Finance Careers with Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust

Opportunities

Divisional Finance Manager

Reporting to (title): Assistant Director of Finance
Responsible for Supervising): Assistant Finance Managers
Department & Directorate: Finance
Location: Broomfield Hospital

Job Summary

To be a member of the Divisional Board and participate fully in its agenda and provide expert strategic financial advice to the relevant Executive Directors and senior Divisional managers to ensure that the objectives of the Trust and Divisional Annual Plan are achieved. Liaison with Budget Holders, including DDOs, DDNs, Service Directors, General Managers, clinicians and management on a daily basis.

To manage a team of Finance Staff

In the provision of a complete, professional financial service to the Division.

Overview of Responsibilities

Monitoring: The post holder will be required to deliver and analyse wide-ranging aspects of financial monitoring.
Financial Performance Management: The post holder will be responsible for the development and maintenance of systems and processes to support financial performance management of the Divisions and the Trust as a whole.
Financial Support: The post holder will provide financial support to Trust, Divisions and Executives and will ensure financial input into multidisciplinary teams / projects across the Trust and Local Health Economy.
Developing Strategy: The post holder will contribute to and lead on the development of highly complex financial plans and strategies to support the strategic objectives of the organisation e.g. cash management strategies, operations development, IT strategies and recovery strategies.
Reporting: The post holder will deliver regular reporting frameworks in line with the Trust timetable and agreed Healthcare Commission standards to the Assistant Director of Finance (Financial Management) to contribute to the management of various aspects of financial reporting.
SLR Development: The post holder will ensure the division has regular fully integrated SLR reporting as part of its financial suite of reports and that SLR is understood and utilised within the division as a key performance management and decision making tool.
Policy and Service Development: The post holder will provide specialist operational and strategic advice on the full range of financial reporting, contributing and leading on Trustwide policies where relevant.
Training and Development: The post holder will be required to provide financial and other appropriate training and advice to all levels of staff at the Trust.
Other: To deputise for the Assistant Director of Finance as required and to undertake any other duties as appropriate.

Specific Responsibilities

To be a member of the Divisional Board and participate fully in its agenda including the provision of expert financial advice to senior Divisional managers and attendance and presentations of financial reports at monthly board meetings.
To maintain communication with the Divisional Board, including DDO and General Managers, on a daily basis.
To line manage a team of Finance staff comprising Divisional Accountant and/or Management Accountants (usually 1-2 wte) together with ESSA finance staff. To be responsible for the production of monthly Divisional budget statements and financial reports in accordance with the Trust agreed timetables and departmental policies and procedures.
To prepare consolidated financial monthly performance reports and forecasts analysing trends and variances for the Deputy Director of Finance, Executive Directors, Trust Board and external agencies in accordance with the Trust monthly financial timetable.
To be responsible for ensuring that the Divisional Finance team is customer focused and delivers and maintains the highest level of customer support to the Division including responsibility for a continuous programme of Finance staff team Budget Holder meetings.
To support and develop the Finance team professionally and personally including performance management through appraisals, PDP’s, objectives setting and assisting in CPD together with identifying training needs and delivering on these through internal and external sources.
To be responsible for the maintenance of strong financial controls in the Division in line with Trust approved best practice for both expenditure and wte.
To be responsible for the setting of the Divisional Budget in consultation with the Divisional Board and to take the lead in financial planning including identifying Divisional cost pressures in agreement with the Divisional DDO and General Manager and reporting on these to the Trust Board.
To lead on the implementation of ‘Payment by Results‘ within the Trust ensuring; interpretation of national guidance to comply with the regulations set down by the DOH.
To be responsible for ensuring that all Divisional income sources are maximised and provider to provider agreements are signed off in accordance with Trust policy and timetables.
To be responsible for costing and pricing provider to provider SLAs, financial appraisal and business planning and be responsible for the maintenance and continuous improvement of the Divisional costing and pricing systems.
To have responsibility for periodic reviews of the financial controls within the Division and prepare reports and risk assessments based on information gathered with the necessary recommendations for implementation.
To meet regularly with Divisional Budget Holders and to provide information and analysis to them.
To be responsible for the financial planning and implementation to achieve the objectives in the Trust and Divisional Annual Plan and to take responsibility for specific projects e.g business cases for benefits realisation.
To be responsible for the financial planning to enable the Division to implement major capital developments and realising benefits arising from these investments and the planning and costing for the Divisional capital bids
To be responsible for the financial planning to identify the Divisions clinical efficiencies programme and to agree this framework with the Divisional Board
To maintain a relationship with ESSA (Shared Services) that promotes efficiency, best practice and the delivery of corporate objectives.

This job profile is not a definitive or exhaustive list of responsibilities but identifies the key responsibilities and tasks of the post holder. The specific objectives of the post holder will be subject to review as part of the Appraisal and Development Plan process.

Person Specification

Education

Qualified Accountant.
Minimum of 5 years post-qualification experience.

Knowledge / Experience

Knowledge and experience of strategic and business planning and investment appraisal process
Knowledge and experience of performance management techniques
Experience of formulating, developing and leading on long terms strategic plans, often involving uncertainty, that may impact on the whole organisation
Experience of budget setting to prepare plans for financial and human resources
Experience of managing and developing a finance team

Skills and Aptitudes

Expert level analytical and problem solving skills
Ability to provide and receive highly complex, sensitive and contentious information
To be able to carry out business ensuring all accounting treatments are adhering to Generally Agreed Accounting Principles (GAAP) and International Accounting Standards (IAS)
High level of ability in designing, developing, managing and maintaining complex computerised financial systems, spreadsheets and databases
Ability to write and debug macro programmes
Proven high level of communication skills using a range of methods e.g. written, verbal presentation to Board level and senior management as well as budget holders of all levels
The ability to formulate arguments and express them clearly to lay people and to persuade clinicians and senior management over a course of action
The ability to deal with highly complex facts or situations including those relating to business case development
The ability to take a lead and make judgements where there is no precedent and where other leading opinions conflict
High level of capability to enable the management of a multiplicity of targets/objectives and make judgement regarding the allocation of financial and human resources
Ability to influence, command respect and to establish credibility quickly
Ability to work effectively with Board level directors
To display good negotiation skills
Ability to plan and organise a broad range of highly complex activities
Ability to formulate highly complex plans and adjust these through time

Personal Attributes

Committed to and supportive of the IWL agenda
Team player
Willingness to travel
Self-motivated and able to work to tight deadlines

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