Band 5 Senior AP Compliance Officer - Bank

Job description

Job responsibilities

MAIN TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Managerial and Operational Responsibilities

• Act as an expert resource within the Trust on Accounts Payable processes and systems and provide advice to financial and non- financial managers. Supervise and contribute to the general management of the team. This includes developing and providing P2P training to all users in addition to ensuring that all user and process guides on the Trusts intranet are kept up to date.
• To provide support in ensuring service provider compliance with agreed procedures and standards by:
• Undertaking root cause analysis of all variations from agreed standard
• Investigate oldest and high value outstanding invoices, or outliers to chase clearance and/or identify exceptions
• Assisting with escalation of outstanding invoice authorisations
• Regular review of invoices processed by the outsourced Accounts Payable Function to identify any non-compliant suppliers to correct in future
• To provide support in ensuring that all supplier invoices are correctly paid in a timely manner in accordance with the departmental procedures and Trust Contracts and ensure Trust compliance with the Better Payments Practice code.
• Analyse and report on non-compliance within the Trust along with the Trusts age creditor position on a monthly basis
• Advise and train suppliers in the use of the supplier portal for query resolution
• Ensure all issues highlighted by business managers are fully documented and/or escalated to the P2PCompliance Manager
• Ensure KPIs are disseminated in a comprehensive and timely manner to identify process or compliance issues
• Maintain procedure notes and user guides. Revise in the light of changing practice and technology ensuring all changes are agreed by the P2P Compliance Manager and the Head of Working Capital
• Provide support on dealing with escalated risk assessment, credit checking and balance sheet analysis of potential suppliers highlighted by the external service provider.
• Support the Agreement of Balances exercise for NHS suppliers. Ensuring the accuracy of timely information for the production of the Trusts quarterly financial performance reports and Annual Accounts
• Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for service providers of Accounts Payable Transactions
• Provide analysis to managers as required to support negotiations on changes to more cost effective payment channels with users and suppliers
• Maintain work lists and registers, highlighting non-compliance of suppliers and business users against agreed procedures and standards; take remedial action to correct, or escalate as required.
• Plan and organise own work schedules and those of others to ensure activities are completed within agreed weekly, monthly and annual timescales.

Control systems and statutory responsibilities

• Assist in the Annual Accounts process and ensure work is completed within agreed timescales and complies with relevant policies, procedures and legislative requirements.
• Ensure the departmental procedures and the trusts Standing Financial Instructions are strictly adhered to.
• Contribute to the development of procedures to improve transactional services in the Trust.

Training

• Deliver training on P2P compliance and transactional issues to finance and non-finance managers within the Trust ensuring an understanding of Trust financial policies and procedures
• Participate in continuing personal development.

Communications

• Discuss financial queries with staff, suppliers and customers, which are often complex, including reasons for the delays in payments, Trust process requirements and other sensitive issues.
• Discuss complex financial issues with customers and non-finance managers which may be contentious
• Have direct contact with NHS external organisations concerning complex payment issues and agreement of balances

Other Specific roles

• Carry out any other reasonable duties required.
• Provide support and cover, as required, within the Account Payable Compliance Team

Person Specification

Communication Skills

Essential

• Demonstrates behaviours that would lead the interview panel to think that the candidate is able to communicate effectively with their peers, managers and other outside agencies is able to explain complex information so that it is understood
• Understands the importance of accurate data

Skills/Abilities

Essential

• A good organiser with realistic time management skills
• Able to prioritise work for self and others
• Able to work autonomously with the skills to make simple decisions independently
• Able to concentrate for long periods of time, often analysing complex data
• Able to articulate financial concepts to a non-financial audience

Desirable

• Working knowledge of Purchasing or Financial systems such as eFinancials

Qualifications

Essential

• AAT qualified Degree or equivalent experience (relevant to role).
• Significant relevant experience, with considerable experience of a similar role

Experience

Essential

• Relevant AP work experience including specialist knowledge of P2P processes, systems and legislation
• Experience of working within the NHS or similar sized organisation for at least 3 years
• Experience of supervising staff
• Recent experience of having difficult conversations
• Experience of computer based financial systems
• Experience of using Microsoft office applications.
• Working effectively and efficiently in a fast-changing environment
• Experience of working in a high-performance team
• Dealing with multiple stakeholders and conflicting priorities.

Employer details

Employer name

Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust

Address

St. Marys Nhs Trust

Praed Street

London

W2 1NY

Employer's website

https://www.imperial.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)