Senior Finance Assistant

NHS; Cardiff; Hybrid; GBP 26,000 - 34,000; Full time

Job summary

Public Health Wales, the national public health organisation for Wales, is seeking a Senior Finance Assistant to prepare monthly financial management reports, analyse variances and trends, and support budget holders and Finance Partners. The role emphasizes accuracy, timeliness, and collaboration across directorates.

The successful candidate will be IT literate, work to deadlines, and ideally be AAT qualified with NHS experience. Welsh language applications are welcome and encouraged.

Qualifications

• AAT qualification or equivalent experience.
• Experience in a large, complex organisation.
• Experience in NHS financial environments is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and provide accurate monthly Financial Management reports with variance and trend analysis.
• Provide financial support and information to Directorates/Divisions to ensure timely and robust data.
• Support process improvements in Financial Management and Capital programmes.
• Assist in operational budgetary financial management and costing for Directorates/Divisions.
• Contribute to achieving breakeven positions with timely and reliable financial information.
• Assist in monitoring the Collaborative Capital Programme and maintaining Capital Fixed Asset Register.

Skills

Analytical skills

Excellent communicator

Ability to work under deadlines

IT literate

NHS experience

Education

AAT degree in Accountancy/Finance and Business

Tools

Oracle

Job description

Welcome to Public Health Wales, the national public health organisation for Wales

Our vision is Working to achieve a healthier future for Wales

Applicants are invited to apply in Welsh, any application submitted in Welsh will not be treated less favourably than an application made in English. To support our all Wales service, we particularly welcome applications from Welsh speakers.

Important Note for vacancies offered on a fixed-term or secondment basis.
Individuals who hold permanent (substantive) employment within the NHS may only be appointed via secondment. Approval for a secondment must be obtained from your current line manager prior to submitting an application.

Job overview

A vacancy has arisen within the Financial Management Support function of Public Health Wales resulting in an excellent opportunity for an enthusiastic, self-motivated and proactive individual to join the Trust as Senior Finance Assistant.

The successful candidate will prepare and provide accurate monthly Financial Management reports in accordance with the reporting timetable. This will include variance analysis, trend analysis and forecasting to support the Finance Partners and the Finance Business Partners in their roles.

In addition, the post holder will support the Finance Manager – Financial Management and Capital Support in continually improving the Financial Management Support Team as well as the financial monitoring of the Capital Programme approved by Public Health Wales.

You will ideally be working towards or AAT qualified with experience of working in an accounting environment. Previous NHS experience would be advantageous. You should be IT literate, flexible, able to work to defined deadlines and an excellent communicator .

Main duties of the job

1) To prepare and provide accurate monthly Financial Management reports in accordance with the reporting timetable. This will include variance analysis, trend analysis and forecasting to support budget holders, Finance Partners and the Finance & Business Partners in managing within the available financial resources.

2) To provide financial support, advice and information to the Directorates/Divisions ensuring information is both timely and robust.

3) To support the financial management process working with Directorates/Divisions to deliver their financial targets.

4) To support the Finance Manager – Financial Management and Capital Support in continually improving the Financial Management Support Team by identifying areas of improvement and assisting in taking forward projects linked to these improvements.

5) To assist with the operational budgetary financial management and costing processes for a range of areas within Directorates/Divisions.

6) Assist in the financial management and achievement of a breakeven position during each financial year providing accurate, timely and reliable financial information.

7) To support the Finance Manager –in the financial monitoring of relevant Collaborative Capital Programme approved by Public Health Wales. This will include assisting in the maintenance of the Capital Fixed Asset Register

Working for our organisation

We are Public Health Wales – the national public health organisation in Wales. Our purpose is ‘Working together for a healthier Wales'. We exist to help everyone in Wales live longer, healthier, happier lives. Together with our partners, we work to increase healthy life expectancy, improve health and well-being, and reduce inequalities for everyone in Wales, now and for future generations.

Our teams work to prevent disease, protect health, and provide leadership, specialist services and public health expertise. We are the leading source of public health information, research and innovation in Wales. In a world facing complex health challenges, our work has never been so important.

We are guided by our Values, 'Working together, with trust and respect, to make a difference'. We are committed to building an inclusive workplace that values equality and diversity. We welcome applications which represent the rich diversity of the communities we serve and are supportive of flexible working arrangements, including part time roles and job sharing.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

You will be able to find a full Job description and Person Specification attached within the supporting documents.

The ability to speak Welsh is desirable for this post; Welsh and/or English speakers are equally welcome to apply.

Person specification

Qualifications

• AAT degree in Accountancy/Finance and Business or equivalent experience

Experience

• Experience of working in a large complex organisation
• Experience of working with non-financial senior managers
• Experience of working in the NHS in a financial environment

Skills

• Ability to work on multiple complex tasks, working to tight deadlines.
• Highly developed analytical interpretational and comparative skills capable of dealing with highly complex sensitive information to support rational decision making.
• Ability to work and make decisions under pressure
• Ability to work autonomously and as part of a team.
• Knowledge of the financial Oracle system.
• An appreciation of NHS financial accounting.

Other

• Methodical and organised approach to work.

Public Health Wales, reserves the right to close this vacancy early. We therefore encourage early applications.

Priority is given to staff awaiting redeployment. We therefore reserve the right to withdraw this advert at any stage.

If you have a disability and have any particular requirements to enable you to participate in the application process, please contact [e-mail]

IMPORTANT NOTE FOR APPLICANTS: Applications for our roles are carefully reviewed and shortlisted based on specific criteria, which varies from job to job.

Using a generic application or automated AI application services, such as Lazy Apply or AI Apply, does not usually provide enough personal evidence of your skills and experience relevant to the role. This can make it difficult for us to assess your suitability and will reduce your chances of being shortlisted.

To ensure your application is given full consideration, we recommend submitting a tailored application that directly addresses the criteria listed in the Person Specification section of the advert, providing clear evidence and examples to demonstrate how you meet each requirement.

Visa Sponsorship Eligibility

• If you require sponsorship under the Skilled Worker or Health and Care Visa routes, please ensure youself‑assess your eligibility for sponsorship for this role before applying.

If you are successful and short listed for interview you will be contacted by email using the address with which you registered. Please ensure you check your email account regularly.

We are committed to fair, transparent recruitment and believe in equality of opportunity in our workplace and will not tolerate discrimination on grounds of age, disability, gender identity, religion or belief, race or nationality, marriage or civil partnership status, sex, sexual orientation, working pattern, caring responsibilities, trade union activity or political beliefs – or on any other grounds. We welcome applications from individuals seeking flexible working arrangements.

The salary scale shown is for a full-time member of staff, with the amount being adjusted pro rata for those working less than 37.5 hours per week.

In general, anyone joining our Trust who has not previously worked in the NHS will, by default, start on the first point of the advertised pay band. Pay progression will then be determined by annual Performance and Development Reviews in accordance with the NHS Wales Pay Progression Policy .An application for Incremental Credit may be considered, but can only be awarded based on evidenced, reckonable service and/or equivalent, relevant experience.

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