Job summary
Would you like to join our Finance team and become part of one of the largest non-acute Foundation Trusts in the country? CNWL provides mental health services across London. The finance department offers a range of opportunities to partner and advise these services as they meet their operational challenges.
Main duties of the job
We are looking to appoint a self-motivated accountant (either qualified or part-qualified with a CCAB body) to fill a Senior Management Accountant vacancy within the finance department. You will provide business partnering support to your clinical directorates whilst ensuring accurate reporting of their financial position. You will need to work within tight deadlines, work under pressure and possess a real drive to succeed as well as strong interpersonal skills. This is a fixed term secondment cover. Although this role is primarily based in London, you will be expected to spend a some amount of time around the Harrow and Brent boroughs.
About us
CNWL's finance department offers a diverse and friendly environment for professional development. We are a large team with many opportunities to progress your career, and have set ourselves the target of finding a mentor for every team‑member who wants one. Our staff are based across various sites and we welcome flexible working. We also have the benefit of being an accredited employer for ACCA, CIPFA and CIMA. For accountancy students we offer a generous package of study support and leave.
Job description
Job responsibilities
- To provide Management Accounting support to services based Harrow and Brent.
- You will be making a significant contribution to supporting these services in outer London, whilst benefiting from being part of a strong team that is passionate about supporting and developing your talents to make the most of your career.
- To provide monthly statements and other relevant financial information to Trust Divisions and service lines, according to agreed timetables, together with appropriate interpretation and advice.
- To monitor, on an ongoing basis, financial performance against agreed delegated budgets, incorporating the latest information available to allow services to operate within their resources.
- To investigate and report significant budgetary variances and costs to both the Finance Manager and budget holder, discussing the necessary remedial action as appropriate and keeping logs of agreed actions to monitor their implementation.
- To develop and maintain an integrated financial performance report, including a year end forecast, highlighting key variances and trends in activity and finance, commenting on influencing factors and advising on any necessary management action.
- To develop sensitivity analysis techniques using analytical tools in the presentation of annual forecasts of operational income and expenditure.
- To meet regularly with Borough/Service Directors, Senior Managers and budget holders to assess financial performance and to provide financial management information, analysis and advice keeping a record of these meetings and actions, and ensuring that these actions are followed up and concluded.
- To recognise and provide financial management support to Directors, Senior Managers and budget holders on identified key risks and critical success factors in achieving financial targets.
- To ensure budget holders and managers have an awareness of financial performance requirements, including the need for budgetary control and adherence to SFIs, and to provide training where necessary.
- To contribute to the annual budget setting/financial planning process as follows:
- to supervise the calculation of the annual budgets for a range of cost centres in accordance with agreed principles and timetables.
- to work with budget holders and managers to identify cost pressures, service developments and cost improvements.
- to support the Finance Manager in the production of Directorate financial plans.
Person Specification
Education, Qualifications, Skills, Knowledge and Experience
Essential
- Degree or equivalent.
- Newly qualified professional accountant (or active finalist) from one the Consultative Committee of Accounting Bodies; or able to demonstrate equivalent experience (via a written test).
- Significant work experience within a Finance environment with a majority of the experience within Management Accounting.
- Expert knowledge of fundamental accounting principles and how they apply to the NHS.
- Computer skills: Highly developed skills in Microsoft Excel and Oracle (or equivalent) general ledger system.
- Standard keyboard skills for using financial general ledger, spreadsheets and word processing applications.
Personal & Managerial Competencies
Essential
- Communicates effectively using verbal and written skills to ensure complex financial issues are understandable and the messages clear to internal and external NHS non-financial managers and external organisations.
- Influencing & Negotiating: Influences budget holders by providing accurate and detailed financial information based on Trust-wide financial policies.
- Planning, Monitoring & Controlling: Plans and organises own areas of responsibility and the work of others to ensure the achievement of Directorate goals, Trust service provision and medium term financial strategy.
- Analytical Information & Solving Problems: Analyses complex information using a variety of analytical skills using all relevant factors. Considers a range of options and their effects and applies this to different scenarios for discussion or implementation.
- Making Decisions: Makes professional decisions independently to enable the Finance Manager to satisfy Trust financial reporting requirements. Acts as a lead within delegated areas of responsibility.
- Focusing on Business & Customer: Focus on the customer to provide a high quality service that is tailored to meet their individual needs and that of the organisation.
- Working in & leading Teams: Develop and maintain good working relationships within the Directorate and the department. Allocates work to members of the department. Responsible for managing the Management Accountant's weekly and monthly workloads.
- Using Information Technology: Understand and use relevant forms of technology and information systems in order to ensure accurate financial reporting and project planning. Responsible for the accurate inputting of financial information into the financial ledger and accurately recording data on spreadsheet and bespoke databases. Expected to undertake financial analysis using a range of software applications.
- Creating a safe, secure, fair employment environment: Considers and shows respect for the opinions, circumstances and feeling of others.
Technical Competencies
Essential
- Continually update on changes in government legislation e.g. VAT and Taxation.
- Understand all existing / new accounting standards and their effect on the organisation.
- Understand services provided by the NHS and how it interacts with patients and the organisation.
Other
Essential
- The post holder must have the ability to understand and implement the Equal Opportunities Policy at a level appropriate to the job.
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.
Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the . From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement.
Employer details
Employer name
Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust
Address
HQ
350 Euston Road, Regent's Place
London
NW1 3AX
Employer's website