Health Education and Improvement Wales

Senior Financial Accountant

The closing date is 22 October 2025

Job summary

The Senior Financial Accountant will be a key post supporting the Head of Financial Accounts in the provision of high-quality financial services across HEIW. The position sits in the Financial Accounts team within the Finance, Planning, Performance and National Programmes Directorate.

This role provides the core statutory accounting functions and manages key financial systems and processes for the organisation. It includes responsibilities that are concerned with financial control procedures and policies, governance and legislative requirements, financial transactions, systems and external statutory reporting. This role will require excellent communication skills, both written and verbal. The post holder will need to demonstrate a high level of technical accounting knowledge and effective training and influencing skills.

For more information, please contact:

Martyn Pennell

Head of Financial Accounting

Email: martyn.pennell@wales.nhs.uk

Main duties of the job

Working within a £370m NHS organisation, the key elements of the post include leading on the preparation of the year end accounts and supporting working papers, producing an accurate monthly statement of financial position, producing cash-flow forecasts, supporting the month-end procedures to close down the financial systems and lead on the month end reconciliation processes.

About us

Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW) is the strategic workforce body for NHS Wales with statutory functions that include education and training, workforce planning, workforce development and transformation, leadership and succession planning, and careers. Our purpose is to develop a workforce that delivers excellent care to patients/service users and excellent population health. We are a Special Health Authority working closely with our partners; Social Care Wales, education providers, professional and regulatory bodies and Welsh Government.

HEIW's is committed to developing an internal culture of choice. Our Values reflect our thoughts, feelings and beliefs in how we will, and will not, behave and treat others:

- Respect for All in every contact we have with others,

- Ideas that Improve: Harnessing creativity and continuously innovating, evaluating and improving,

- Together as a Team: Working with colleagues across NHS Wales and with partner organisations.

HEIW received the HPMA Award for Employee Engagement in 2019.

What you can expect:

- a corporate induction and 90 day Welcome itinerary,

- compassionate leadership,

- a meaningful values based performance appraisal process,

- the opportunity to impact upon health and social care services and the lives and wellbeing of the people of Wales.

Many of our colleagues and stakeholders have commented on the buzz and atmosphere we create by working together as "One HEIW Team". Do you want to join that team?

Details

Date posted

08 October 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8a

Salary

£56,514 to £63,623 a year per annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Flexible working

Reference number

082-AC080-1025

Job locations

Ty Dysgu

Cefn Coed

Nantgarw

CF15 7QQ


Job description

Job responsibilities

You will be able to find a full Job description and Person Specification attached within the supporting documents or please click Apply now to view in Trac.

Job description

Job responsibilities

You will be able to find a full Job description and Person Specification attached within the supporting documents or please click Apply now to view in Trac.

Person Specification

Qualifications & Knowledge

Essential

  • CCAB Qualified
  • Commitment to and evidence of continued professional development within a large and complex organisation.
  • Up to date knowledge of latest accounting standards and recommendations

Experience

Essential

  • Proven ability of preparing financial accounts in line with legal requirements and agreed timetables with experience of producing good quality year-end accounts and working papers
  • Significant experience and knowledge across a range of Finance/Digital systems.
  • Experience in producing a wide range of financial and management information, reports and analyses to senior management and executive level teams.
  • Proven experience in managing and motivating staff.

Desirable

  • Knowledge of NHS Financial Policies and Procedures across the finance discipline.
  • Experience of establishing and maintaining financial systems and developing new systems that are sound, effective, efficient and automated.

Skills & Attributes

Essential

  • Highly developed analytical interpretational and comparative skills capable of dealing with highly complex sensitive information to support rational decision making.
  • Excellent written and oral communication, and presentation skills with an ability to explain highly complex issues to both a finance and non-finance audience.
  • Excellent Analytical and Numerical Skills. Expertise in advanced financial modelling using spread sheets, and proven experience of advanced knowledge of Microsoft Excel.
  • Ability to develop effective working relationships with staff at all levels and contribute in team environment and its shared vision.

Other

Essential

  • Ability to work hours flexibly.

Desirable

  • Ability to speak Welsh
Person Specification

Qualifications & Knowledge

Essential

  • CCAB Qualified
  • Commitment to and evidence of continued professional development within a large and complex organisation.
  • Up to date knowledge of latest accounting standards and recommendations

Experience

Essential

  • Proven ability of preparing financial accounts in line with legal requirements and agreed timetables with experience of producing good quality year-end accounts and working papers
  • Significant experience and knowledge across a range of Finance/Digital systems.
  • Experience in producing a wide range of financial and management information, reports and analyses to senior management and executive level teams.
  • Proven experience in managing and motivating staff.

Desirable

  • Knowledge of NHS Financial Policies and Procedures across the finance discipline.
  • Experience of establishing and maintaining financial systems and developing new systems that are sound, effective, efficient and automated.

Skills & Attributes

Essential

  • Highly developed analytical interpretational and comparative skills capable of dealing with highly complex sensitive information to support rational decision making.
  • Excellent written and oral communication, and presentation skills with an ability to explain highly complex issues to both a finance and non-finance audience.
  • Excellent Analytical and Numerical Skills. Expertise in advanced financial modelling using spread sheets, and proven experience of advanced knowledge of Microsoft Excel.
  • Ability to develop effective working relationships with staff at all levels and contribute in team environment and its shared vision.

Other

Essential

  • Ability to work hours flexibly.

Desirable

  • Ability to speak Welsh

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

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.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).

Employer details

Employer name

Health Education and Improvement Wales

Address

Ty Dysgu

Cefn Coed

Nantgarw

CF15 7QQ


Employer's website

https://heiw.nhs.wales/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer details

Employer name

Health Education and Improvement Wales

Address

Ty Dysgu

Cefn Coed

Nantgarw

CF15 7QQ


Employer's website

https://heiw.nhs.wales/ (Opens in a new tab)

Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Head of Financial Accounting

Martyn Pennell

martyn.pennell@wales.nhs.uk

Details

Date posted

08 October 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8a

Salary

£56,514 to £63,623 a year per annum

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Flexible working

Reference number

082-AC080-1025

Job locations

Ty Dysgu

Cefn Coed

Nantgarw

CF15 7QQ


Supporting documents

Privacy notice

Health Education and Improvement Wales's privacy notice (opens in a new tab)