Job summary
To be responsible for consolidating the overall financial management and performance of the Trust to meet organisational and departmental objectives. To ensure the Financial Management team provides expert strategic financial advice and information to managers and directors, ensuring efficiency, effectiveness, integrity and business focus of financial systems and processes. This will require participation in effective decision making that leads to the delivery of financial targets and statutory duties, as well as maintaining high quality financial management services that support the short- and long-term planning processes.
To ensure there is wider understanding of the financial implications of highly complex strategic and operational changes. This will require a critical understanding, investigation and advice, often in and with challenging and emotive issues.
To support the Assistant Director of Finance - Financial Management and the Deputy Director of Finance in ensuring that statutory obligations are met and delivering effective planning and monitoring of the Trust's financial position.
Please note, this recruitment process will include an assessment centre which will be held on Friday 13th September 2024.
Main duties of the job
Lead the financial reporting of all services, ensuring an expert financial management service is provided by the Management Accounts team to Care Groups and corporate departments.
Lead the monthly reporting process, ensuring that information produced is accurate and delivered within agreed timescales.
Support contract negotiations and development of business cases.
Support development of long-term financial plans for the organisation.
Support service line reporting.
Ensure a robust control environment.
Improve the skills and knowledge base of the organisation in finance related matters.
Provide effective leadership to the Financial Management team, including staff development and process improvement.
Support the development and submission of the Trust's financial plans and any other NHSE/ICS queries.
More detail can be found in the Job Description & Person Specification
About us
Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust serves a population of over 600,000 with a workforce of over 9000 dedicated and skilled staff across 21 sites.
We strongly believe that the communities we serve should all have access to Five Star Patient Care.
Our Services:
Acute Care
Providing emergency and maternity services at Whiston, Southport and Ormskirk hospitals, and medical and surgical specialties across all our sites.
Primary Care
Providing primary care services at Marshalls Cross Medical Centre situated in St Helens Hospital.
Community Services
Providing adult community services for St Helens and a wheelchair service in Chorley, South Ribble, and West Lancashire. Our inpatient unit at Newton Community Hospital is where patients needing acute hospital beds can continue rehabilitation, freeing up space for more unwell patients. We also provide urgent care at our Urgent Treatment Centre located in St Helens town centre.
Specialist Regional Services
We provide the Mersey Regional Burns & Plastic Surgery Unit at Whiston Hospital and the Spinal Injuries Unit at Southport Hospital to more than 4 million people across the whole of Merseyside, West Lancashire, Cheshire, Isle of Man and North Wales.
Achievements:
o Rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018
o Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal)
o National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme
Job description
Job responsibilities
Lead the financial reporting of all services, ensuring an expert financial management service is provided by the Management Accounts team to Care Groups and corporate departments.
Lead the monthly reporting process, ensuring that information produced is accurate and delivered within agreed timescales.
Support contract negotiations and development of business cases.
Support development of long-term financial plans for the organisation.
Support service line reporting.
Ensure a robust control environment.
Improve the skills and knowledge base of the organisation in finance related matters.
Provide effective leadership to the Financial Management team, including staff development and process improvement.
Support the development and submission of the Trust's financial plans and any other NHSE/ICS queries.
Financial Management
To implement and maintain the highest standards of financial reporting, ensuring provision of comprehensive financial management information suitable for use as a tool by service managers to effect changes in business processes and to improve overall operational efficiency.
To lead the Management Accounts team in providing accurate year to date and forecast income and expenditure reports, ensuring operational involvement and understanding. Lead SMAs in developing and implementing action plans where necessary in order to ensure that available resources are not exceeded, with engagement from the relevant operational leads.
To act as finance lead for the monthly closedown process, ensuring care group Management Accounts teams produce and review the financial position for their areas within agreed timescales. Provide Trust level reporting for review by Assistant Director of Finance in line with monthly timetable in order to support achievement of monthly reporting deadlines.
Ensure Management Accounts team provide timely and accurate monthly finance reports to budget holders, operational management teams and care group ADFs to inform decision making.
To act as finance lead for the annual budget setting process, ensuring robust and realistic budget proposals are agreed with budget holders within Trust deadlines.
To monitor performance against CIP targets and provide oversight and leadership to the Senior Management Accountants/Management Accountants in their development of CIP schemes alongside operational colleagues and ADFs. Ensure ownership and understanding of CIP plans by budget holders and that variances from plans are fully understood and mitigations implemented where possible. Promote a positive culture of engagement with operational services to support achievement of CIP targets.
Together with senior members of the department, contribute to creating a financially aware organisation with a culture of strong financial stewardship.
To support the Senior Management Accountants in providing challenge and scrutiny to business units in respect of financial performance in order to ensure robust control and management of expenditure by business unit leads.
To escalate issues to Assistant Directors of Finance as appropriate and to work with them to ensure the Financial Management service meets their needs and those of the operational teams.
To deputise for the Assistant Director of Finance Financial Management and Deputy Director of Finance and Information as required.
Financial Planning
To lead Senior Management Accountants and Management Accountants in supporting service managers to develop financial and business plans, ensuring full understanding and ownership of those plans by operational teams.
To influence managers across the organisation, with the support of care group Management Accounts teams, to ensure that Mersey & West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is planning ahead in terms of delivering savings and that the importance of delivering savings to ensure organisational progress is understood at all levels of the organisation. This will include ensuring that focused analysis is provided by the Management Accounts team on areas of services viewed as high business risk.
To lead Senior Management Accountants in providing expert technical and strategic financial support to all business cases for capital investment or service development. Use a range of communication skills to overcome barriers to understanding and, when necessary, to explain/justify a contentious decision. This will require a thorough understanding of the activity and cost profile of services, as well as the external market environment influencing each service.
To provide input into Trust planning submissions as required.
Financial Control
To ensure adherence to the Trusts Standing Financial Instructions/Corporate Governance Manual and other financial policies and procedures by budget holders, ensuring the Management Accounts team promote this in their areas of responsibility. To maintain the integrity of the ledger at all times.
To support the implementation of internal and external audit recommendations, ensuring these are supported by robust Management Accounts processes where relevant.
To support the Director of Finance and Local Counter Fraud Specialist in promoting an anti-fraud culture, identifying potential cases of fraud and ensuring internal controls are adhered to, to minimise the opportunities for fraud.
To complete monthly reviews of reserves and accruals, taking action to mitigate risk as necessary and escalating issues to Assistant Directors of Finance as appropriate.
Communication
Balancing the posts requirements will require strong time management, prioritisation, delegation and organisational skills. Excellent communication skills will be needed to explain complex activities and information to senior colleagues and team members. This, combined with demonstrating excellent leadership, will make the individual effective at leading the Management Accounts team and making decisions that support the organisation in achieving its aims.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Lead the financial reporting of all services, ensuring an expert financial management service is provided by the Management Accounts team to Care Groups and corporate departments.
Lead the monthly reporting process, ensuring that information produced is accurate and delivered within agreed timescales.
Support contract negotiations and development of business cases.
Support development of long-term financial plans for the organisation.
Support service line reporting.
Ensure a robust control environment.
Improve the skills and knowledge base of the organisation in finance related matters.
Provide effective leadership to the Financial Management team, including staff development and process improvement.
Support the development and submission of the Trust's financial plans and any other NHSE/ICS queries.
Financial Management
To implement and maintain the highest standards of financial reporting, ensuring provision of comprehensive financial management information suitable for use as a tool by service managers to effect changes in business processes and to improve overall operational efficiency.
To lead the Management Accounts team in providing accurate year to date and forecast income and expenditure reports, ensuring operational involvement and understanding. Lead SMAs in developing and implementing action plans where necessary in order to ensure that available resources are not exceeded, with engagement from the relevant operational leads.
To act as finance lead for the monthly closedown process, ensuring care group Management Accounts teams produce and review the financial position for their areas within agreed timescales. Provide Trust level reporting for review by Assistant Director of Finance in line with monthly timetable in order to support achievement of monthly reporting deadlines.
Ensure Management Accounts team provide timely and accurate monthly finance reports to budget holders, operational management teams and care group ADFs to inform decision making.
To act as finance lead for the annual budget setting process, ensuring robust and realistic budget proposals are agreed with budget holders within Trust deadlines.
To monitor performance against CIP targets and provide oversight and leadership to the Senior Management Accountants/Management Accountants in their development of CIP schemes alongside operational colleagues and ADFs. Ensure ownership and understanding of CIP plans by budget holders and that variances from plans are fully understood and mitigations implemented where possible. Promote a positive culture of engagement with operational services to support achievement of CIP targets.
Together with senior members of the department, contribute to creating a financially aware organisation with a culture of strong financial stewardship.
To support the Senior Management Accountants in providing challenge and scrutiny to business units in respect of financial performance in order to ensure robust control and management of expenditure by business unit leads.
To escalate issues to Assistant Directors of Finance as appropriate and to work with them to ensure the Financial Management service meets their needs and those of the operational teams.
To deputise for the Assistant Director of Finance Financial Management and Deputy Director of Finance and Information as required.
Financial Planning
To lead Senior Management Accountants and Management Accountants in supporting service managers to develop financial and business plans, ensuring full understanding and ownership of those plans by operational teams.
To influence managers across the organisation, with the support of care group Management Accounts teams, to ensure that Mersey & West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is planning ahead in terms of delivering savings and that the importance of delivering savings to ensure organisational progress is understood at all levels of the organisation. This will include ensuring that focused analysis is provided by the Management Accounts team on areas of services viewed as high business risk.
To lead Senior Management Accountants in providing expert technical and strategic financial support to all business cases for capital investment or service development. Use a range of communication skills to overcome barriers to understanding and, when necessary, to explain/justify a contentious decision. This will require a thorough understanding of the activity and cost profile of services, as well as the external market environment influencing each service.
To provide input into Trust planning submissions as required.
Financial Control
To ensure adherence to the Trusts Standing Financial Instructions/Corporate Governance Manual and other financial policies and procedures by budget holders, ensuring the Management Accounts team promote this in their areas of responsibility. To maintain the integrity of the ledger at all times.
To support the implementation of internal and external audit recommendations, ensuring these are supported by robust Management Accounts processes where relevant.
To support the Director of Finance and Local Counter Fraud Specialist in promoting an anti-fraud culture, identifying potential cases of fraud and ensuring internal controls are adhered to, to minimise the opportunities for fraud.
To complete monthly reviews of reserves and accruals, taking action to mitigate risk as necessary and escalating issues to Assistant Directors of Finance as appropriate.
Communication
Balancing the posts requirements will require strong time management, prioritisation, delegation and organisational skills. Excellent communication skills will be needed to explain complex activities and information to senior colleagues and team members. This, combined with demonstrating excellent leadership, will make the individual effective at leading the Management Accounts team and making decisions that support the organisation in achieving its aims.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Fully Qualified CCAB or CIMA Accountant and/or equivalent qualification
- Educated to degree level in Accounting and/or equivalent qualification
- Evidence of continuous professional development
Knowledge
Essential
- Knowledge of computerised financial systems
- Post qualification experience in a senior financial management position
- Experience of managing a team, leading staff in providing a high standard of financial expertise and control
- Sufficient experience of business analysis to be able to demonstrate a thorough grasp of cost and income drivers in order to lead the Management Accounts team in proactively managing the financial position alongside operational colleagues
- Management experience, including dealing with disciplinary and grievance issues, performance and sickness absence
- Experience of presenting financial and non-financial information relating to organisational strategy
- An understanding of NHS funding stream
Desirable
- Knowledge of the NHS Trust financial regime
Skills
Essential
- Excellent communication skills both written and verbal to external and internal stakeholders
- Financial Analysis and Forecasting skills
- Good interpersonal skills
- Good understanding of accounting processes
- Ability to develop detailed costings
- Demonstrate an entrepreneurial and innovative approach to problem solving
- Ability to work without supervision and using own initiative
- Ability to work under pressure and prioritise effectively whilst ensuring agreed deadlines are met
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- Fully Qualified CCAB or CIMA Accountant and/or equivalent qualification
- Educated to degree level in Accounting and/or equivalent qualification
- Evidence of continuous professional development
Knowledge
Essential
- Knowledge of computerised financial systems
- Post qualification experience in a senior financial management position
- Experience of managing a team, leading staff in providing a high standard of financial expertise and control
- Sufficient experience of business analysis to be able to demonstrate a thorough grasp of cost and income drivers in order to lead the Management Accounts team in proactively managing the financial position alongside operational colleagues
- Management experience, including dealing with disciplinary and grievance issues, performance and sickness absence
- Experience of presenting financial and non-financial information relating to organisational strategy
- An understanding of NHS funding stream
Desirable
- Knowledge of the NHS Trust financial regime
Skills
Essential
- Excellent communication skills both written and verbal to external and internal stakeholders
- Financial Analysis and Forecasting skills
- Good interpersonal skills
- Good understanding of accounting processes
- Ability to develop detailed costings
- Demonstrate an entrepreneurial and innovative approach to problem solving
- Ability to work without supervision and using own initiative
- Ability to work under pressure and prioritise effectively whilst ensuring agreed deadlines are met
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).
