Senior Finance Manager

LGC Group; Twickenham; Hybrid; GBP 48,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a forward-thinking organization as a Senior Finance Manager, where you will play a vital role in managing substantial health research funding. This position offers an opportunity to work closely with diverse teams, ensuring financial accuracy and compliance while driving process improvements. With a commitment to excellence, you will contribute to impactful health research initiatives that enhance people's well-being. Enjoy a hybrid working model that fosters collaboration and personal growth while being part of a team dedicated to making a difference in the health sector.

Benefits

25 days annual leave

Enhanced contributory pension scheme

Life Insurance

Benenden Healthcare

Season Ticket Loan

Qualifications

• Ability to manage multiple tasks and deadlines effectively.
• Experience in financial management, particularly in research grants.
• Strong communication skills for liaising with stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Oversee financial management of research funding streams.
• Ensure timely submission of financial reports to DHSC.
• Support the Lead Finance Manager in process improvements.

Skills

Professional accounting qualification (ACCA, CIMA or equivalent)

First-class attention to detail

Excellent interpersonal skills

Strong analytical skills

Excellent computer skills (MS Office, particularly Excel)

Ability to work flexibly and independently

Education

Professional accounting qualification

Significant work experience in financial roles

Tools

MS Office

Web-based grant management systems

Databases

Job description

Company Description

ABOUT LGC GRANT MANAGEMENT GROUP

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) is funded by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). We work in partnership with the NHS, universities, local government, other research funders, patients, and the public. The NIHR funds, enables, and delivers world-leading health and social care research that improves people's health and wellbeing and promotes economic growth. We are also a major funder of applied health research in low- and middle-income countries.

DHSC contracts directly with a number of NHS Trusts, universities and life science organisations that together host our two coordinating centres:

• NIHR Coordinating Centre (NIHRCC), hosted by Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, the University of Southampton, and LGC.

• Clinical Research Network Coordinating Centre (CRNCC), hosted by a consortium of the University of Leeds and Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust.

These two coordinating centres share operational responsibility for the NIHR. Their work is directed by DHSC's Chief Scientific Adviser and by the Director and Senior Management Team of DHSC's Science Research and Evidence Directorate.

Job Description

Job Purpose
We require a suitable individual to act as a Senior Finance Manager within the Finance & Contracts team of LGC's Grant Management Group (GMG), based in Twickenham, Middlesex. GMG hosts NIHR Coordinating Centre (NIHRCC) for the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), managing a number of major health research programmes and infrastructure investments for NIHR and DHSC, with a total annual budget in excess of £600 million.

Reporting to the Lead Finance Manager, the postholder will have responsibility for the day-to-day financial management of the ~35 research funding streams (including research programmes, Research Schools and infrastructure funding streams), with a total annual budget of in excess of £600 million, managed by GMG on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). This will include financial reconciliations, outturns, forecasting, etc. The postholder will support and be supported by the Finance and Contracts team and will work closely with programme teams and other cross-cutting teams within GMG as well as liaising with staff in the DHSC SRE Directorate on a regular basis.

Key Responsibilities

Ensuring that the quarterly outturns and forecasts of expenditure for the research budgets managed by the CCF submitted to DHSC are submitted in a timely manner and are of high quality and accuracy.

Working closely with the Lead Finance Manager and colleagues in the DHSC SRE Directorate to understand DHSC's financial reporting and monitoring requirements and to develop reporting structures and processes which meet these requirements in as efficient and effective manner as possible

Contributing to the development and maintenance of appropriate governance systems to oversee the use of NIHR and DHSC funding within the NHS and HEI settings

Liaising with Finance teams in NHS organisations, HEIs and other entities to resolve any financial issues which arise

Supporting Lead Finance Manager in the implementation of systems and process improvements to continually develop the finance function, in particular the processes for financial and contract management within programme teams

Ensuring that CCF staff working in programme teams have the necessary knowledge and skills to work effectively with the Finance & Contracts team to manage their research budgets, providing training and ad hoc support, as necessary

Ensuring that there are effective financial information flows between CCF and DHSC ensuring that customers are kept fully informed of any issues relating to research budgets and that key information is relayed to CCF staff when required

Participating in finance initiatives of strategic importance to customers and supporting efforts to ensure appropriate consistency of GMG processes with best practice in other research funders (including other NIHR Coordinating Centres)

Supporting customer and internal and external audit requirements

Line management of 2 staff (and oversight of 3 more) members of the Finance and Contracts team, including responsibility for training and professional development

Responding to queries from programme staff, contractors and other stakeholders including management and oversight of the Jira query system

Supporting Lead Finance Manager in the development and maintenance of robust finance-related policies and SOPs

Supporting efforts to ensure appropriate consistency of GMG processes with those of other research funders (including other NIHR Coordinating Centres)

Supporting Lead Finance Manager in ensuring that process maps of centralised finance-related activities are accurate, maintained and reviewed regularly to guarantee the efficiency and quality of service provided

Supporting Lead Finance Manager in developing and maintaining a variety of Excel-based tools to support GMG's financial systems

Supporting the continued centralisation of finance and contracts work

Representing the GMG Finance team at relevant meetings including specialist working groups if required

Supporting the Lead Finance Manager, deputising where needed

Working collaboratively with the other Senior Finance Manager, deputising where needed

Any other reasonable tasks required by line management.

Qualifications

Requirements

• Professional accounting qualification (ACCA, CIMA or equivalent) or qualified by experience
• Ability to organise own workload effectively, working to multiple prioritised tasks, targets and deadlines
• Ability to plan for changing volumes of work as well as changing business needs, anticipating the requirement for support from the business in critical periods
• First-class attention to detail
• Ability to establish and maintain strong, productive working relationships with GMG programme staff, building trust and credibility throughout the organisation
• Commitment to ensuring lessons are learned and fed into work processes and training
• Ability to explain complicated and possibly contentious information to a wide range of audiences
• Ability to liaise effectively with external stakeholders including senior customer finance leads and applicant finance offices
• Ability to work flexibly, proactively and independently, showing initiative in tackling allocated tasks
• Ability to plan work against broader organisational goals
• Self-confident and able to instil confidence in others
• Positive attitude to change
• Strong sense of responsibility, including excellent time-management, task prioritisation and organisational abilities
• Excellent interpersonal skills
• Significant work experience in posts demonstrating acquisition and application of financial knowledge
• Knowledge and practical experience of research grant financial management is desirable
• Excellent computer skills: fully conversant in MS Office (Excel in particular), databases and use of web-based grant management systems
• Track record of contribution to mapping of local processes and preparing quality documentation
• Strong analytical skills
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Experience of managing staff
• Able to communicate effectively and clearly at all levels, both verbally and in written format
• Strong analytical skills
• Professional and hard working
• Health Research sector experience would be an advantage

Additional Information

Salary & Benefits
£47,300 per year
Bonus - subject to company performance
25 days annual leave, plus public holidays (UK)
Enhanced contributory pension scheme
Life Insurance
Benenden Healthcare
Season Ticket Loan

NB: This is a hybrid, office-based role. All employees are expected to attend our Twickenham office 2-3 days per week during the first three months. Following this period, attendance will typically be 1-2 days per week, though this may increase depending on team requirements.

Application
If you are excited about the prospect of joining our team and believe you possess the relevant skills and background, we invite you to apply. Please submit your CV along with a 'Statement of Suitability' that showcases your key skills and experiences in relation to the 'Required Criteria' outlined in the job description. Additionally, share your enthusiasm for working with the LGC Group.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES
LGC strongly believes that every job applicant and employee should be valued for their individual talents regardless of age, disability, race, color, ethnic or national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, religion, or belief. Short listing, interviewing and selection will always be carried out without regard to gender, sexual orientation, marital status, color, race, nationality, ethnic or national origins, religion or belief, age, or trade union membership.