wider Trust.
- Ensure that external finance reports to commissioners and regulators are accurate and submitted by required deadlines with the appropriate level of internal approval.
- Support a culture of continuous improvement where all financial processes and systems are regularly reviewed with reference to best practice to ensure they are efficient, resilient and robust.
- People Management
- Manage the recruitment and selection of staff within the Financial
- Management function.
- Maintain an effective system of staff performance appraisals and objective setting to ensure staff development and training is encouraged, including a Personal Development Plan for each staff member.
- Ensure the Financial Management team builds effective working relationships with stakeholders including budget holders, corporate functions, and the Trust Board.
- Monitor, review and amend staff workloads, as necessary, delegating and prioritising the departments work.
- To manage sickness and absences and be responsible for ensuring adequate cover is provided.
- Establish a supportive, fair and open culture in line with the Trusts Organisational Development programmes including Just and Learning Culture, Freedom to Speak Up, and Equality Diversity and Inclusion.
- Act at all times in accordance with the Trusts values of Caring, Professionalism, Innovation and Teamwork, and promote these across the wider organisation
- Leadership and Corporate Governance
- Support the maintenance of effective corporate and information governance arrangements for Financial Management.
- Deputise for the Head of Finance as required.
- Ensure that the trusts management processes are open and transparent and encourage the confidence of staff, the public and other agencies.
- Establish and develop effective networks and partnerships with other organisations to enable the Trust to continuously improve and learn from best practice.
- Support the preparation and management of information relating to financial audits, including ensuring the preparation of clear and accurate working papers relating to the Trusts income and expenditure for the audit of the annual accounts.
- Ensure that the Trusts funds are properly used, represent value for money, and can withstand public scrutiny.
- Act at all times in conformity with the Trusts Standards of Business Conduct and other codes of conduct, advising on their local application and promote awareness to Trust staff.
Person Specification
Qualifications and Training
Essential
- Full membership of a recognised CCAB accounting body, e.g. CCAB
- Experience of management and supervision of Staff
- Comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the NHS finance environment, including NHS Improvement's financial requirements
- Knowledge and understanding of strategic and operational planning, budgeting, contracting and performance monitoring
Desirable
- Experience in a senior financial management role within the NHS
Person Specification
Qualifications and Training
Essential
- Full membership of a recognised CCAB accounting body, e.g. CCAB
- Experience of management and supervision of Staff
- Comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the NHS finance environment, including NHS Improvement's financial requirements
- Knowledge and understanding of strategic and operational planning, budgeting, contracting and performance monitoring
Desirable
- Experience in a senior financial management role within the NHS
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
Additional information
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
UK Registration
Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see
NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).
