Deputy Contracting Accountant

County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust; North East; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

The Deputy Contracting Accountant at County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust sits within the Contracting and Development team of the Financial Management function, providing expert income management, reporting and financial insight to support contracting, costing and performance reporting.

Leading a small finance team, the postholder works with Associate Directors and senior managers to ensure accurate income recognition under NHS rules, robust financial governance and continuous

Qualifications

• CCAB or equivalent NHS financial management experience/qualification.
• Experience in finance management and reporting within healthcare.
• Strong Excel and reporting skills.

Responsibilities

• Support income management and reporting for clinical income.
• Lead day-to-day income accounting for contracts and ensure NHS-compliant recognition.
• Validate activity data and align with income flows to prevent leakage.
• Produce income journals, reconciliations and monthly reports with variance analysis.
• Support forecasting and cash flow through performance reporting and assurance.

Skills

Analytical skills

Communication

Negotiation

Education

CCAB qualification or equivalent NHS experience

Tools

Oracle General Ledger

Discoverer

Excel

Job description

Job summary

An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the TrustsContracting and Development team part of the wider Financial Management team ina key role.

The Deputy Contracting Accountant role supports theContracting & Development Accountant in delivering a highquality,responsive service that ensures the Trustsclinical income is accurately recorded, reported and maximised. Acting asdeputy, the postholder provides expert financial insight, manages key incomeprocesses and contributes to contracting, costing and performance reporting tosupport the Trusts financial objectives. You willbenefit from an inclusive and welcoming environment, ongoing professionaldevelopment and the flexibility of our agile working approach.

We are proud to be the first organisation in theNortheast to achieve Level 3 accreditation under One NHS Finance, and to holdCIMA Premier Partner, ACCA Approved Employer (Gold) and AAT Employer Scheme status reflecting our commitment to developing our people and building avibrant, forward thinking team.

Main duties of the job

The successful applicant will work closely with theContracting & Development Accountant as part of a team of 5, providingcomprehensive financial management and business advice to support Trustservices.

The role will support the Contracting & DevelopmentAccountant, Associate Director of Finance and senior managers in deliveringservice and business objectives within agreed resources, while ensuring thatcorporate finance responsibilities are met. This includes contributing toeffective income management, financial control and performance assurance.

The postholder will also supervise, manage and motivatemembers of the finance team, ensuring the provision of high quality, timelyfinancial information and advice, and actively contributing to the continuousimprovement of the financial management function.

Candidates will demonstrate strong numerical andanalytical skills, the ability to work autonomously, meet deadlines andeffectively prioritise your own workload and that of the team. Strong MicrosoftExcel skills are essential.

About us

If you are being interviewed you must accept an interview slot in the system to continue, even if you have arranged with the manager.

You must be able to produce ALL certificates stated essential in the person specification or you will not be able to complete pre-employment checks.

We provide hospital services from two acute sites - Darlington Memorial Hospital and University Hospital of North Durham. We have a centre for planned care in Bishop Auckland and provide care from community hospitals in Chester-le-Street, Shotley Bridge, Barnard Castle, Sedgefield and Weardale as well as over 80 other community based settings and providing care in patients' homes.

We particularly welcome applications from disabled and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) candidates as BAME and disabled people are currently under-represented.

Full Job Descriptions can be found in the adverts supporting documents.

Over reliance onAI-generated content is discouraged and may diminish the applicant's chances ofsuccess.

For the most up-to-date information on visa requirements and eligibility, please check online to determine whether you can apply.

Please note that we may close any vacancy early once a sufficient number of applications have been received.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Income Accounting (Clinical Income Assurance & Reporting)

1. Support the Control and assurance of the Trusts clinicalincome, and delivery of the Trusts financial plan and statutory financialduties.
2. Lead the day-to-day income accounting function forclinical contracts, ensuring income is accurately recognised, recorded andreported in line with NHS financial rules and accounting standards.
3. Ensure clinical activity data is validated, reconciledand aligned to income flows, working closely with Information, Finance andoperational teams to prevent income leakage.
4. Produce and review detailed income journals,reconciliations and control accounts, providing assurance over the completenessand accuracy of clinical income.
5. Lead preparation and review of monthly clinical incomereports, including variance analysis against plan, identification of trends,risks and mitigation actions.
6. Support in year and medium-term income forecasting,incorporating activity, contractual assumptions and known risks to inform Trustand Care Group financial planning.
7. Work closely withFinancial Services to ensure timely invoicing, income recovery and resolutionof income discrepancies, reducing aged debt and supporting cash flow.
8. Provide expertadvice to Care Groups and senior managers on income performance, financial riskand the income impact of service changes, supporting operational decisionmaking.
9. Contribute to thedevelopment and maintenance of income accounting procedures, controls anddocumentation to strengthen governance, audit assurance and consistency ofpractice.

Contract Management (Contract Performance, Submissions & Commissioner Assurance)

1. Supporting the management and oversight of the Trustsacute and community contracts and service level agreements, supporting deliveryof contractual, financial and performance objectives.
2. Support the planning, implementation and ongoingmanagement of legally binding contracts and SLAs, ensuring financialimplications are understood, accurately reflected and aligned to Trustpriorities.
3. Lead and coordinate the preparation and submission of keycontract monitoring and income returns, including ACM, Devices PLCM and DrugsPLCM, ensuring submissions are timely, accurate and fully supported byunderlying activity and financial data.
4. Take responsibility for managing challenges, queries andreconciliation issues arising from ACM and PLCM submissions, workingproactively with commissioners, internal finance teams and clinical services toresolve disputes and protect Trust income.
5. Monitor contract performance against agreed activity,financial and quality parameters, identifying emerging risks, variances or nondeliveryand supporting the development of remedial action plans where required.
6. Proactively manage, authorise and reconcile inyearcontract variations, ensuring changes are appropriately evidenced, accuratelyrecorded and reflected in income reporting and forecasts.
7. Coordinate and respond to commissioner data requests,validation exercises and nonfinancial variation processeswithin contractual timescales to minimise delays, penalties and income risk.
8. Support contract discussions and negotiations withcommissioners and partner organisations by providing robust financial analysis,assurance and advice to inform decisionmaking and safeguard Trust income.

Team Management (Deputy Leadership, Delivery & Development)

1. Direct linemanagement responsibility for onemember of staff, providing supervision, support and development to ensuredelivery of highquality and timely outputs.
2. Provide professional supervision, guidance and support tothe team member, acting as a first point of escalation for operational issuesand prioritisation.
3. Support staff development through coaching, training andcontribution to appraisal and performance review processes, promoting a cultureof continuous learning and improvement.
4. Contribute to recruitment, induction and onboarding ofnew staff, ensuring they are effectively integrated and supported within theteam.
5. Drive continuous improvement in processes, systems andways of working to improve productivity, resilience and the quality offinancial and contracting outputs.
6. Ensure complex, sensitive or contentious financial andcontracting information is communicated clearly and professionally within theteam and to wider stakeholders.
7. Act as deputy to the Contracting & DevelopmentAccountant in the management of the Contracting & Development team whenrequired, ensuring delivery of a highquality, responsive service.

Performance Intelligence, PLICS & Service Line Reporting

1. Effective use of patientlevel costing and information (PLICS)and service line reporting (SLR) to inform income assurance, contractmanagement and performance discussions.
2. Provide accurate and timely income and activityinformation to support PLICS and SLR reporting, ensuring alignment betweenincome, activity and costing outputs.
3. Use PLICS and service line information to support theidentification, investigation and resolution of contracting, income andperformance issues, including variance analysis and commissioner challenges.
4. Produce and interpret benchmarking and performanceintelligence derived from PLICS and SLR outputs to support contract performancemanagement, service reviews and decisionmaking.
5. Work collaboratively with costing, information andclinical teams to ensure income flows and activity are appropriately reflectedwithin PLICS outputs.
6. Support the use of PLICS and service line information incontract discussions, efficiency reviews and income protection activity,strengthening the Trusts evidence base in negotiations and performancemanagement.

Other Corporate Responsibilities (Governance, Planning & Assurance)

1. Support the Contracting and Development Accountant andAssociate Director of Finance in the delivery of key corporate financeresponsibilities, ensuring compliance with Trust policies, Standing FinancialInstructions and financial governance requirements.
2. Contribute to the annual planning and budgetsettingprocess for clinical income and contracting areas of responsibility, ensuringplans are robust, supported by activity and income assumptions, and aligned toTrust objectives.
3. Support the completion of corporate finance returns andassurance processes as required, including contributions to annual accounts,planning submissions, audit and validation exercises.
4. Provide timely and accurate information to supportinternal and external audit, regulatory assurance, and responses to Freedom ofInformation (FOI) requests relating to income, contracting and performancedata.
5. Contribute to the development and maintenance offinancial procedures, controls and documentation relating to income accountingand contract management.
6. Undertake other corporate finance duties asdelegated, supporting a flexible, responsive and highquality Corporate Finance function.

Person Specification

Experience

Essential

• Experience of working within a finance function
• Experience of using computerised finance systems; General Ledger & report writing software.
• Experience of Microsoft Office software applications
• Knowledge, experience and expertise in finance management.

Desirable

• Exposure to working mid- management level
• Experience of working within NHS finance
• Understanding of the performance management and financial framework within the NHS.
• Experience/Knowledge of the NHS Financial regime, including capital accounting, the payment by results process, costing and information processes within the NHS.
• Knowledge / experience of recruitment, appraisal, delegation, training, staff discipline and relevant HR policies and procedures
• Experience of using Oracle General Ledger and Discoverer
• Experience or knowledge of NHS standard contract and NHS payment scheme.
• Experience of using SLAM.
• Experience of working with PLICS information.

Special Requirements

Essential

• A commitment to the continuous development of the finance department to be innovative and to constantly seek new ways of working / improving performance.

Qualifications

Essential

• CCAB Professional Accountancy Qualification or passed finalist or Significant equivalent NHS Financial Management Experience

Desirable

• CCAB Professional Accountancy Qualification or passed finalist.
• Clear Plan of working towards CCAB Professional Accountancy Qualification or evidence of continued professional development

Special Skills & Knowledge

Essential

• Communication & Relationship Skills
• Able to advise finance and non-finance managers on matters relating to their own area, providing detailed advice and guidance;
• The ability to advise, influence and negotiate with staff at all levels within and outside the Trust. This will include the presentation of complex financial and non financial information to non financial managers, occasionally in large groups.
• Understands, and can effectively convey current financial concepts clearly and persuasively.
• Analytical & Judgement Skills
• Ability to produce and analyse business cases, including the development and appraisal of options, to optimise the allocation of resources.
• Planning & Organisation Skills
• Ability to plan and manage the workload of own team, to ensure workload is delivered to a high quality within deadlines.
• Governance and Risk Management
• Advises others on compliance with the Corporate Governance Manual (e.g. Standing Financial Instructions, Scheme of Delegation, Standing Orders) and applies the principes of accountability, transparency, integrity and the public good to all activities with in own area
• Supervises others in their compliance with financial policies and procedures
• Support and promotes strong financial management culture and develops finance skills and knowledge of governance issues
• Customer Focused Business Advice
• Has a wider awareness of the organisation and its position in the marketplace and uses this to challenge processes and data in order to make improvements.
• Supports in the generation and interpretation of financial information to assist the Care Group understand itself more fully
• Identifies and implements opportunities to improve efficiency and effectiveness of services provided within own role/team and finance department as a whole.
• Using Information Technology
• Uses IT to gather, interpret and manipulate information to meet the needs of the Care Group
• Mental & Physical Attributes
• Excellent organisational skills
• Ability to cope with rapid and sustained change
• Capable of working independently
• Able to work under pressure and deliver high quality work within challenging deadlines
• Interpersonal Skills
• Clear and effective communication and presentation skills.

Desirable

• Knowledge / experience of recruitment, appraisal, delegation, training, staff discipline and relevant HR policies and procedures
• Experience/knowledge of the NHS financial regime, including capital accounting, payment by results process, costing and information processes within the NHS.
• Experience in SQL

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer details

County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust

Darlington Memorial Hospital NHS Trust

Hollyhurst Road

Darlington

County Durham

DL3 6HX

United Kingdom