Assistant Finance Business Partner

Job description

Job responsibilities

Reporting to the Finance Business Partner the main responsibilities of the role are:-

Supporting Directorates

Responsible for producing high-quality, and relevant, Cost Centre Reports to a strict monthly timetable within policies and procedures agreed with the Finance Business Partner.

Ensure that all input documents are complete and accurate in accordance with agreed procedures and processes and Audit requirements (this will involve analysing confidential streams of data e.g. payroll, purchase ledger, sales ledger etc. and ensuring they are input into the system to meet the monthly and year end timetables).

Work closely with budget managers to ensure the understanding of performance variances. Support managers and clinical staff in developing or revising plans in support of out-turn forecasts for Directorates. Using data to support a longer-term view of services and take time to understand existing services.

Take a proactive role in liaising with Budget Managers and finance colleagues to ensure that the information contained in budget reports and supporting schedules is accurate and robust. This will include variance analysis, staff in post lists, income and expenditure analysis. Effort should be made to use language that is helpful and meaningful to budget holders, in service of patients and service users.

Liaise with budget managers on payroll matters by providing accurate staffing costs when required, amending Authorised Funded Establishments as agreed with the Finance Business Partner and ensure that staff in post lists are updated and correctly coded. Translate WTE on reports into shift patterns, numbers on a unit etc, so that the data becomes meaningful to the service.

Respond to ad-hoc requests from Budget Managers for financial analysis of all aspects of the service. This includes staff costing analysis to assist skill mix reviews and recruitment planning.

Be proactive in helping the Finance Business Partner support various improvement schemes within directorates. The aim being to continually improve and challenge existing ways of working to provide an efficient and effective clinical service.

Assist the Finance Business Partner in the production of financial information in support of Business Cases developed by Directorates. This will include producing, in liaison with Directorate Managers, historic service costs for comparison with future configuration. Any new developments should be in line with both National (The NHS Long Term Plan) and local ICS priorities.

Take a proactive role in the training, education and improved financial awareness of Budget Managers. This will include highlighting the financial implications of individual actions on budgetary control and ensuring that advice offered complies with the Trusts Standing Financial Instructions and Schemes of Delegation. This should include an awareness of the tools available from Future focused finance (FFF.)

Planning

Participate in the Directorate Financial Planning process by ensuring that budgets and expenditure for each Cost Centre are accurate and reflect any implications of part-year or non-recurrent in-year changes. Also ensure that opportunities for efficiency savings at Departmental level are identified and quantified. Consider Directorate plans within the wider local and National context.

Take an active part in the identification and analysis of Directorate Cost Pressures and Service Developments in line with Trust Business Planning processes.

Other Financial Responsibilities

Be proactive in the development, appraisal and implementation of Financial Management processes/systems, both computerised and manual; ensuring that best practice is communicated, via senior accountants, to staff working in the Financial Management department by training, procedure notes and meetings. Use the Future Focused Finance resource to keep up to date with best practice.

Where appropriate, support the Finance Business Partners in the annual production of Reference Costs for the patient related services provided by the Directorates.

Participate and contribute to the Finance Department working groups dealing with development, implementation and review of departmental policies. This may include service benchmarking and support with redesign of departments and services.

Any other duties commensurate with the grade of the post.

Line Management

To play a proactive role in the recruitment of staff and to train, motivate, develop and manage those staff effectively, within Finance Directorate policies and procedures, ensuring that all staff have job descriptions, personal development plans and are subject to an agreed appraisal mechanism. This includes the assessment of training needs and ensuring that those needs are met.

To be aware of available resources, from the HFMA and FFF in support of staff recruitment and development. Particularly in respect to Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and developing a more service focused team approach.

Any other duties commensurate with the grade of the post.

Training & Development

To be responsible for keeping the skills and knowledge required for the post up to date, which will ensure that all advice given and decisions made are based on the best and most recent information available.

To provide education and training to non-finance managers/staff within the Directorates and to convey financial concepts clearly and persuasively.

Service development

To participate in the development of Finance policies and procedures and be proactive in suggesting improvements to existing policies.

To actively contribute to the successful delivery of the Finance and Procurement development plan.

Attend & participate in Finance and Directorate meetings contributing information and actively discussing Finance issues where appropriate.

Progression

In order to progress from a Band 4 to a Band 5 the post holder will be required to:

Demonstrate progress in their accountancy studies.

Submit a portfolio of evidence in line with individual development plans. These will be developed in collaboration with the Finance Business Partner and focus on the developmental aspects of the position as linked to Agenda for Change competencies. Areas of experience are expected to cover Due to the expected variety of development needs, individual programmes are expected to be required.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• Recent, relevant work experience within a management accounting environment in a large and complex organisation.
• Experience of using computerised accounting software.

Desirable

• Previous NHS finance experience.
• A sound knowledge of costing principles.

Knowledge & Skills

Essential

• Highly computer literate. Knowledge of Microsoft Office applications (especially Excel)
• Good communication and verbal reasoning skills.
• Understanding the need to maintain confidentiality at all times
• Ability to work both under own initiative and as part of at team
• Ability to manage competing and changing workloads.
• Proactive, creative and flexible approach, able to work on own initiative and take responsibility for delegated areas of responsibility.
• Commitment to work through the competency framework of skills and behaviours, as directed by the Finance Business Partner.

Desirable

• Knowledge of key financial performance targets for the NHS and the NHS funding regime

Other

Essential

• Fit our organisational values.
• Flexibility in relation to working hours, particularly to achieve deadlines, e.g. in relation to production of routine financial reporting.

Knowledge & Skills

Essential

• Ability to meet deadlines through effective organizational and planning skills.
• Ability to undertake highly complex and involved analysis producing results that may have material consequences for the organization.
• Understanding and interpretation skills necessary to perform technical advisory role
• Good presentation and interpersonal skills
• Commitment to openness, honesty, inclusiveness & personal integrity in dealing with others.

Training & Qualifications

Essential

• Experience and or knowledge of financial procedures and techniques equivalent to AAT
• Technician Level or actively studying towards a professional accountancy qualification.
• Commitment to commence study of a CCAB finance qualification.

Desirable

• Honours degree or equivalent.
• CCAB part qualified (e.g. CIPFA diploma level)

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.

Employer details

Employer name

Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Wardsend Road

45 Wardsend Road North

Sheffield

S6 1LX

Employer's website

https://www.shsc.nhs.uk/working-us (Opens in a new tab)