Management Accountant

NHS; Harlow; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 47,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading charity in Harlow is seeking a Management Accountant to enhance financial management. The ideal candidate will manage financial processes, assist in budgeting and forecasting, and oversee accounting functions using Sage 200. The position offers a competitive salary and a flexible working pattern.

Qualifications

• Experience in management and financial accounting is essential.
• Two years of relevant financial experience required.
• Experience in charity accounting is useful.

Responsibilities

• Responsible for the accounting function of the Trust including Sage 200 entries.
• Producing monthly management accounts and ensuring accurate income recognition.
• Managing one direct report and supporting financial reporting processes.

Skills

Organisational skills

Team player

Analytical skills

Interpersonal skills

Problem-solving skills

Education

Part or fully qualified ACCA/CIMA/CCAB

Tools

Sage 200

Job description

Please note St Clare Hospice do not hold a Certificate of Sponsorship, we are therefore unable to sponsor visa applications.

We are seeking an experienced and motivated Management Accountant to support the financial management of the Hospice group companies.

The Management Accountant role is key in tracking the performance of the Hospice through the provision of accurate monthly figures, assisting in the preparation of annual budgets and quarterly forecasts, plus providing ad hoc data analysis to support Hospice-wide activities and senior management decision making. In addition, the Management Accountant will assist in identifying and implementing changes to reporting processes and financial controls to ensure our financial processes are as efficient and effective as possible.

The successful candidate will report to the Head of Finance and will have one direct report. They will work collaboratively with the wider finance team, including volunteers, as well as colleagues across the hospice.

The finance team currently have a flexible working pattern with a combination of office and home working.

We are looking for a part/fully qualified accountant (ACCA/CIMA/ACA) for the role, charity accounting experience would be useful but not essential.

Main duties of the job

To be responsible for the accounting function of the St Clare West Essex Hospice Care Trust including all entries to the Sage 200 finance system and all associated reconciliations. Producing a monthly management accounts pack and Balance Sheet reconciliations for Trust and providing departmental management information to relevant managers.

Having management responsibility for the recognition and booking of all charitable and non-charitable income for the Trust. In addition to the full Customer Supplier payment cycle including raising sales invoices, obtaining supplier invoice authorisation, ensuring coding accuracy and payment received/made to terms.

To constantly look to review and improve the reporting and financial controls functions for the Trust and the reporting group with support from the Head of Finance. To develop an understanding of all aspects of Hospice activity and reporting, supporting the Trading accountant in reporting for the Trading company to ensure consistency across the Group. Plus seek to utilise financial systems fully to ensure efficient and effective processing and reporting.

Responsibility for the management and development of one member of staff ensuring monthly one to ones, quarterly/annual appraisals and objective setting are undertaken in line with the Hospice HR requirements.

About us

St Clare Hospice is a charity providing specialist palliative care to improve the lives of people affected by a life-limiting illness in West Essex and the borders of East Hertfordshire. Our care helps patients, their families, and carers, to make the most of every moment together, no matter how long they have left to live.

Job responsibilities

Managing one direct report, encouraging professional development and providing constructive feedback through the Hospice objective setting and appraisal requirements. Communicating and working flexibly with the direct report to ensure all accounting and reporting processes are completed accurately and in a timely manner.

Manage processes to ensure all income streams are recognised in an accurate and timely manner on to the accounting system (Sage 200). Ensuring income details, cost codes and departments are recorded accurately for all fundraising income and is fully reconciled to the Fundraising database.

Monitor the reconciliation all bank accounts and the petty cash account for the Trust. Verify account balances against Sage and monitor the daily cash balances for cash flow purposes.

Deal with banking issues for any of the Trust bank accounts and support/oversee BACS payments to suppliers actioned by the Assistant Accountant.

Ensure that the Company Credit card expenses are fully authorised, accurately coded, correctly recorded on Sage and fully reconciled to monthly credit card statements.

Ensure trust petty cash payments are authorised and recorded accurately in Sage and a reconciliation kept in excel format. All petty cash vouchers are filed in daily order.

Maintain Trusts Fixed Asset Register and depreciation calculations. Ensuring they are accurate and up to date.

Manage direct reports to ensure that all supplier invoices are correctly coded, authorised by budget holders, recorded accurately on Sage and paid by due dates. Ensure all related supplier issues and queries are resolved in a timely manner.

Ensure that all customer invoices, are posted accurately onto Sage and in a timely manner, chasing for payment where necessary.

Complete the month end process for the Trust, reconcile and evidence balance sheet accounts and prepare monthly management accounts. Undertake analysis of the management account figures to identify variations in income and expenditure versus budget and identify the reasons for the variation. Send out all department P&L to department managers and directors. Prepare other month end reports.

Prepare year-end schedules for audit and work with auditors to answer queries.

Prepare Trust Hospice VAT recovery scheme analyses monthly, submitting VAT claims when most advantageous for the Hospice.

Participate in payroll processing and review.

Prepare the payroll journal monthly for the hospice and ensure Trust payroll information is accurately input onto Sage.

Ensure that monthly pension contributions are reconciled to payroll reports, accurately notified to the pension provider, recorded on Sage and paid on time. Monitor collection periods and investigate any under/over payment.

Supporting our volunteer and working with the Finance team to plan priorities for our volunteer team.

Ensuring all information is complete for financial year-end and liaising with external auditors during the annual audit process.

Person Specification

Other requirements

• Willingness to work outside core hours if workload dictates

Skills and Abilities

• Experienced in using Microsoft Office, including Word, Excel and Outlook
• Good organisational skills, including ability to plan and prioritise own workload to meet deadlines
• Team player, and ability to work well as part of a team
• Excellent attention to detail and accurate record keeping
• Ability to problem solve and use own initiative
• Good interpersonal skills, including ability to deal with the public and build effective working relationships with stakeholders
• Strong analytical skills

Experience

• Experienced in the use of accounting systems, software and procedures
• Experience in the preparation of management and financial accounts and data analysis
• Experience of Sage200 Standard

Personal Qualities and Attributes

• Team player who can keep professional relationships with work colleagues and volunteers
• Commitment to equality and valuing diversity and understanding of how this applies to own area of work
• Commitment to the aims and charitable objectives of St Clare Hospice
• Committed to own continuing professional learning and development
• Able to work on own initiative
• Hardworking and flexible
• Willing to learn and take on new challenges

Knowledge

• Solid understanding of double entry bookkeeping, accruals, prepayments, fixed asset registers, bank reconciliation and cash handling
• Working knowledge of Excel
• Knowledge of accounting for charities
• Knowledge of budget and forecast preparation
• Working knowledge of Payroll and Pensions

Qualifications

• Part or fully qualified ACCA/CIMA/CCAB or with at least two years recent, relevant financial experience

£45,777 to £46,873 a year(depending on experience) includes High-Cost Area Allowance