Finance Business Partner

NELFT NHS Foundation Trust; Ilford; Hybrid; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A prominent healthcare provider in Ilford seeks a Finance Business Partner to join their finance team. This full-time role involves budget management, financial reporting, and supporting budget holders. Ideal candidates will possess AAT qualifications or be studying towards them, alongside strong analytical and IT skills, including Excel. Experience in the NHS or management accounting is preferred. The position offers hybrid working and is based in a supportive, developmental environment. Applications are encouraged even with unmet criteria.

Benefits

Employee assistance programme

Flexible working opportunities

Proactive health and wellbeing support

Award-winning equality and diversity initiatives

Qualifications

• AAT qualified or previous experience in management accounting.
• Minimum of 5 GCSEs including Maths and English.

Responsibilities

• Production of monthly budget reports and variance analysis.
• Ensuring accurate data in the general ledger.
• Providing support to budget holders for budget control.

Skills

Strong numerical skills

Written communication

Verbal communication

Good IT skills including spreadsheets and databases

Flexibility to adjust to changing requirements

Education

AAT qualified or working towards it

Minimum of 5 GCSE's including Maths & English

Tools

Accounting systems

Excel

Job description

Joining #TeamNELFT means you'll become part of a welcoming and supportive working environment. We're CQC rated Good, and we want you to join us on the journey towards an Outstanding rating. NELFT has sites across North East London, Essex, Kent and Medway. We provide community and mental healthcare services to adults and children within these areas.

The Trust has award winning equality and diversity initiatives and staff health and wellbeing activities. We invest heavily in your development, because when you are valued and supported, we provide the best care to our patients. We are a Level 3 Disability Confident Leader, have been featured in the Working Families Top 10 Employers benchmark for five consecutive years, and we have achieved a Carers UK Level 1 Accreditation. Along with our staff networks and training opportunities, we work hard to embed a just and compassionate culture here at NELFT.

Find out more about NELFT careers and what makes our Trust a great place to work, in this video.

Job overview

We are seeking a dynamic and motivated individual to join our team as a Band 4/5 Finance Business Partner. We are open to offering this as a Band 4 developmental opportunity. We are advertising for one full-time post to work in the finance team, based at our office in Rainham. You will ideally be AAT qualified or working towards it and have a good working knowledge of IT systems, particularly Excel. Previous finance experience in an NHS environment is an advantage, although not essential, as appropriate training will be available. Previous finance experience in Business partnering is also an advantage, as you are required to have a full understanding of finance principles. The role available is hybrid and will cover the borough within NELFT, requiring travel from time to time.

Main duties of the job

As a key member of the team, you will be the first point of contact for the directorate that you will be managing, with an expectation to gain a thorough understanding of those services and being responsible for the provision and coordination of accurate and timely financial management information and advice to all levels of the organisation. Good organisation, time management, and communication skills are essential, and the candidate will be resourceful and flexible to work within a challenging environment.

Working for our organisation

Our Values 2025 - 2030

Working with our colleagues, patients and carers we have coproduced three new values that we aim to embed within our culture here at NELFT. They are:

• We are kind.
• We are respectful.
• We work together with our communities.

These three values help us to strive to provide the best care by the best people.

Probationary Period

This post will be subject to a probationary period. Internal applicants are exempt from the probationary period (unless you are an internal applicant currently part way through a probationary period or currently a bank member of staff).

High Cost Area Supplement - Outer London

This post also attracts payment for High Cost Area Supplement of 15% of the basic salary (with a minimum of £4,714 to a maximum of £5,941 per annum (pro rata for part time)).

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The main responsibilities of the post:

• The production of monthly budget reports, variance analysis, staff lists and forecasting, within the agreed set timescales.
• Ensuring, through preparation, investigation and input of journals and virements, that the general ledger contains accurate data.
• Providing support to budget holders, to assist them in controlling their own budgets within overall financial constraints.
• Assisting as required in the costing of any service developments the Trust is proposing.

Please see the attached job description and person specification for more information about this role and working at North East London NHS Foundation Trust. We encourage you to refer to this when completing your application.

We welcome your application even if you do not meet all the criteria listed in the person specification. Please apply as soon as possible as some posts close early to limit the number of applications.

Certificates of Sponsorship

Although we are a registered sponsor organisation, we are unable to offer sponsorship for all job roles. Please check your eligibility under the UKVI points-based system. When calculating the basic salary for sponsorship, HCAS (High‑Cost Area Supplement) is not included to ensure fairness and consistency within our Trust.

Use of AI

Please see attached document regarding acceptable use of AI during the recruitment process.

Person specification

Qualifications

• AAT qualified or previous experience of working in an management accounting environment
• Minimum of 5 GCSE's including Maths & English

Desirable criteria

• Studying towards CCAB professional accountancy qualification

Experience

• Experience of working in a management accounting environment
• Previous experience of using accounting systems with examples

Knowledge

• An understanding of the key principals of Management Accounting
• Experience in costings/Skill Mix
• Experience in variance anaylsis and investigation
• Experienced in forecasting
• Experienced in reconciliation of staffing budgets

Skills

• Strong numerical, written and verbal skills
• Ability to work flexibly and adjust to changing requirements
• Good IT skills including spreadsheets and databases
• Able to delivery accurate, quality work within agreed timescales

Benefits

We believe in bringing your authentic and best self to work, in order to deliver the best care to our patients. We are committed to supporting our employees holistically. Here is a snapshot of what is on offer at NELFT:

• A long-standing and award‑winning approach to equality and diversity with supportive networks for ethnic minority staff, staff with disabilities or long term/chronic conditions and LGBT staff.
• A commitment to supporting colleagues to achieve a work life balance, through flexible working opportunities and our effortsto support our working parents and carers. This has resulted in us being recognised as a 'Top 10 Family Friendly Employer' from the Working Families Charity.
• Proactive health and wellbeing support, including access to our employee assistance programme, staff psychological support, individual wellbeing conversations and a network of health and wellbeing ambassadors.
• Detailed information about our wellbeing and benefits offer can be found in this link.

As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement whether that's a job share, part time hours or another flexible pattern.

Supporting our Armed Forces

We recognise the valuable contribution that the Armed Forces community make to our organisation. We have signed the Armed Forces Covenant and achieved Gold Award under the Armed Forces Employer Recognition Scheme. We have supportive policies, guaranteed interview schemes for veterans, reservists and military spouses and give additional leave to our Reservists so that they can attend their annual camp.

Equal opportunities employer

We are committed to equal opportunities and diversity and positively encourage applications from all sections of the community regardless of any protected characteristic.

We are a Disability Confident employer and have made the pledge to commit to employing more people with disabilities. If you require this application in another format i.e. Braille or audio tape please contact the recruitment team on 0300 300 1530 or email [e-mail].

Documents to download

• Finance Business Partner (PDF, 416.6KB)
• Candidate Recruitment Pack (PDF, 671.2KB)
• Acceptable Use of AI in Recruitment (PDF, 3.9MB)