Finance Officer - Transactions

West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust; Bury St Edmunds; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 32,000; Full time

Job summary

West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Finance Officer to join the team on a 1-year fixed-term contract. You will work within a multi-disciplinary unit, sharing duties with NHS SBS and focusing on accurate financial data entry, supplier payments, invoicing, and reconciliation tasks.

The role supports month-end routines and maintains financial controls in line with Trust procedures. GCSEs including Maths and English are required, with NHS VAT knowledge and experience in finance systems

Qualifications

• Experience with computerised financial ledgers and MS Office.
• Knowledge of VAT rules in NHS settings is beneficial.
• Experience in a Finance department and basic accounting principles.

Responsibilities

• Assist with supplier payment queries and ensure NHS SBS transactions are accurate.
• Monitor Oracle workflow and rectify actions within deadlines.
• Assist receipting and collaborate with Procurement and requisitioners.
• Review and clear suspense accounts as required and maintain VAT knowledge.
• Assist with invoicing, income collection, local payments, and credit notes.
• Monitor repayment plans and report defaults to senior managers.
• Produce bad debt listings and manage debt recovery as needed.
• Provide cover for Treasury Management tasks and cash handling when required.

Skills

Financial software

Microsoft Office

Supplier communication

Education

GCSEs incl Maths & English

A-levels / NVQ3 / AAT

Tools

CMM Pharmacy software

Job description

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Finance Officer role at West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust. This is a 1 year fixed term contract.

This is a new role that has been established as a result of the Trust outsourcing transactional finance andprocurement functions to NHS Shared Business Services (NHS SBS).

This role will work within a multi-disciplinary team, dealing with and resolving queries between the Trust and NHS SBS to ensure that financial services functions run smoothly and effectively. The role provides day-to-day administrative and transactional support, ensures accurate financial data entry, and assists with the monitoring of NHS SBS managed operations such as accounts payable and accounts receivable.

The post-holder will contribute to maintaining strong financial controls, support month-end routines, and help ensure compliance with Trust financial procedures.

Sponsorship for Skilled Worker Visa not Available Please note that a Certificate of Sponsorship is not available for this position as it does not meet one or more of the required criteria. For more information on eligible roles please visit https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa

Main duties of the job

• Assist with and resolve supplier payment queries, ensuring that NHS SBS processed transactions are accurate and complete.
• Monitor and action workflow items within Oracle, ensuring that any required actions are rectified within the timeframe specified.
• Assist with ensuring that any items that require receipting are actioned promptly, by working closely with colleagues within the Procurement Team and requisitioners around the Trust.
• Review and clear any suspense accounts as required.
• Maintain knowledge of NHS VAT regulations through training.
• Assist with the set-up of new customer accounts when required.
• Assist and oversight of the raising of invoices, ensuring that these are raised accurately.
• Assist with and action any queries with income collection.
• Assist with the processing of any local payments.
• Assist with the approval of credit notes and write offs.
• Monitor agreed repayment plans. Raise any concerns to Senior Managers where defaults on payments are made.
• Produce bad debt listings for review internally.
• Review and clear any suspense accounts as required.
• Deal with debt recovery agencies, as required.
• Maintain good communication with NHS SBS operational teams.
• Provide cover to other Finance Officers, e.g. for Treasury Management tasks when other Finance Officers are absent. Cover for this role will include counting and banking cash along with dealing with and handling patient property.

About us

#BeKnown at West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust. By us. By our patients. By our community

We are a busy, friendly, rural NHS Trust providing high-quality care and compassion to more than a quarter of a million people across west Suffolk. We care for, treat and support people in hospital, at home and in various community settings.

The West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds provides acute and secondary care services (emergency department, maternity and neonatal services, day surgery unit, eye treatment centre, Macmillan unit and children's ward). It has 500+ beds and is a partner teaching hospital of the University of Cambridge.

Adult and paediatric community services, provided in collaboration with West Suffolk Alliance partners, include a range of nursing, therapy, specialist, and ongoing temporary care and rehabilitation, some at our Newmarket Community Hospital.

We do our utmost to achieve outstanding clinical outcomes for patients and our values of fairness, inclusivity, respect, safety and team work guide how we work and behave as a team.

With nearly 5,000 staff, from all over the world, we strive to make our organisation a great place to work. Whatever your role or ambition, we want to help you be the best you can be.

We promote a diverse and inclusive community where everyones voice counts and you can #BeKnown for whoever you are.

Join us. What will you #BeKnown for?

Job responsibilities

Please see the full job description and person specification attached for more details on the job role.

Person Specification

Education & Qualification

• GCSE in five subjects including Maths and English grade A*- C or equivalent.
• A-levels, NVQ level 3 or AAT Intermediate level or equivalent qualifications or experience.

Experience & Knowledge

• Experience of working with computer software programmes, including a financial ledger & Microsoft Office.
• Experience of communicating with suppliers and other stakeholders.
• Knowledge of the Data Protection Act and GDPR. Experience of following legislation guidance.
• Experience of working in a Finance department, with an understanding of basic accounting principles.
• Knowledge of VAT & recovery in an NHS setting.
• Knowledge of CMM Pharmacy software.

Skills & Abilities

• Able to work on own initiative
• Prioritise workloads with excellent organisational skills ensuring attention to detail.
• Strong analytical skills for interpreting, understanding, and reporting.
• Ability to work as part of a team.
• Establish effective working relations within own and other departments within the organisationEstablish effective working relations within own and other departments within the organisation
• Able to identify and propose development/testing of systems/processes to improve delivery of services.
• Ability to remain calm while working under pressure.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and attention to detail.
• Committed team player with a willingness to have a flexible approach to working arrangements and adaptability to suit the demands of the service.
• Ability to manage a heavy, varied and often complex workload

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.