Head of Management Accounts

Job summary

An exciting opportunity has become available to join the Finance senior management team as a Head of Management Accounts, at Sheffield Health & Social Care NHS FT. We are looking for a forward thinking, highly motivated qualified accountant to lead our Management Accounts function, which includes responsibility for financial planning, financial reporting and costing.

We are looking for someone who shares the Trusts values and works well with a wide range of people to enable services to deliver high quality care for our service users. Working closely with the Deputy Director of Finance, Head of Contracts and Tender Management, Head of Procurement and Head of Financial Accounts we want the Finance department to continue to be a great place to work to enable us to business partner effectively with the rest of the organisation.

With the current NHS financial challenge and demand increases for Mental health services you must be able to demonstrate highly developed knowledge, experience and expertise in a complex organisation with the ability to lead a team with numerous competing priorities.

Main duties of the job

The Head of Management Accounts is directly responsible for the Trust's Management Accounting function. The function has six main responsibilities:

o Ensure that the Trust's Annual and long-term Financial Plan is prepared & submitted within the required deadlines.

o Ensure accurate and relevant monthly, quarterly and annual financial monitoring information is produced to enable monitoring against this plan both within the Trust and to NHS England and other external bodies.

o Business Partnering to the organisation services and departments.

o Submission of National Cost Collection and development of Patient/Service level costing and use of benchmarking information within the organisation to enable strategy development, decision making and highlighting efficiency opportunities.

o Finance lead on Contract negotiations and management.

o Projects within Finance department

Although accountable to the Deputy Director of Finance, the post holder will be expected to work autonomously, guided by policies and professional standards.

Full details are included within the job description and person specification.

About us

We are passionate about providing the very best care to the people we support, and we're looking for amazing people who share this passion to join us.

What is it that makes our Trust such a special place to work? Well, it's all about the people. Our staff, service users, carers and families all come from such diverse backgrounds and all have expertise and stories to share.

It's important that you feel supported in your role, that the people who you work with are as passionate as you are and that your health and wellbeing is taken care of

If you're interested in developing your career, you'll have access to a range of training and education opportunities, including apprenticeships, work experience and placements, as well as the chance to get involved in research.

We are all very proud of the difference we make to people's lives each and every day and if that's something that you'd like to be part of we'd love to have you with us.

Job description

Job responsibilities

The main duties of the role are:

To lead on the provision of financial management advice to Trust Clinical and Corporate Directorates in order that Directorates are enabled to meet the targets set by the Board, particularly, those relating to the containment of expenditure within budget and meeting patient activity targets from available resources in order to deliver an efficient and cost-effective service.

Ensure the production of Trust financial management and monitoring information to a strict monthly timetable. This includes budget reports for Directorate managers and co-ordination of management accounting aspects of the monthly finance report for the Board particularly in relation to current and forecast Directorate financial positions in terms of both expenditure and income variations (and in relation to performance against patient activity targets).

To co-ordinate the work undertaken by Finance Business Partners, Senior Finance Manager and Project Accountant in conjunction with Directorate Management Teams and take particular responsibility for advising on the financial aspects in relation to contracts, capacity planning and the development of clinical services, which will be set in the context of the strategic plans of each Directorate. Also, in conjunction with the Deputy Director of Finance, to be responsible for fully briefing senior colleagues both within the Management Accounting function and the Directorates regarding the anticipated costs and income streams resulting from agreements reached with Commissioners.

To co-ordinate, plan and organise management accounting systems, processes, and procedures within the section to establish a financial management, monitoring and performance reporting framework for Directorates and in conjunction with Directorate Management Teams, determine the necessary processes for the instigation of necessary corrective action to ensure that targets are achieved.

Participate in all relevant multi-disciplinary decision making, with particular regard to Business Planning and Contracting. This will include responsibility, in conjunction with other Trust Directors and Managers, for preparing guidelines and coordinating the preparation and submission of complex, accurate, robust, sustainable cost pressure, service development and patient activity funding bids and productivity and efficiency plans.

Responsible for providing a framework for coordinating the production of the Annual and long-term Financial Plan and forecast outturn projections. The Directorate Plans, which will be framed within the approved Business Plans, will be submitted so as to meet all targets set by the Board of Directors and/or Director of Finance.

Responsible for coordinating and managing the section such that the Trusts annual budget setting processes reflect the current years Financial Plan approved by the Board. This will include reviewing and setting budgets in line with the financial policies, activity/service plans and other relevant targets.

Responsible for providing a framework for coordinating the production and submission of the regular detailed financial returns to be provided to NHS England and South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board, including the analysis of variances and changes to forecast out-turns. To co-ordinate follow-up action in response to any subsequent queries received.

Within a multi-disciplinary Team setting, influence the operational processes, practices, and policies within Directorates in order to optimise performance and efficiency. Also, to be proactive in the search for efficiency savings and innovations and income generation opportunities.

Ensure that the work of the management accounting section is coordinated such that there is a clear framework and guidance for the inclusion of all relevant financial information, particularly capital expenditure, recurrent and non-recurrent revenue expenditure and savings, within every Business Case developed by the Directorates. Monitor the actual revenue consequences against the agreed plan on implementation of the business case.

In collaboration with key clinicians, the Trusts Information Department, and other key stakeholders, oversee the development, maintenance and use of reporting systems that meet the Trusts requirements for advising on both financial and activity performance compared with plans and ensure that necessary financial modelling and costing systems and services are developed to provide accurate costing information

Co-ordinating the timely production of the annual return in respect of Reference Costs in compliance with national guidance and within specified national deadlines.

Facilitate the production of, and feedback from, accurate annual National Costing Collection including preparation of plans to improve the position.

Take the lead role in developing costing systems, processes and information and in ensuring that Service Line Reporting/Management and Patient Level Costing is implemented within the Trust and that the resulting information is understood by clinicians and managers and used to improve financial and service performance.

To play a lead role in the process of investigating adverse variances in order to assist the development of Directorate plans to improve their SLR position.

Overall responsibility for ensuring that systems are in place for submission of other relevant costing returns.

Co-ordination within the Management Accounting function to ensure that knowledge is shared to improve the accuracy and understanding of the Trusts cost base with specific.

Take the lead for evaluating the financial aspects of all developments and

changes in the provision of clinical services in the context of any agreed

national payment scheme for mental health and also taking account of the

Trust's internal income allocation policy in order to assess affordability and

maximise the financial benefit for the Trust.

To actively participate in clinical networks and national initiatives, such as pilot schemes for mental health care pathways, benchmarking initiatives, national audits etc.

Please view the attached Job Description and Person Specification documents for full details regarding this post.

When completing your application please ensure that you clearly demonstrate how you meet the role criteria.

Person Specification

Training and qualifications

Essential

CCAB Qualified Accountant

Desirable

Honours degree or equivalent. MBA or equivalent

Knowledge & Skills

Essential

Ability to establish and maintain professional credibility at all levels of the organisation and display a responsible and confident attitude in dealing with senior officers of the Trust. Ability to prioritise heavy workloads and meet deadlines through effective organisational and planning skills. Evidence of leading a project/section including pulling together unrelated systems or procedures, working across different disciplines and setting frameworks for accountability and resource priorities. Flexible and adaptable - able to manage competing and changing workloads. Able to analyse, interpret and utilise complex financial and non-financial information for reporting, forecasting and costing purposes.

Desirable

Understanding of the culture, climate and politics of health and social care.

Experience

Essential

Significant recent (within the last 2 years) and relevant post qualification experience at a senior managerial level within a finance role, including staff management and development experience. In particular, recent knowledge and experience of management and leadership thinking relative to the co-ordination and direction of teams of staff producing timely and accurate financial information for strategic financial decision making. Expert knowledge of financial management reporting systems and processes, either within an NHS Trust or another large, complex organisation. Detailed knowledge and understanding of the application of accounting policies, as well as current accounting practices, procedures and frameworks. Sophisticated and extensive use and knowledge of financial systems and demonstrably excellent IT skills including Advanced Excel skills, reporting writing skills, budgeting and costing software skills. Knowledge of key financial performance targets for the NHS and for NHS Foundation Trusts. Knowledge of Contracting, Performance, Information and data quality issues within the NHS. Demonstrable experience in the negotiation and management of contracts. Knowledge of NHS structure and processes in relation to Commissioning and Financial matters. Experience of working collaboratively with a wide range of organisations and representatives from statutory, voluntary and community organisations.

Desirable

Detailed knowledge of NHS Financial Reporting, NHS financial information flows and Intelligent Board reporting requirements. Specialist knowledge and expertise of current costing and cost comparison systems and processes either within an NHS Trust or another large complex organisation. Detailed knowledge of NHS Service Line Reporting/Patient Level Costing & National cost collection systems. Detailed knowledge of FT FReM and NHS Improvement financial framework. Experience of integrated ledger systems. Practical experience of performance and information issues within the NHS. Knowledge of procurement practices, procedures and policies. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) training.

Other

Essential

Evidence of up to date mandatory CPD. Car Driver.

Knowledge & Skills

Essential

Excellent verbal and written communication and influencing skills, in particular the ability to communicate complex ideas; to lead and facilitate meetings and provision of feedback and recommendations to all levels of the organisation. Negotiation and persuasion skills. Ability to work under own initiative, using own judgement and adapting precedents where necessary. Ability to question and learn quickly. Understanding the need to maintain confidentiality at all times and display a responsible attitude when dealing with confidential information. Positive team player/self-motivated.

Desirable

Ability to make constructive challenges.

Experience

Essential

An understanding of NHS funding and National Payment scheme, and a knowledge and understanding of Service Line Reporting systems and developments within the NHS.

Other

Essential

Fit our organisational values.

Desirable

Flexibility in relation to working hours, particularly to achieve deadlines, in relation to production of annual accounts and other statutory returns.

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