Financial Accounts Assistant

Health Jobs UK; Nottingham; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading NHS Trust in Nottingham is looking for a Financial Accounts Assistant to support financial accounting duties. The ideal candidate will have experience with Microsoft Office, good analytical skills, and a background in finance. This role offers the chance to work in a small finance team with many learning opportunities and commitment to personal development.

Benefits

Full training to prepare for professional qualification

Support for personal development

Positive work-life balance

Qualifications

• Experience in an office environment is essential.
• Previous experience in a finance environment is desirable.
• Previous NHS finance experience is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Manage day-to-day functions of cash and financial accounting.
• Monitor sales invoice preparation and processing.
• Prepare and present aged debt report analysis.

Skills

Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office

Good Excel skills

Good analytical skills

Good communication skills

Education

Good standard of education to A Level or equivalent

Educated to Degree level or equivalent

AAT Qualification in Finance or equivalent

Job description

Job Overview

We are East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS), an organisation focused on delivering a high standard of emergency and urgent care to our patients across the region. The East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EMAS) provides Emergency, Urgent and Non‑Emergency pre‑hospital care and transport across six counties (Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire & Rutland and Northamptonshire).

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic and highly motivated Financial Accounts Assistant to provide a professional financial accounting service supporting the Head of Financial Accounting in all aspects of financial accounting. The output of the finance team is crucial to maintaining financial control, scrutiny of income/expenditure and ensuring the achievement of financial targets. The team is also responsible for the maintenance of the integrity of the financial systems and ensuring they are compliant with Standing Financial Instructions.

We are looking to recruit a Financial Accounts Assistant with a drive to add value and be a real team player as well as being able to work autonomously. As we are a small finance department, there are many learning opportunities to broaden your finance experience.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will report to the Head of Financial Accounting in all aspects of the systems, processes and controls involved in the day‑to‑day management of Cash and Financial Accounting and aspects of Capital. The role is challenging and multi‑faced, requiring the highest standards of technical competence in managing the outputs of a finance team.

• Good standard of education to GCSE level or equivalent.
• Full commitment to undertake continual personal development.
• Work experience.
• Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office package.
• Good Excel skills.
• Good communication skills both written and verbal.

Working for our organisation

The finance department consists of two teams: Financial Management and Financial Accounting. The Financial Accounting Team is a small team that provides full training to prepare any post holder to become a professional qualified accountant.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Financial Accounting

1. Maintain procedure notes for own area of work.
2. Be actively involved in the continuous review and improvement of all accounting processes and information.
3. Undertake job rotation within the finance team to enhance finance skills and competencies.
4. Monthly reconciliation of control accounts for Statement of Financial Position codes within an agreed timetable. This will include clearing items to the appropriate areas by investigating unreconciled balances.
5. Ensure the control account checklist is completed in full on a monthly basis for audit purposes.
6. Support the day to day management of the Financial Accounting Team Mailbox.
7. Provide support to finance managers and the wider Finance Department.

Accounts Receivable

1. Lead and monitor the Trusts database in relation to sales invoice preparation and processing.
2. Support the Head of Financial Accounting in the development and maintenance of the debt management process, working closely with NHCT Accounts Receivable Team and finance managers to resolve issues and the referral of debts to an external debt recovery company by completing case preparations.
3. Support the Senior Financial Accountant in producing the salary overpayments analysis data from reviewing the aged debtors report, escalating any aged debts to relevant finance managers for resolution in line with Trust protocols.
4. Investigate unallocated income and advise correct allocation or budget code.

Accounts Payable

1. Support and monitor the No Purchase Order No Pay scheme from a finance perspective, working closely with the Procurement department and finance managers to ensure continual adoption of the policy and review of Goods Received Not Invoiced Accruals.
2. Prepare ad‑hoc supplier faster payment requests for processing.
3. Produce and complete supplier set up requests as and when required.
4. Produce and upload the Accounts Payable Collection return via the NHS Digital portal.
5. Support the production of the monthly agency cost analysis reconciliation.
6. Produce new supplier requests for authorisation and submission to NHCT Accounts Payable Team.
7. Support the Finance Officer with the role of Invoice Query Manager within Integra.

VAT

1. Have a working knowledge of VAT legislation as it is applied within the NHS.
2. Ensure that the Trusts VAT claim is submitted in a timely and accurate manner, dealing with queries as appropriate.

Year End / Month End

1. Assist in the production of internal and external monthly, quarterly and annual returns and reporting.
2. Carry out all month end ledger closedown processes as per the timetable.
3. Prepare and present the aged debt report analysis for the month end review meeting.
4. Support the preparing and uploading of the monthly stock orders.
5. Ensure that all Error Suspense Accounts are cleared at each month end.
6. Produce and review the Income Reconciliation Report for the month end review meeting.
7. Participate fully in the month end review meetings.
8. Liaise and discuss all aspects of duties with internal and external audit teams.
9. Support the Trainee Financial Accountant on the NHS Agreement of Balances exercise on a quarterly basis.
10. Prepare year end declaration point working papers on a monthly/quarterly basis.
11. Prepare and upload relevant expenditure journals, ensure the control log is complete and journals are authorised and include appropriate supporting information.

Cash Management

1. Lead the production of the daily cash flow forecast, investigating receipts without remittances.
2. Responsible for the reconciliation of the unallocated cash control account and unreconciled bank items.
3. Monitor the monthly breakdown of the bank charges from the bank and process accordingly, ensuring that this is coded accurately in the general ledger.
4. Assist with the Trusts Petty Cash reimbursement requests ensuring petty cash holders are reimbursed in a timely manner.

Payroll

1. Support the Senior Financial Accountant/Trainee Financial Accountant in producing analysis of salary overpayments data.
2. Reconcile all payroll deductions to Electronic Staff Records (ESR) reports, ensuring timely payment to third parties and accurate coding by NHCT Cash Management Team.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Good standard of education to A Level or equivalent.

Desirable criteria

• Educated to Degree level or equivalent.
• Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) Qualification in Finance or equivalent.

Experience

• Essential criteria
• Work experience in an office environment.

• Desirable criteria
• Previous experience in a finance environment.
• Previous NHS finance experience.

Knowledge

• Essential criteria
• Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office packages.
• Good Excel skills.
• Good analytical skills.
• Attention to detail.

• Desirable criteria
• Understanding of the NHS financial regime.
• Knowledge and understanding of financial services processes.
• Knowledge of Integra Financial System.
• Experience with computerised financial systems.

Personal Attributes

• Essential criteria

• Display a positive and professional approach.
• Reliable and honest.
• Works effectively as part of a team.

The East Midlands has a lot to offer

Excellent Location

Making a Difference

Action Packed Roles

Support and Belonging

Note on Covid‑19 Vaccination status

It is a clear professional responsibility of all health care staff to be vaccinated. EMAS NHS Trust therefore encourages and supports all employees to be vaccinated as it remains the best line of defence against COVID‑19.

Accessibility

If you have any accessibility requirements at any point during the recruitment process, then please contact the recruiting manager.

Application status

If you haven't heard back from us within eight weeks of the closing date please consider your application unsuccessful. We are unable to provide updates on the progress of applications and only successful candidates at shortlisting stage will be contacted. If you are unsuccessful at this stage please refer back to the job description, person specification and advertised requirements for ways to improve your future applications.

Internal candidates applying for vacancies

Internal candidates applying for vacancies must have completed their probationary period (stated within your contract) at point of application.

EEO Statement

East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust is an equal opportunities and Disability Confident employer, committed to ensuring equality of opportunity. We actively encourage interest from across our diverse communities. Black and Minority Ethnic staff are currently under‑represented within our workforce, and we welcome applications from within these communities.

Work‑life balance and flexibility

We are keen to promote a positive work‑life balance. We recognise the importance of being able to spend quality time with family and friends and to engage in your own personal interests outside of work, which alongside work helps us to lead healthy and fulfilling lives. We are committed to embedding the NHS People Promise to support colleagues to work flexibly in a way that works for our patients, for us and for you. Many of our staff already work flexibly in many different ways, including job share, part‑time or other flexible working patterns. Please talk openly to us at interview about flexible working opportunities. In addition, if a role is advertised as home based, we remain committed to supporting flexibility around workplace locations, so please talk to us about the options available to you. If it works for our service, we will do our best to make it work for you.

Company values

At EMAS we believe that our culture should be built upon our core values and that our behaviour should reflect these. Our values - respect, integrity, contribution, teamwork and compassion - underpin everything we do - how we deliver our services and how we work with each other. We believe that it's our people who make EMAS what it is.

Vision

Responding to patient needs in the right way, developing our organisation to become outstanding for patients and staff, and collaborating to improve wider healthcare.

Conditional details

Please note we reserve the right to withdraw this vacancy if an internal member of staff on our redeployment register expresses an interest and is successful for this vacancy, or if a sufficient number of applications is received.

For Frontline roles, an Enhanced DBS clearance check will be required, and depending on the nature of other non‑patient facing roles this check may also be required.

If you are not part of the update service, you will be liable for the payment and this will be deducted from your first month’s salary. The current cost of an enhanced DBS check is £55.38.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Documents to download

• Job Description and Person Specification (PDF , 144.6 KB)
• Benefits of joining EMAS Trust (PDF , 326.3 KB)
• Benefits of joining EMAS NHS Trust (PDF , 326.3 KB)
• Information for non‑UK and non‑Irish applicants (PDF , 131.4 KB)