Senior Management Accountant | South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust; Croydon; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare organization based in Croydon seeks a Senior Management Accountant to manage financial reporting and support for specific directorates. The successful candidate will guide financial planning and provide analytical insights essential for decision-making. Required qualifications include being a CCAB finalist or higher and having at least 3 years of experience in management accounts, ideally within an NHS context. Strong analytical, communication, and negotiation skills are crucial. The position offers an opportunity to contribute significantly to financial governance in the healthcare sector.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 3 years experience in a large organization providing management accounts support.
• Proficient in interpreting complex financial data.
• Able to influence and negotiate at senior management level.

Responsibilities

• Deliver financial management and operational support within assigned Directorates.
• Produce accurate and timely monthly finance reports.
• Lead budget setting processes in collaboration with budget holders.

Skills

Financial analysis and reporting

Communication skills

Budget management

Decision-making

Education

CCAB finalist or equivalent experience

CCAB Qualified

Understanding of NHS operational and financial challenges

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Overview

The primary purpose of the Senior Management Accountant is to provide management and financial information and support to their assigned Directorates and ensure that their financial requirements are understood and delivered by themselves and/or by other members of the financial management team. The Senior Management Accountant is responsible for the delivery of all aspects of operational financial management within a Directorate area, providing advice, information, analysis and interpretation to Directors and budget holders to underpin effective decision making and meaningful performance management. They will be accountable for delivery of finance reporting for the Directorate, maintaining financial controls to support governance and providing financial support to budget setting, cost improvement and productivity schemes.

Key Responsibilities

1. Finance & Business Planning
   • Produce summary financial plans for services ensuring they reflect their strategic objectives.
   • Identify financial risks and produce a downside financial plan and help to identify mitigations.
   • To lead the annual and periodic detailed budget setting processes in conjunction with budget holders and the senior management team, endeavouring to ensure that resultant targets (both financial and non-financial) are realistic and are fully understood by budget holders. To ensure that budgets are congruent with Trust targets and activity plans.
   • To provide financial input into the preparation of Directorate or Trust wide business cases, working with both financial and operational managers.
2. Reporting
   • Produce accurate and timely monthly finance reports to ensure the veracity of information and highlight and substantiate key issues – meeting the monthly reporting deadlines.
   • Monitor the performance of those budgets and analyse key variances timely, proposing remedial action as required.
   • To produce accurate financial forecasts. The forecast plans should highlight potential opportunities and risks.
   • Assist/complete financial returns and questionnaires as required.
3. Productivity & Efficiency
   • Assist the Directorate with planning and reporting of the Cost Improvement Programme (CIP) for the Directorate.
   • To further develop cost awareness, identifying and quantifying key cost drivers and being able to model the implications of changes in activity on these.
4. Engagement
   • Promote a modern and collaborative approach to engaging clinicians in financial management.
   • Work positively and professionally with other members of the Finance Department to ensure that the financial requirements of the Directorates are understood and delivered.
   • Work with the whole finance team to deliver standardisation of all areas of process and development.
5. Other
   • To act at all times as a representative for the Finance Directorate ensuring that the professional reputation of the Directorate is upheld.
   • Ad-hoc duties as required - there will be a number of non-routine tasks to be undertaken on an ad-hoc basis in order to assist the Finance Business Partners or Deputy Director of Finance.

Personal Specification

Essential Requirements

• CCAB finalist or equivalent experience
• CCAB Qualified
• Understanding of the key operational and financial challenges facing the NHS
• Minimum of 3 years experience working in a large organisation providing management accounts support, including in an NHS setting
• Able to analyse, compare and interpret highly complex financial and performance data using skills, knowledge and judgement
• Proficient in Microsoft Office packages including Excel and the ability to manipulate and interrogate large databases / datasets
• Able to assess workload and manage resources to meet overlapping targets and objectives
• Excellent communication skills (written and verbal) and ability to express highly complex, sensitive or contentious issues clearly, including strong abilities in being able to influence, persuade and negotiate at senior management level
• Excellent presentation and negotiation skills
• Experience of investigation and analysis into financial issues including evidence of detailed and precise report writing skills
• Able to work autonomously with the skills to make complex decisions independently

Desirable Requirements

• There are no additional candidate requirements beyond the essential items listed above that are deemed desirable in this description.

Note: This advert closes on Monday 15 Dec 2025