OXLEAS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST - JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Title:

Senior Finance Manager

Grade:

Band 8b

Directorate:

Finance

Hours of Work:

37.5 hours per week

Responsible to:

Associate Director – Financial Management & Planning

Accountable to:

Director of Finance

Staff Management:

Senior Management Accountants Management Accountant

Budgetary Responsibility:

Responsible for budget setting.

Liaises With: Internal  Directors and Service Mangers  Finance staff and information staff  Business and Service Improvement Managers  Managers and budget holders throughout the Trust  HR staff  IT staff External  Internal and external auditors  Finance staff in other NHS organisations  Local authority finance staff  External IT and computer support staff

Base: Pinewood House The Post Holder The post holder will:

Lead a team of management accountants to provide highly complex strategic financial and business advice across two or more directorates. This will include providing formal complex financial and business presentations to large groups of non-finance/business staff conveying financial concepts in a clear and persuasive way.

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Analyse highly complex problems relating to business cases and make judgements on financial and business decisions relating to the allocation of finances.

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Plan and organise the work of the Management Accounts Team with key stakeholders in Directorates to deliver complex integrated monitoring and analysis across finance, costing, service line reporting, clinical and patient activity systems. Monitor and adjust strategies to meet the needs of stakeholders.

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Ensure that finance and business reports and analyses meet the Trust’s financial, performance, legal and statutory requirements.

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Ensure the efficiency, effectiveness and integrity of finance and business systems and processes to provide high quality data and information.

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Make a significant contribution to the production of business cases and to the Trust’s long and short term business planning processes. Co-ordinate the work of business managers, budget managers and other staff in order to achieve this objective.

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Prepare the Trust’s income and expenditure accounts in accordance with monthly and annual timetables and ensure that the information produced is complete and correct.

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Work autonomously within professional and NHS guidelines, interpreting and acting on this interpretation as appropriate.

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Take a proactive approach to developing own skills and experience and that of others.

KEY TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES Performance Management 

Develop and strengthen working relationships with key stakeholders, developing financial and business strategy within directorates. Explain and present highly complex financial and business concepts and strategies to directors and other senior colleagues.

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Provide comprehensive high quality financial and business across the Trust, making a significant contribution to the production of business cases and to the Trust’s long and short term business planning processes.

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Manage and co-ordinate the work of a team of management accountants to ensure that monthly income and expenditure and information reports are produced in accordance with Trust timetables and procedures.

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Initiate service and system enhancements to meet changing customer demand.

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Devise best practice principles and implement these throughout the department.

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Prepare the Trust’s monthly and annual financial and business information report ensuring that the information produced is complete and correct and that trends and variances are investigated and evaluated.

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Provide highly complex financial and business information and advice to budget and service managers to enable them to manage resources efficiently and effectively.

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Monitor financial and business performance and suggests service improvements where appropriate.

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Monitor achievement of cost improvement plans.

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Provide highly complex analysis of financial information and projects, investigates, interprets and compares activity, trends and variances.

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Work autonomously within professional and NHS guidelines, interpreting and acting on this interpretation as appropriate.

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Provide regular financial management training to managers.

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Develop highly complex financial and activity reports for use within the department and throughout the Trust.

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Plan and co-ordinate the work of others in order to achieve departmental objectives.

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Prepare financial and activity schedules for the Trust’s annual plan and statutory accounts, analysing and interpreting these as required.

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Prepare financial and activity schedules for the Trust’s statutory accounts, analysing and interpreting these as required. Ensure that these present a true and fair vies of the Trust’s financial position.

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Develop sophisticated costing models to facilitate the business planning process.

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Calculate the cost of new and existing services and products using a variety of different techniques and methodologies.

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Train colleagues to make the best use of all financial and business information systems.

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Contribute towards the development of existing and new financial and business information systems.

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Management Responsibility 

Manage, lead, motivate and develop a team of management accountants.

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Responsible for carrying out staff appraisals in accordance with the Trust’s Personal Development Review (PDR) process.

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Assist in the recruitment and development of high quality permanent and temporary management accounting and finance staff.

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Plan and organise the team’s workload to achieve departmental and organisational objectives.

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Deputise for the Associate Director – Financial Management and Planning.

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Liaise with directors and business managers to ensure that the service provided by the management accounts team meets their requirements.

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Deliver regular Financial and Business Information management training to managers throughout the Trust.

Policies & Procedures 

Analyse and interpret national policy, directives and guidelines and advises on their financial and business effect.

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Recommend changes and improvements to financial policies both within own section and throughout the whole finance department.

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Work with managers and other staff to implement financial policies across the Trust.

Clinical 

Assist service users during incidental contact.

Communication 

Provide highly complex verbal, written and graphical financial and business information to both finance/business and non-finance/business staff in a clear and persuasive way.

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Communicate potentially contentious and sensitive financial and business information to large groups of managers and staff, receive feedback and deal with this appropriately.

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Advise on financial, business information and other issues in circumstances where there could be resistance to hearing the advice offered.

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Use personal influence to persuade managers of the benefits of pursing certain courses of action.

Research & Development 

Design and instigate audits and surveys within own work area and within the Finance function. Analyse the results of these audits and surveys and use the information obtained to improve financial, business and departmental performance.

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Participate in local and national benchmarking exercises.

General 

Share knowledge and best practice principles with colleagues at all levels.

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Develop and maintain effective internal and external networks.

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Promote a positive and professional image of the Trust and Finance and Business Analytics function.

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Undertake any other duties as required that are consistent with the grade and the nature of the post.

Confidentiality In the course of your employment with Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust you may handle confidential personal information concerning either patients or staff which may be held by the Trust. You must not read, discuss, disclose or pass on confidential information unless it is necessary in the pursuance of your legitimate duties Unauthorised disclosure of such information will be treated as a serious disciplinary matter. In addition it is important that you realise that if this confidentiality is breached, this may result in civil proceedings or a criminal prosecution. This confidentiality must continue at all times and this agreement will continue beyond your period of employment with Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust. Health and Safety You are required to make positive efforts to maintain your own personal safety and that of others by taking reasonable care, carrying out requirements of the law and following recognised codes of practice. You are also required to be aware of and comply with Trust policies on health and safety, etc.

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Equal Opportunities The aim of the Trust’s policy is to ensure that no job applicant or employee is discriminated against either directly or indirectly on the grounds of race, colour, creed, sex, marital status, disability, age, nationality, ethnic or national origins. The Trust commits itself to promote equal opportunities and will keep under review its policies, procedures and practices to ensure that all users and provides of its services are treated according to their needs. The policy also applies to staff working within the Trust.

Service User and Carer Involvement Oxleas is committed to developing effective user and carer involvement at all stages in the delivery of care. All employees are required to make positive efforts to support and promote successful user and carer participation as part of their day to day work. Personal Development Your development will be assessed using the Trust’s Personal Development Review (PDR) process. You will have the opportunity to discuss your development needs with your manager on an annual basis, with regular reviews. As outlined within the NHS Knowledge and Skills framework. Terms and Conditions The post holder is subject to the terms and conditions of OXLEAS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST. This Job description gives an outline of the post and is subject to review in consultation with the post holder.

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OXLEAS NHS FOUNDATION TRUST PERSON SPECIFICATION Education / Qualifications

How measured

Qualified CCAB (professional postgraduate accountancy qualification) plus 5-8 years post-qualification experience

Application form and certificates.

Experience

How measured

5-8 years post qualification experience working in a large multi-disciplinary organisation in financial management. Financial management experience should have covered both management and financial accounting.

Application form and interview.

Minimum 3 years’ senior management experience. Skills / Abilities / Knowledge

How measured

In-depth specialist knowledge of management and financial accounting principles.

Application form and interview.

In-depth specialist knowledge of NHS finance. Specialist knowledge of the Microsoft suite of programmes (particularly Access and Excel) and in-depth knowledge of the links between these programmes. Advanced data analysis and presentation skills. Able to analyse, interpret, present and communicate complex information clearly using tables, graphs and text. Excellent numerical and critical reasoning ability. Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Able to manage and influence staff and teams, setting and communicating clear standards and supporting personal development. Excellent planning and organisational skills.

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Able to organise and plan own and others’ work to meet tight and often conflicting deadlines. Capable of making and communicating decisions that at times can be controversial or contentious. Responsive to change and innovation. Strong customer focus and able to inspire this same focus in team members. Self-motivated and able to act on own initiative. Able to adopt an open and facilitative style, whilst ensuring that objectives are met. Manages a large and varied workload. Deals with constantly changing priorities and deadlines. Works under pressure and to strict deadlines. Advanced keyboard skills where speed and accuracy are required.

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Effort and Environment

How measured

Frequent periods of prolonged concentration Application form and interview. are required. Continuous use of VDU equipment. Prolonged periods of time are spent sitting at a desk with a keyboard.

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