Executive Director of Finance

Job description

Job responsibilities

Leadership and Development

Work in close collaboration with the CEO and wider ELT to develop strategy, business plans and policies. Monitoring progress and performance against agreed objectives. The postholder will inspire, lead, and motivate the Finance teams to ensure optimal operations and maximise output.

Take overall leadership of the Finance function ensuring a high standard of proactive delivery and performance of this key operational support function.

Contribute to and guide corporate decision making through financial modelling, options appraisal and advising on the financial implications of proposed developments

Underpin major new projects with project management and appropriate financial and control systems

Ensure the hospice has overarching strategies for Finance and Contracting

Represent the CEO at key external meeting and events as required

Act as an ambassador for all aspects of the hospices operations

Lead and motivate a multifaceted team to manage risk and deliver high quality financial services across the hospice supporting the ELT in these areas

To report regularly to the CEO on all finance and contracting matters and issues

Strategy

Work with the CEO on the strategic vision including fostering and cultivating stakeholder relationships at city, regional and national levels

Lead the strategic planning and budgeting cycle ensuring effective stakeholder and senior manager engagement

Responsible for financial strategic planning and reporting processes, including annual budgeting and multi-year forward projections, monthly management reporting, quarterly forecasting, production of annual statutory accounts, overseeing the annual audit, cost benefit analysis, securing new contract funding, asset management and project development

Lead on the development of major contracts and new business opportunities in conjunction with other colleagues in line with the company strategy

Accountable for ensuring all new business proposals and grant applications are costed with effective mitigation of risk

Financial Management

Responsible for all financial operations, ensuring appropriate risk management, financial controls, quality accounting, compliance, procurement, contracts management, financial analysis, and communication of information to the CEO, ELT and Board of Trustees to run the organisation effectively and responsibly

Accountable for implementing, operating, assuring and improving the financial systems and processes of the hospice.

Accountable for the provision of timely accurate reporting information, including forecasting and contingency planning across all aspects of the hospices business to the Board and routinely to budget managers

Accountable for the annual budget setting/financial planning process, including annual efficiencies, identification of cost pressures, proactive monitoring of all spend to enable proactive remedial action to be taken

Ensure the provision and support for all people to ensure the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for Finance are implemented.

Accountable for the management of designated budgets in line with the SOP, reporting breaches and where necessary taking remedial action.

Ensure adequate cash flow to meet the business needs.

Overseeing the development and maintenance of internal controls to safeguard company financial assets

Overseeing the production of monthly reports including reconciliations with funders and pension plan requirements, as well as financial statements and cash flow projections.

Overseeing the coordination and activities of the external independent auditors including the preparation of the annual reports and financial statements, and providing supplementary schedules and information as requested by the auditors

Have a working knowledge of all service level agreements (SLAs) for NHS and non-NHS contracts and advise the business (clinical and non-clinical) on new ones; reporting to the boards as necessary; act as a company expert on procurement.

Provide an effective financial management service to the hospice, their Charitable Trust Funds and subsidiary Trading Companies.

Oversee the administration of legacies and alert the Board to contentious estate issues.

Ensure effective processing of off-line and on-line donations and gift-aid including financial interface with the donations database

Ensure effective management of the organisation's tax recoveries and liabilities under existing legislation including charitable VAT.

Plan and manage investment activity in conjunction with the investment advisors.

Oversee the relationships with banks, auditors, and other advisors.

Governance

Accountable for the annual reports and accounts, annual audit, and returns to Companies House, HMRC, Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs.)

Contribute to the hospices risk management policy and procedures including the risk registers, having board level accountability for the financial, asset and liability components of the risk register.

Investigate incidents and complaints as required; advise and assist with the development of new systems to report these.

Accountable to the board in terms of participation in the required board sub-committees.

Work with senior management colleagues to interpret legislative rules and regulations to ensure the hospices compliance ensuring that all government regulations and requirements are disseminated to appropriate personnel, and compliance is monitored

Oversee the maintenance of the fixed assets registers including any purchases that are grant funded; ensure write down of assets no longer in use.

Ensure adequate guidance is available to people through the production and maintenance of documented financial procedures and processes supported by relevant training. Designing and undertaking internal audits to be able to demonstrate compliance with policies by the production of satisfactory supporting evidence.

Develop and implement appropriate financial strategies, policies, systems and controls to support the Hospices strategic and annual planning cycles and ensure effective management of resources.

Contracting

Lead the Contracting process.

Reports to and advises

Finance and Performance Committee and Audit and Assurance Committees; Trading Company

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Qualified accountant with current membership of recognised accountancy body
• Educated to degree level or equivalent financial qualification(s)
• Evidence of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in relevant accounting and taxation matters

Desirable

• Masters degree
• Specialist knowledge of Charity and/or Health Sector finance acquired through qualification or equivalent experience

Experience

Essential

• Extensive management experience, including substantial participation at Board level
• Business planning and budget setting at strategic level
• Financial strategy development and implementation
• Organisational policy development and implementation
• Team building & conflict resolution
• People management, including disciplinary & grievance procedures
• Implementation and management of financial controls
• Understand relevant financial regulation and companies and tax law
• Commercially aware with skills in managing the financial and support systems of a business day to day
• Able to delegate and work through individuals and teams
• Skilled at balancing the competing demands across a diverse portfolio
• Demonstrate the ability to analyse complex data and produce detailed reports with recommendations
• Able to analyse financial information in order to make decisions, set priorities and achieve goals
• Knowledge of the Data Protection Act and Financial Conduct Authority regulations
• A demonstrable track record of financial management and delivery in complex organisations
• Experience of working with HMRC, handling VAT, pension providers, banks
• Experience of working with external auditors
• Excellent numerical skills and ability to operate financial information systems, ledgers, payment systems
• Experience of developing effective working relationships, internally and externally in order to achieve successful outcomes
• Knowledge and understanding of accounting and taxation

Desirable

• Skilled in service improvement techniques
• Knowledge of NHS financial systems and processes and contracts

Personal Skills and Attributes

Essential

• A strong solutions focus
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Able to communicate across diverse groups and communities and evidence equality of opportunity in approach
• Advanced analytical and problem solving skills
• Ability to construct and interpret complex financial reports and strategies at Board level and to Executive colleagues
• Negotiating skills
• Ability to manage a complex team
• Ability to work effectively as part of a multi-professional Team
• Strategic thinker
• Effective time management & working to deadlines
• Leadership, coaching & mentoring skills
• Ability to handle media enquiries and to represent the hospice to the media and general public
• Presentation and public speaking skills
• Highly developed interpersonal skills for influencing change and sustaining engagement in complex clinical, social care and business settings
• An ability to lead a mixed portfolio of an organisations activities, performance and development
• Personal and professional integrity able to hold fiscal standards under pressure
• Must know own strengths and areas for development; must demonstrate time management and personal organisation skills and a commitment to learning
• The ability to use coping strategies in working through change and transition
• Resilient, enthusiastic and motivated
• Commitment to provision of quality services and commercialism with a conscience
• Committed to providing accurate and timely information to a high standard
• Ability to think strategically as well as operationally and manage appropriately as needed to ensure excellence
• Ability to coach and develop others and delegate accountability to encourage staff responsibility and engagement
• Good sense of humour and empathy
• Rapid analysis and synthesis of information
• Corporate loyalty
• Ability to make rational decisions whilst under pressure

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).

Employer details

Employer name

Birmingham Hospice

Address

76 Grange Road

Erdington

Birmingham

B24 0DF

Employer's website

https://www.birminghamhospice.org.uk (Opens in a new tab)