Job summary
We are looking for a dynamic, enthusiastic, and knowledgeable finance commercial officer to join the research department at Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital. This is a newly established post within the research department and will involve working closely with the R&D team and commercial partners.
This is an exciting time to join the department, as we have recently commenced our joint collaboration with Liverpool Clinical Research Facility increasing our potential to offer early phase research to our patients. Further to this we collaborate with the University of Liverpool and Liverpool John Moores University to deliver the Liverpool Centre for Cardiac Sciences. Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital was recently also voted as the top in the NHS staff survey. The trust has also been voted as outstanding by the CQC twice and is the only specialist trust to achieve this.
Main duties of the job
The main purpose of this role is to provide day-to- day financial support for the R&I Department including monitoring, tracking, and invoicing for research activity, but also reviewing financials in research contracts and advising the senior management in study selection process.
Preparation of financial reports for research funders and stakeholders will be required and supporting the development of a robust set of policies and procedures to ensure that the department achieves the maximum financial return. The post holder will be the first point of contact for finance related queries and will proactively work with the Business accountant and Research Governance Manager to resolve any queries they may have with regard to financial processes, transactions, reporting and as a result will provide high standards of customer service.
They would further support the Business Accountant with developing a financial projection for the R&I department, as well as monitoring and reporting to the Leadership on significant changes or deviations from projections. Additionally, the post holder will be responsible for managing and monitoring the invoices and payments for LHCH sponsored multi-centre trials. They will also support the process of reimbursement and monitoring of finances internally.
About us
As the largest single site specialist heart and chest hospital in the UK, we, at Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital, have a clear vision 'to be the best cardiothoracic integrated healthcare organisation'.
We provide specialist services in cardiothoracic surgery, cardiology, respiratory medicine both in the hospital and out in the community.
We serve a catchment area of 2.8 million people, spanning Merseyside, Cheshire, North Wales and the Isle of Man, and increasingly we receive referrals from outside these areas for highly specialised services such as aortics.
Our reputation for strong performance is important in delivering the best care for our patients and high quality clinical services. This is underpinned by a culture of research and innovation, delivered in modern estate and our encouragement of flexible working in a variety of forms.
Please visit our website - https://www.lhch.nhs.uk/
Please follow this link for a tour of our site - https://bit.ly/36ylsoq
Job description
Job responsibilities
Main Tasks and responsibilities:
- Provide research financial administrative support to the Research department, ensuring accurate billing, invoicing, and payments.
- Preparation of research financial documents and correspondence.
- Build and maintain templates for tracking trial activity, invoicing, costed activity in supporting departments, and more.
- Review the financials of research trials in the departmental pipeline and advise on their suitability in terms of financial renumeration.
- Review the financial section of research contracts and set up tracking of research activity and invoicing
- Maintain accurate financial records
- Ensure LHCH is receiving payment according to agreed contract terms and investigate financial queries in relation to disputed invoices or pending payments
- To complete account reconciliations, reviewing income and expenditure transactions to support the Hosted Service and Research Accountant.
- To develop, along with Research staff and the Finance department a robust set of policies and procedures to ensure that the department achieves the maximum financial return.
- To develop, under the supervision of the Hosted Service and Research Accountant, a financial projection for the R&I department, to update and report on significant changes or deviations from projections
- To support the Head of Research and Research Governance Manager in contract negotiations with commercial and external companies ensuring all cost are accurately recorded
- To provide budgetary advice for grants and LHCH sponsored trials
- To provide finance training as directed by senior finance staff, to research staff, budget holders and other mananagers.
Organisational
- To attend internal meetings with budget holders to discuss their budgetary position and resolve any queries
- To identify budget variances and ensure any areas of concern are reported upwards as necessary
- To provide financial information, as directed be senior staff to external agencies, including external auditors
- To manage all internal financial transactions in line with contracts, policies and SOPs
- To review and identify any improvements to financial systems and research processes as required.
Management Accounting
- To review allocated budget reports on a regular basis and make necessary amendments to the ledger in order to correct any errors found, before review by the Business Accountants.
- To input journals/budget adjustments to the ledger within agreed monthly timescales.
- To ensure that the procedure for authorising establishment changes has been followed before updating the ledger.
- Action all periodic and ad-hoc recharges, raising debtors in a timely manner and upload to ledger.
- To prepare working papers to support adjustments to the ledger in respect of budget variances and expenditure adjustments.
- To ensure new codes are set up in accordance with the agreed coding structure.
- To carry out control account reconciliations
- To prepare monthly analyses of expenditure.
Annual Budget Setting Process
- To cost pay (where appropriate) and non-pay budgets as directed by the Business Accountants to enable the calculation of annual budgets.
- To maintain the ledger to ensure that recurrent budget changes have been recorded for inclusion in the following years budget.
- To identify budgetary pressures within allocated budgets in current and future financial years and report these to the Finance Manager.
- Prepare annual budget statement for budget holder sign off.
Annual Accounts Completion
- To identify additional debtors/creditors, prepare accruals for inclusion in the Final Accounts and provide supporting detailed working papers.
- To provide information for the completion of notes to the accounts.
Corporate Responsibilities
- Ensure personal compliance with all Trust Corporate Governance procedures.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the Trusts Standing Orders, Standing Financial Instructions and Scheme of Delegates.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Main Tasks and responsibilities:
- Provide research financial administrative support to the Research department, ensuring accurate billing, invoicing, and payments.
- Preparation of research financial documents and correspondence.
- Build and maintain templates for tracking trial activity, invoicing, costed activity in supporting departments, and more.
- Review the financials of research trials in the departmental pipeline and advise on their suitability in terms of financial renumeration.
- Review the financial section of research contracts and set up tracking of research activity and invoicing
- Maintain accurate financial records
- Ensure LHCH is receiving payment according to agreed contract terms and investigate financial queries in relation to disputed invoices or pending payments
- To complete account reconciliations, reviewing income and expenditure transactions to support the Hosted Service and Research Accountant.
- To develop, along with Research staff and the Finance department a robust set of policies and procedures to ensure that the department achieves the maximum financial return.
- To develop, under the supervision of the Hosted Service and Research Accountant, a financial projection for the R&I department, to update and report on significant changes or deviations from projections
- To support the Head of Research and Research Governance Manager in contract negotiations with commercial and external companies ensuring all cost are accurately recorded
- To provide budgetary advice for grants and LHCH sponsored trials
- To provide finance training as directed by senior finance staff, to research staff, budget holders and other mananagers.
Organisational
- To attend internal meetings with budget holders to discuss their budgetary position and resolve any queries
- To identify budget variances and ensure any areas of concern are reported upwards as necessary
- To provide financial information, as directed be senior staff to external agencies, including external auditors
- To manage all internal financial transactions in line with contracts, policies and SOPs
- To review and identify any improvements to financial systems and research processes as required.
Management Accounting
- To review allocated budget reports on a regular basis and make necessary amendments to the ledger in order to correct any errors found, before review by the Business Accountants.
- To input journals/budget adjustments to the ledger within agreed monthly timescales.
- To ensure that the procedure for authorising establishment changes has been followed before updating the ledger.
- Action all periodic and ad-hoc recharges, raising debtors in a timely manner and upload to ledger.
- To prepare working papers to support adjustments to the ledger in respect of budget variances and expenditure adjustments.
- To ensure new codes are set up in accordance with the agreed coding structure.
- To carry out control account reconciliations
- To prepare monthly analyses of expenditure.
Annual Budget Setting Process
- To cost pay (where appropriate) and non-pay budgets as directed by the Business Accountants to enable the calculation of annual budgets.
- To maintain the ledger to ensure that recurrent budget changes have been recorded for inclusion in the following years budget.
- To identify budgetary pressures within allocated budgets in current and future financial years and report these to the Finance Manager.
- Prepare annual budget statement for budget holder sign off.
Annual Accounts Completion
- To identify additional debtors/creditors, prepare accruals for inclusion in the Final Accounts and provide supporting detailed working papers.
- To provide information for the completion of notes to the accounts.
Corporate Responsibilities
- Ensure personal compliance with all Trust Corporate Governance procedures.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the Trusts Standing Orders, Standing Financial Instructions and Scheme of Delegates.
Person Specification
Qualifications & Education
Essential
- Educated to Degree level or equivalent knowledge and skills in a numerate discipline.
Desirable
- Basic accounting qualification
- Demonstrable experience in research administration or governance
Knowledge & Experience
Essential
- Be highly proficient in Microsoft Office and a strong grasp of financial administration concepts
- Excellent organisational skills including the ability to work to the demanding deadlines of concurrent tasks whilst maintaining a high degree of accuracy and attention to detail
Desirable
- Previous experience within an NHS setting
- Knowledge of accounting principles, procedures and practices
- Knowledge and experience of Research Governance and GCP
Skills & Abilities
Essential
- Organisational skills and ability to manage own workload
- Proficient in IT systems, databases, and office packages
- Good report writing and presentation skills
- Proactive approach to problem solving, anticipating issues before they arise and developing solutions
- Ability to undertake and produce finance calculations and schedules
Values & Behaviours
Essential
- An engaging, open management style
- Takes responsibility for actions and adopts a reflective practice approach on continuous improvement
Person Specification
Qualifications & Education
Essential
- Educated to Degree level or equivalent knowledge and skills in a numerate discipline.
Desirable
- Basic accounting qualification
- Demonstrable experience in research administration or governance
Knowledge & Experience
Essential
- Be highly proficient in Microsoft Office and a strong grasp of financial administration concepts
- Excellent organisational skills including the ability to work to the demanding deadlines of concurrent tasks whilst maintaining a high degree of accuracy and attention to detail
Desirable
- Previous experience within an NHS setting
- Knowledge of accounting principles, procedures and practices
- Knowledge and experience of Research Governance and GCP
Skills & Abilities
Essential
- Organisational skills and ability to manage own workload
- Proficient in IT systems, databases, and office packages
- Good report writing and presentation skills
- Proactive approach to problem solving, anticipating issues before they arise and developing solutions
- Ability to undertake and produce finance calculations and schedules
Values & Behaviours
Essential
- An engaging, open management style
- Takes responsibility for actions and adopts a reflective practice approach on continuous improvement
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.
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.
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
Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital
Address
Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Thomas Drive
Liverpool
L14 3PE
Employer's website
https://www.lhch.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)
