Deputy Head of Finance

**Deputy Head of Finance**

**Location**: Cambridge

**Remote working option**: 40/60 split between Office and Remote. 40% onsite

**Job Type**: Temporary

**Duration of booking**: Expected to be for 6 months and maybe longer

**Proposed start date**: ASAP

**Sector**: Healthcare

**Base**:Office based on Hospital site

**Band**: 8A

**Pay Rates**:
£23.00-£26.00 paye per hour

£27.00-£30.50 paye inclusive of holiday pay

£28.00-£31.50 umbrella

Depending on skill, experience and qualifications

**Working Days and Hours**:Monday to Friday, 9am-5.30pm, 37.5 hours per week

**Job Summary**

The purpose of the post is to support the senior business unit teams. The post will provide in depth analytical support to their Head of Finance. The Deputy Head of Finance, where required, will represent the finance function at Management & Operationalmeetings and provide strategic financial and business planning advice in line with Trust objectives. The post holder is expected to interpret Trust policy and be skilled in presenting highly complex, and sometimes uncomfortable, information and make persuasivearguments for a course of action to a range of senior managers.

At all times the Deputy Head of Finance must ensure that statutory, NHS and other returns conform to national accounting standards to reflect a true and fair view and meet national and Trust timescales. The post holder must adhere to Professional Bodies’requirement for Continuing Professional Development, maintain an understanding of changes in the NHS Financial Regime and, guided by national policy, develop implementation strategies.

**Duties**
- Assist the Head of Finance with input to the strategic planning agenda for their area of responsibility. Draw up the long term financial plans with Finance, Clinical and Administrative colleagues.
- Provide dynamic financial planning that reflects uncertainties and can be updated and adjusted as circumstances evolve. Work with budget holders to resolve often conflicting plans for financial balance.
- Perform investment appraisals and complex financial analysis of Trust development proposals and business cases which may involve other organisations; identify and compare income, cost and financial risk for a range of options and make recommendations.
- Support on department financial issues and assist implementation of both department and Finance wide objectives throughout the organisation.
- Identify opportunities for financial savings and highlight areas of risk. Report on progress in year.
- Play a key role in budget setting for their area. Support on setting the annual budget; support and negotiate with managers and with other colleagues to meet efficiency and savings targets so the area can set a balanced Budget.
- Ensure that the requirements of Finance are balanced with the need for local flexibility in setting priorities and meeting Trust objectives.
- Coordinate the provision of financial reports and analysis through the Senior Management Accountants and supporting staff.
- Manage the provision of financial management information, analysis and advice to the Head of Finance and where appropriate Executive Directors, Managers and other senior staff throughout the Trust.
- Take an active role, with other managers, in developing long term plans for efficiency savings and improvements in value for money. Identify ways to reduce costs and maximise income from all sources.
- Develop with Budget Holders an awareness of financial performance requirements, and of the need for budgetary control.
- Provide information for external reporting and compilation of statutory annual reports as necessary.
- Take an active role in developing finance staff through on the job training, professional academic studies, and other approaches such as mentoring.
- Initiate continual improvement in accounting systems and practices to meet the performance monitoring needs of the Trust.
- Assist with the development and implementation of financial policies and procedures across the Trust.
- Identify, recommend and implement improvements in the financial management team performance, including regular review of systems, processes, and policies.
- Make use of comparative tools such as benchmarking in developing rolling financial plans and lead on developing their use within teams.
- Provide input to the costing, pricing and financial planning activity of the Trust, including reviewing costs and prices and recommending changes to contracts where appropriate.

**Qualifications, Skills and Experience**
- Completion of, or actively studying towards (with relevant experience), a Consultative Committee of Accountancy Bodies (CCAB) recognised accountancy qualification, or equivalent experience
- Advanced technical & personal skills and competencies acquired from experience across a range of accountancy functions at a senior level.
- Experience of motivating and developing a team to achieve desired objectives.
- Experience of staff performance management including undertaking appraisals and setting objectives.
- Advanced knowledge of, and competence in, the use of spreadsheets. Managing large volumes of data to create and develop models using advance spreadsheets techniques.
- Ability to negotiate and influence so that efficient and effective performance is achieved and targets are met.
- Prepared to lead on department issues and to take responsibility, without supervision, for implementation of policy and annual objectives across the organisation.
- Developed level of interpersonal skills that enable complex, technical issues to be explained in clear and concise terms.
- Experience of negotiating and agreeing deadlines, standards and quality of work with other departments.
- Able to work on a number of projects simultaneously to meet agreed internal and statutory deadlines, concentrating and focusing on a range of issues in particular during the monthly reporting and annual business planning cycles, whilst co-ordinating theworkload of others.