Senior Financial Accountant

Job summary

We have an exciting opportunity for a Senior Financial Accountant to join our Finance Directorate. We are seeking a CIMA/CCAB-qualified accountant to join the Trust in a key financial accounting role.

The successful candidate will lead the delivery of a comprehensive, high-quality financial and statutory accounting service, with responsibility for capital, fixed assets and revenue accounting, financial returns and the integrity of the general ledger.

Working collaboratively with Trust teams, valuers, external auditors and other stakeholders, you will ensure that robust systems and processes are in place to meet statutory, regulatory and mandatory accounting requirements, and that information prepared for external publication is accurate and of the highest standard.

Main duties of the job You will provide expert advice and support on complex financial accounting matters, including VAT and capital accounting, while developing and maintaining effective computerised and manual accounting systems.

With detailed technical knowledge and a strong business focus, you will help ensure that the Trusts financial processes are efficient, effective and professionally delivered, supporting managers across the organisation to meet the Trusts financial duties. Improving Diversity and Inclusive Recruitment:

As part of the Trust's aim to improve diversity across the Trust, positive action is being taken and all applications for this post from BAME, Disabled and LGBT+ candidates can request to be considered under an expanded Guaranteed Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum criteria as specified in the person specification for this role.

Applicants will be prompted in the application form to declare if they wish to be considered under this expanded Guaranteed Interview Scheme, and their response would be visible to the Shortlisting Panel.

If you have any queries about expanded Guaranteed Interview Scheme, please contact Rob Saunders (HR Manager - Recruitment) in confidence via email robert.saunders1@nhs.net

About us

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust is a large acute and specialised hospital trust that provides a range of local acute services to the residents of Worcestershire and more specialised services to a larger population in Herefordshire and beyond.

The Trust operates hospital-based services from three sites in Kidderminster, Redditch and Worcester Our workforce is more than 7,000 strong, and our caring staff are recognised as providing good and outstanding patient-centred care. You could be one of them. We are committed to recruiting the best people to work with us.

Our values, which we ask all staff to demonstrate, underpin our everyday work and remain firmly at the heart of all we do. Being open and honest Ensuring people feel cared for Showing respect to everyone We are committed to developing a culture of continuous improvement by embedding the principles of our Improvement System.

We are proud to have achieved Timewise accreditation - this means we are committed to embedding flexible working within our organisation as a flex positive employer.

DBS Checks and Costs Any applicants who are offered posts requiring a DBS check as part of their employment check will have the cost of this check (at the current rate) deducted from their salary. Please see link in Supporting Information section for more details on DBS checks and costs.

Job description

Job

responsibilities

Statutory Returns and External Monitoring Lead the production of the Trusts statutory annual accounts, providing comprehensive procedure notes, high quality working papers and a detailed plan and timetable to all finance and appropriate non-finance staff to ensure completion of the accounts in line with local and national deadlines.

To be responsible for the month end and year end processes as required across a broad range of financial accounting tasks. This will involve producing schedules for both external statutory accounts, returns to the Department of Health and internal reporting, ensuring these are high quality and timely.

Work with the Trusts external auditors during any audit of the statutory accounts and ensure that responses to queries raised by the auditors are dealt with in an appropriate and timely manner.

Lead on the analytical review of accounts ensuring that highly complex information and financial concepts are interpreted and conveyed clearly and persuasively to internal and external stakeholders. Liaison with internal and external audit to implement best practice as recommended to the Trust.

This will involve the timely implementation of audit recommendations and liaising with colleagues to ensure audit actions are communicated and implemented within the Finance Department and across other departments of the Trust where applicable.

Financial Accounting To be operationally responsible for the preparation and management of capital reporting and asset accounting including asset register, additions, indexation and depreciation, capital charge, estimated and capital forecasting.

Interpret and advise on the implications of IFRS accounting changes and model, develop and implement as appropriate those changes to the Trusts accounting statements and budgets made necessary by new and revised accounting guidance.

To be operationally responsible for the accounting treatment of leases (both where the Trust is a lessee and lessor) and managed service contracts, including providing advice to finance and non-finance managers, maintaining the database of Trust leased assets and preparing all the accounting entries and returns for the Trusts leasing assets.

To be operationally responsible for the production, implementation and review of detailed financial policies and procedures for the financial accounting functions carried out in the Trust. Ensure financial procedures are updated in line with Standing Orders and Standing Financial Instructions and widely communicated across the Trust.

Play a lead role in implementing systems and management actions in support of ensuring statutory financial performance targets are achieved. Ensure that Control Accounts, Suspense Accounts and other Balance sheet entries are reconciled and cleared on a monthly basis with any issues investigated and resolved.

To co-ordinate the implementation of VAT regulations across the Trust and facilitate maximum recovery, working alongside the Trusts tax advisers.

This will involve providing advice and guidance to finance and non-finance managers across the Trust on matters relating to VAT and other accounting issues To support the Trusts LTFM (Long Term Financial Model) and annual Financial Plan, ensuring they accurately reflects the balance sheet and financial details.

This will involve supporting the capital teams to ensure capital plans are accurately reported and forecast to provide cash flow details. Provide technical support on capital and revenue business cases as required including finance charges.

To operationally lead the Trusts PFI accounting ensuring all modelling and reporting is maintained and developed in an appropriate manner. Responsibility to ensure that a periodic revaluation of the Trusts estate is undertaken and reported appropriately in the Trust accounts.

Identify ways of improving processes and procedures to ensure the finance functions are efficient and effective and to manage the necessary changes in business process in conjunction with the Associate Director of Finance.

Financial System Responsible for providing, implementing and maintaining a range of complex computerised and manual accounting systems. To ensure systems are reviewed and updated to comply with changes in reporting, security, and legislative requirements.

Ensure that transaction authorisation levels within financial systems comply with the Trusts Standing Financial Instructions and Scheme of Delegation. Other Maintain and recommend any changes to the Scheme of Delegation and Standing Financial Instructions.

To be the line manager in respect of capital team and reporting team, financial systems team and liaising with other senior colleagues as required.

Ensure staff receive appropriate training to meet their professional needs and the needs of their post, and ensuring that all mandatory training required by the Trust is undertaken and maintained.

To actively participate in departmental review of policies and procedures, suggesting changes and improvements to processes and procedures whether within the post holders work area or the wider department.

To be responsible for your own development on a continuous basis and to participate in the Directorates appraisal process and ensure team members are appraised.

To ensure that Trust and Directorate procedures are strictly adhered to To check and ensure appropriate response and action on all audit report comments, and responses to FOI requests relating to the section.

Support the wider Finance team as required and agreed with the Associate Director of Finance and provide cover for Senior Financial Accountant when required. Liaise with a range of staff including managers and clinicians to interpret complex or ambiguous requirements.

Apply specialist knowledge and advice of information available, particularly in relation to data sources, methods of analysis, and data quality To adhere to Trust policies regarding confidentiality and information security. To carry out any other duties commensurate with the grade of this job.

The duties defined in this job description are not definitive and may be subject to future amendments following appropriate consultation.

Person Specification

Experience Essential Please describe your experience of producing statutory and financial accounts, including your personal responsibilities, the complexity and scale of the work, and how you ensured accuracy, compliance and delivery to required deadlines.

Please provide an example that demonstrates your extensive experience of maintaining, improving or implementing financial accounting systems and processes. What issues did you identify, what action did you take and what was the outcome?

Please describe your expertise in using any other computerised financial systems and complex financial modelling software. Which systems have you used, how have you applied them in practice, and what improvements or efficiencies did your work achieve?

Please outline your experience of working at a senior level and of leading, managing and developing staff. How have you set priorities, supported performance and development, and ensured the delivery of a high-quality financial service?

Please give an example of how you have assimilated and interpreted a wide range of financial information, using numbers, formulas, percentages, variances, trends and graphs to identify key issues, reach conclusions and communicate recommendations to senior stakeholders.

Desirable Please confirm what, if any, acute sector NHS experience you possess. Please confirm if you have had experience of producing annual NHS accounts or statutory accounts for other bodies. have you worked in the NHS Finance Function before? if yes, in what capacity.

Qualifications

Essential CIMA, CCAB qualified Accountant. Minimum 5 O Levels, GCSEs or equivalent (including Maths and English). Committed to Continuing Professional Development.

Skills & Knowledge Essential Please provide an example of how you communicated a highly complex financial issue to different audiences, including non-finance colleagues. How did you adapt your written or verbal approach to ensure that the key messages, risks and required actions were clearly understood?

Please give an example of when you successfully influenced or negotiated with a wide range of stakeholders on a challenging financial matter. What approach did you take, how did you manage differing views, and what was the outcome?

Please outline your specialist knowledge of financial and accounting procedures, including relevant national policie