Senior Management Accountant

Job description

Job responsibilities

The Senior Management Accountant will be part of a finance team who are responsible for financial advice, financial information and other financial input (e.g. business planning, service level agreements, costing and market testing) to a range of clinical services. In addition they will assist inspecific Trust-wide projects where the work cannot be divided into separate teams due to the necessity for a single and consistent output and approach.

To participate in the monthly management accounting process, ensuring the correct accounting treatment of provisions made, and that the strict reporting deadlines are adhered to. Delegate and manage completion of tasks as appropriate.

To provide cover for urgent queries in the absence of the Deputy Finance Manager and/or Finance Manager seeking advice on issues arising and/or passing these on to the Head of Financial Management as appropriate. To ensure the team continue to function effectively and all duties areperformed in the absence of the Deputy Finance Manager.

Interrogation and manipulation of all financial ledgers and Payroll systems. Use, design and formatting of spreadsheets, databases and ledger report writing systems in order to analyse, interpret and present information. To monitor financial coding to ensure that data contained in the ledger is accurate. Maintenance of the financial coding and organisational view structure within the ledger. To provide training on systems to other members of finance department, including newstarters, as appropriate.

Contribute towards the Divisional/Directorate management team and be fully appraised of issues facing them, so that comprehensive financial support can be given to all management decisions.To assist in the delivery of financial training to a range of non-financial staff.

Meet regularly with Directorate management teams and budget holders to discuss the financial position and associated issues. Be satisfied that financial objectives are being met and ensure that action is being planned and implemented that will correct any adverse trends or meet specifiedcost reductions. Ensure Deputy Finance Manager is informed of financial issues within the budget areas.

To advise the Directorate Managers and budget holders on a wide range of financial issues, including identifying cost improvement targets, income generation, costing of rebased establishments, service developments, financial management and business planning. To ensure that all financial proposals have been accurately costed, and that the department is aware of the full implications of the proposals. To seek advice on issues from the Deputy Finance Manager as appropriate.

Prepare year end financial forecasts for Directorate budgets incorporating all known and potential financial issues. Discuss and agree resultant figures with directorate managers and budget holders.

To assist the Deputy Finance Manager in the financial input into all business cases prepared for presentation to Management Board, Trust Board and commissioners, including full financial analysis of the options available.

To attend Directorate team meetings to present and discuss the financial performance of the Directorate.

Contribute towards the annual Trust business planning and budget setting process. Ensure that all relevant issues are considered by Directorate Managers and budget holders (e.g. cost pressures, cost improvements plans, service developments), and that the financial implications have been fully costed and included in the business plan submission. Attend each round of budget setting meetings with members of directorate management to discuss the Business Plan, and provide financial support to the Directorates/Departments.

To be aware of and understand the Trusts policies and procedures, SOs and SFIs. To ensure they are brought to the attention of relevant managers. To report any non-compliance or potential non-compliance to Deputy Finance Manager, as appropriate.

To provide relevant information for the production of accurate Reference Costs for the Trust, e.g. costing of Care Profiles and Apportionment Tables.

To participate in and supervise junior staff in accurate completion of the Trust final accounts process, ensuring tasks are completed in line with the year-end timetable and comply with External Audit requirements. Assist in preparation of notes to the accounts as required by the DoH.

To ensure a professional approach in the provision of information. To ensure that all information is timely and accurate and presented in the appropriate format.

To participate in departmental meetings, e.g. Team Brief and Health and Safety, and support other colleagues as appropriate.

To assist the Deputy Finance Manager in the recruitment and selection of junior staff within the team.

To remain appraised of up-to-date relevant professional guidance and standards, and be aware of NHS specific legislation for inclusion in day to day work, e.g. Payment by Results, Agenda for Change, Consultant Contracts, change in Pension Scheme costs and National Insurancecontributions.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Educated to A-level or equivalent.
• Part qualified CCAB Accountant (in final year of study), with relevant experience in financial management or AAT qualified with extensive Acute NHS Management Accounting experience.

Desirable

• Studying to become a fully qualified CCAB Accountant with a commitment to personal development

Experience/Skills

Essential

• Previous experience of working within a management accounts role, with knowledge and understanding of the finance function as a whole.
• Experience of business planning and budget setting processes.
• Ability to work on own initiative and prioritise workload.
• Must be computer literate with previous experience of Microsoft office (or similar) and good knowledge of Excel.
• Good experience of computerised ledger packages, and their application and development.
• Good level of analytical skills and ability to process detailed financial data.
• Ability to deal with urgent queries in the absence of the Clinical Finance Manager escalating when appropriate
• Ability to communicate confidently and professionally to all levels of staff within and outside the organisation, using all forms of communication. Often this may involve detailed financial information

Desirable

• Previous experience of working within an NHS Finance department.
• Experience of supervising and training more junior members of staff.

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

The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust

Address

New Cross Hospital

Wolverhampton Road

Wolverhampton

WV10 0QP

Employer's website

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