Interim Finance Business Partner

Job Purpose:

The purpose of the Finance Business Partner is to ensure the provision of high-quality information and advice to Divisions and Directorates within the organisation, liaising with external organisations as appropriate.

The post holder will look outwards to service providers and advise on budgetary control, efficiency and commercial considerations.

The post holder will proactively ensure the appropriate use of resources and the provision of the optimum level of financial information and advice to managers at all levels.

Working closely with other senior members of the finance team they will:

Influence budgetary accountability by means of formal periodic reviews of all financial performance

Lead and develop their team in delivering first class effective financial advice

Ensure the financial management function delivers timely accurate information to a wide variety of internal and external stakeholders promoting and creating a customer focussed ethos for the function.

Provide and execute first line support in the development and prosecution of business cases

Support the identification of cost efficiency and productivity opportunities within their respective Divisions using benchmarking information and being expert in using model hospital data.

Role modelling efficiency and productivity within the Trust – propagating a culture of investing resource wisely and, first and foremost, preserving resource for high-quality patient care

Be the communication conduit through which SLR information is developed and ultimately used within operational Divisions, proposing nuanced and prioritised opportunities for improvements in efficiency and productivity.

Work as a team of Business Partners to upskill Divisional and fellow corporate colleagues in budgetary management and financial understanding

Key Responsibilities:

People

Trains and coaches staff in the department to fulfil and exceed their job descriptions and support the service and function of the department

Trains and coaches budget holders to fulfil and exceed their job descriptions and support the clinical and corporate services

Integrated Care

Support the detailed income and expenditure assessment of any financial impact on the local health economy of integrated care pathways seeking an economy wide financial solution

Provide detailed Trust input into ICB processes as required

Innovation

Work with the senior team to develop and implement a long-term strategy for the financial management service in the context of the shifting healthcare environment

Works closely with operational teams to standardise and effectively monitor the Trust’s activities to ensure that the Trust is appropriately reimbursed and accounts for the functions under the control of the respective Division and Directorate

Implement agreed processes for the Trust’s business planning and budgeting rounds to agreed timetables.

Support the improvement for the financial management service, to ensure that:

• Processes and procedures are up-to-date, relevant and efficient, minimising manual transactions, and delivering standardisation

• Reporting solutions are cutting edge and effective

• Financial systems are appropriate, efficient and effectively used.

• Innovation is achieved

Contributing to and influences process improvement and transformation throughout the trust to ensure financial requirements are appropriately met and financial governance is maintained.

Contributing to the development of the system of controls to ensure that the Trust’s standing financial instructions and financial procedures are adhered to at all times.

The post holder will need to make judgments and decisions on a range of complex financial situations and be responsible for leading and developing a team of professionals ensuring a comprehensive and efficient service is provided to Directors, senior managers, budget holders and external stakeholders at all times.

Planning the delivery of operational services over the financial year for the Division and developing ongoing financial strategies.

The post holder will be responsible for the national landscaping of policies and procedures which will impact across the Trust and the subsequent ongoing implementation of the appropriate policies / procedures.

Quality

Responsible for all aspects of the financial management service provided to defined Divisions, including management of the monthly reporting cycle and delivery of effective financial reports to agreed deadlines. This includes ensuring that all income and expenditure ledger entries balance accuracy and timeliness, and the provision of summary and detail reports as required across the trust.

Support the Cost Improvement Process (CIP) within a Division working closely with the PMO and Managers in identifying CIP plans, supporting delivery of those plans and effective monitoring and reporting of achievements against those plans

Manages the production of Divisional forecasts building in the effect of all actions being taken with a view as to whether the changes will be delivered.

Provide Divisional input into the monthly review of the trust’s financial performance meeting agreed deadlines and making recommendations on actions to ensure targets are met and any message is fully understood and agreed by the divisions.

Works closely with managers to support the financial impact of transformation projects.

Responsible for co-ordinating the production of the Divisional input into the Trust’s financial operational plan.

Responsible for implementing and managing the Divisional contribution to the annual budgeting process, ensuring that all budgets are agreed and signed-off in accordance with an agreed timetable. This will include providing and agreeing written instruction to all budget holders.

Financial Sustainability

Accountable for delivering all financial management information across the Division on all aspects of income and expenditure

Accountable for the provision of all financial management advice, support and challenge within the Division through a Business Partnering approach, using and developing their team as appropriate

Accountable for implementing policies and procedures for financial management and through the business partnering approach, ensuring adherence to these and all other financial procedures

Responsible for ensuring the provision of an effective Management Accounting Service to all parts of a Division, ensuring that the Management Accounting team:

a) Support and influence strategic and operational decisions

b) Interpret, explain and drive financial performance

c) Advise on planning assumptions, external and internal context, benchmarking and commercial opportunities

d) Analyse, advise on and mitigate financial risk in the Division

e) Challenge behaviour that disregards the Trust’s financial principles, procedures and policies

f) Support Directors and budget holders in identification of and delivery of efficiencies and delivery of their delegated cost improvement target

Identifies and highlights quickly and appropriately any evidence of divergence from financial plans, targets or forecasts at any level in the trust and works with budget holders to develop mitigations to return performance in line

Ensure budgets, financial principles and policies are reviewed, applied and managed across the Division in a consistent way.

Ensures that all management accounting policies are implemented effectively across their Division.

Works with the other senior finance staff to ensure that all staff across the trust are aware of their financial responsibilities and the financial implications of their actions.

Works with the other senior finance staff to provide comprehensive finance guidance and training by means of procedure notes on the intranet/portal, organising and running training courses and participation in corporate induction.

Works across the Division to monitor adherence to all financial controls and identify and take action against any lack of adherence.

Works closely with HR colleagues to ensure that the trust’s system of establishment control is adhered to, and that the financial position and planning models accurately reflect the same information as ESR. Ensures that annual budgets and financial plans reflect divisional workforce plans.

Works closely with contracts and BI staff to educate directorate staff about activity, income and coding to maximise divisional revenue.

Work closely with the Transformation Team on projects and programmes of cross-hospital improvement work to input financial expertise, costings and income and spend forecasts, as required

Leadership

Responsible for enhancing relationships between their team and their Division, whilst ensuring trust managers and budget holders meet their financial responsibilities.

Ensuring that their team’s resources are strongly aligned to delivery plans and milestones in business planning within the overall financial context;