Head of Finance

Job description

Job responsibilities

Strategic Responsibilities

Provision of financial and commercial advice and insights to achieve the strategic and operational goals of the Care Group, Corporate areas and wider Trust. Provision of advice, guidance and support to business leaders and clinicians, enabling and influencing decision-making to achieve optimal performance

Identification of issues to be addressed by the Board, Executive Team or Care Group/Corporate Group

Ensure advice is consistent across the financial management department ensuring shared learning and development of a one trust approach.

Work in collaboration with the Financial Management department to continuously identify and improve the effectiveness of accounting systems and financial reporting contributing to the services financial sustainability plan and developing efficiencies, consistency and centralisation of processes where appropriate

When necessary deputise for the Assistant Director of Finance on financial management matters

Financial Management

To have overall responsibility for all aspects of financial management within the allocated Care Group / corporate area in conjunction with the Associate Head of Financial Management.

Review and approve for distribution the monthly performance reporting packs for the Care Group and corporate areas

Provide financial advice and support to the Executive team and senior management within the Trust translating complex and technical financial issues into meaningful management information.

Monitor non-financial performance indicators (e.g. length of stay, theatre utilisation) to identify areas where the use of resources can be improved. Work with operational managers and clinicians to improve productivity and demonstrate the impact of this on financial performance.

Where performance differs from plan, develop recovery measures in consultation with Care Group and corporate areas leadership.

Contribute to the evolution and development of Care Group reporting, in collaboration with the Associate Head of Financial Management.

Improving Value

Work with the care group and corporate senior management, to develop efficiency schemes in accordance with overall trust and national requirements, identifying opportunities and provides financial, support, advice and direction.

Ensure there are robust, credible and effective short-, medium- and long-term plans in place to deliver the service improvement programme, and that appropriate resources are available to support delivery of the programme.

Assess, monitor and review the delivery of efficiencies and associated financial benefits, working with Care Group and corporate areas to address any issues.

Ensure that the financial content is developed for PIDs for schemes that will be taken forward.

Promote and maximise the use of PLICS to identify and develop transformational efficiencies.

Planning, budgeting and forecasting

Lead on the provision of finance/business planning advice in relation to strategic planning, service redesign/modernisation proposals and new business for their specific Care Group or Corporate Group.

Lead on the annual budget setting process for the Care Group and corporate area, including the setting of objectives to achieve key performance targets in order to meet the Trusts business and financial objectives. Identify, co-ordinate and quantify Service Developments, Cost Pressures, Improving Value Programmes and Capital Bids to support the annual objectives. Ensuring deadlines set by the Associate Head of Financial Management are met and can be incorporated by the reporting team.

Review and approve amendments to budgets, including any amendments to the next year base budget.

Ensure that financial forecasting is robust and provides effective early warning to the Care Group and Corporate area of potential future problems and enabling financial risks to be effectively managed.

Where forecast out-turn deviates from plan, lead the process of preparing a financial recovery plan.

Ensure budgets are approved and signed off before the start of the financial year.

Business Cases

To take overall responsibility for the financial element in business cases, to coordinate input and sign off any detail to enable sign-off from the Care Group and corporate area in the development of the case.

Ensure the financial elements reflect the case and meet the required quality standard set for the Financial Management function.

Lead review of the accuracy of financial analysis and triangulation of highly complex data from a variety of sources. Ensure the application of recognised investment appraisal techniques to facilitate decision making and ensure that developments withstand robust financial scrutiny.

Present business cases alongside operational colleagues to the relevant approval groups on the financial consequences of different options.

Lead training sessions for finance and non-finance staff on financial issues, including e-learning and the Trust finance training courses, ensuring consistency with the standards and training materials set for the Financial Management function

Leadership/Management

To provide senior management and leadership to the wider Financial Management Team

including responsibility for staff development to enable them to perform to best of their abilities

Assist the Head of Finance Financial Management to regularly review the workload/capacity in the department, where volume of work is unpredictable and externally driven, making judgements about how the work will be best managed.

To assist in the review of staffing resources for the service in conjunction with the wider team and Trust strategic goals to ensure that longer term staffing needs, skills and personnel are built into the staff recruitment and retention strategy.

Ensure that all managed staff meet their statutory and mandatory training and appraisal requirements, ensuring personal development plan are in place.

Ensure that the service runs effectively during absence due to sickness or annual leave.

To support team members when dealing with distressing information, signposting them to Occupational Health and wellbeing support available

Effectively manage staff under Trust HR policies and procedures as required.

Create a culture where staff feel empowered and accountable for service improvement at local level

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• CCAB qualification with significant Post Qualification Experience
• Educated to Masters Degree Level or equivalent experience
• Significant Evidence of Continued Personal and Professional Development.

Desirable

• Project Management training / qualification
• Leadership training / qualification

Experience

Essential

• Significant knowledge of the leadership and management context of the NHS, the NHS financial systems and of financial system and processes necessary for delivering excellence in healthcare.
• Significant expert knowledge of public sector Financial Accounting policy.
• Significant track record of management experience at middle/senior management level in the NHS or other public healthcare related environment.
• Occasional exposure to Board /Executive meeting environments taking part in discussions
• Significant experience of translating national agenda/direction/policy locally to achieve necessary 'buy in'.
• Demonstrable experience of successfully leading delivery of priorities/outcomes in a highly complex partnership environment.
• Demonstrable experience of delivering presentations to large groups of stakeholders relevant to this role in potentially sensitive environments.
• Demonstrable experience of developing and leading programmes of major change.
• Experience of developing and leading new teams, motivating and inspiring people to work together to achieve common objective and priorities.
• Demonstrable experience in leading and prioritising delivery against budgets and working within financial constraints.
• Experience/knowledge in risk management.
• Demonstrable negotiation skills and contract monitoring
• Advanced ability to use Excel, Word PowerPoint and Financial accounting packages.

Desirable

• Experience of working in large and complex NHS organisation or organisation with equivalent complexity
• Experience of working with NHS Shared Business Services

Communication

Essential

• Ability to communicate and disseminate highly complex and contentious financial information and concepts to a corporate stakeholder level with tact and diplomacy.
• Significant ability to provide informative reporting to governing body, Boards and Committees on progress against strategic and operational outcomes and associated impact.

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).

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

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trusts

Address

City Campus, Trust HQ

Nottingham

NG5 1PB

Employer's website

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