Deputy Chief Finance Officer

James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Working closely with the Chief Finance Officer on a wide-ranging portfolio including Finance, Business Strategy, Contracting and Procurement. You will lead and develop the Finance department, reviewing and implementing lean processes and improving commerciality. Your responsibilities will include delivering annual accounts, financial statements, annual budgets, costing, and the development of financial strategies. You will produce and present high quality monthly management information and support the process of financial performance management of the Divisions. You will drive expansion, developmental and transformation projects, also contributing to strategic and business planning.

As an effective communicator, you will further develop excellent working relationships with directors, clinicians and managers to ensure effective budgetary control, particularly evident as you ensure there is effective finance business partnering in place. You will enjoy playing a highly visible role concurrent with the growing influence and prestige of the finance department. A capable negotiator, you will liaise with partners across the NHS and beyond, helping the trust succeed in most effectively delivering the services local people want.

Fully utilising your operational expertise and strategic acumen, you will make a significant contribution to the overall development of the trust and relish the career enhancing reputation this success will generate.

Main duties of the job Provide strategic management and leadership to all teams in the finance function, including financial management, financial accounting and capital, contracting, procurement, cash and financial services (accounts payable, accounts receivable, credit control, cashiering & payroll services).

You will be an experienced senior finance professional, with the ability to directly undertake many technical aspects of the foundation trust's finance department's work as necessary to support senior finance managers in their roles. You will specifically be supporting with; NHSE performance returns, development of monthly reporting, efficiency planning and delivery processes, forecasting the trust's balance sheet and capital commitments, developing longer-term financial planning models, as well as comprehensively overseeing the management of the trust's cashflow.

Job responsibilities Key duties and responsibilities

• To lead the Finance Department on a day-to-day basis.
• Responsible for the collection, review and processing of monthly management and financial accounting information, and the presentation of this data in the appropriate form for the Trust Board, Finance and Performance Committee, Executive Directors, NHSE and other relevant bodies to strict monthly/quarterly/annual timetables.
• To advise the Chief Finance Officer on the availability of resources to discharge the Trust's financial management responsibilities, maintaining costed risk assessments.
• To lead the process of financial performance management of the Divisions of the Trust, working through the Finance Business Partners reporting actual performance against this plan and where performance differs significantly to influence operational managers and clinicians in taking corrective action.
• To lead the production of annual budgets for the organisation through the budget setting process and the financial elements of the Trust's Annual Operational Plan.
• To ensure there are effective systems and processes in place for the planning and delivery of efficiencies.
• To co-ordinate the management of the Trust's capital investment programme and supporting financial appraisal processes of business cases.
• To ensure the development of financial strategies and monitoring associated with education contracts and commercial duties.
• Provide routine and ad-hoc data and information to the ICB as needed, and liaise with partner organisations within the local health system as necessary to deliver collaborative system-wide planning and financial management.
• To co-ordinate the activities of the Trust's Charitable Funds and ensure that financial controls are in accordance with Charity Commission guidelines.
• To deputise for the Chief Finance Officer across the full range of their duties, including Procurement.
• To support the Trust by participating in the Executive gold on-call rota.
• To undertake all reasonably requested tasks and duties associated with the role as requested by the Chief Finance Officer.

Delivery

• To ensure the provision of effective services to internal users of financial management, costing and pricing, procurement, payroll, commissioning and contracting.
• To develop and implement financial policies and procedures across the Trust, ensuring that the Trust is compliant with regulations and Standard Accountancy Practice (IFRS).

To ensure the Trust's interests are served in the provision and receipt of services from partner organisations (e.g. Universities, NHS Trusts, Commissioners) and the commercial sector.

To ensure that robust financial forecasting is undertaken in a professional manner with Budget Holders which provides effective early warning of potential future, or the crystallisation of existing financial risks, which enables financial risks to be effectively managed.

Ensure there are appropriate systems and processes in place which deliver a continuous process of improved efficiency and value for money using external sources of benchmarking where available.

Development

• To be the finance project lead and/or have oversight of developmental projects.
• To ensure the provision of financial input to strategic planning processes.
• To ensure the trust has a mature and embedded methodology for using Model Health System data as the basis for strategic efficiency planning and delivery.
• To support the development of the Trust's costing and pricing mechanisms so as to ensure that the organisation has a granular understanding of its costs and can respond to the national agendas to extend and refine national costing processes.
• To ensure the Trust has sound systems and processes in place to provide financial data in support of strategic service delivery option modelling, including but not limited to the Trust's New Hospital Programme.
• To develop and enhance the performance of the finance function as necessary to achieve and maintain an improved level of Future Focused Finance accreditation.

Departmental Management

• To provide staff management and leadership to ensure effective delivery of a modern, dynamic Finance Department.
• To ensure that all staff members in the section have Personal Development Plans and have individual line manager conversations on a regular basis.
• To assist in the development of finance staff training plans, ensure finance and procurement staff complete mandatory training, and ensure a programme of financial training for managers across the Trust.
• To ensure there are effective systems of communication within the department which ensures full staff engagement and participation.

Communications

To ensure at all times that effective communications and good working relationships are maintained with all internal and external stakeholders including but not limited to, NHSE, Commissioners, ICBs, Governors and other key partner and stakeholder organisations.

Governance and Statutory Requirements

• The post holder is expected to comply with the governance arrangements and policies and procedures of the organisation, available on the Trust intranet site.

Equal Opportunities and Diversity

• The Trust has an absolute commitment to equal opportunities based on sound management practice, respect for the individual and legislative compliance. The post-holder must at all times carry out his/her responsibilities with regard to the Trust's Equal Opportunities Policy.

Health and Safety & Risk Management

• Employees must be aware of the responsibilities placed upon them under the Health and Safety Work Act 1974, to ensure that the agreed safety procedures are carried out to maintain a safe working environment for patients, visitors and employees.
• Employees must wear personal protective equipment where provided.
• All employees are expected to comply fully with the Trust and Departmental fire policies and procedures to meet their responsibilities in relation to fire safety. All staff are also expected to maintain safe infection control practices at all times.
• All employees are responsible for reporting any accidents, untoward occurrences and potential hazards to their Head of Department even when no injury or property damage has resulted.

Infection Control

• All staff have a responsibility to contribute to the reduction of healthcare acquired infection by the adherence to best practice.
• Staff are expected to comply with hand hygiene guidelines and ensure all equipment used for patient care is clean and fit for purpose.
• Staff are requested to report any environmental concerns regarding breach of infection prevention guidelines to their line manager.

Information Governance

• Confidentiality is both a moral and contractual obligation and applies both inside and outside of work. Any matters of a confidential nature, and in particular any information relating to patients, individual staff records and details of contract prices and terms must, under no circumstances . click apply for full job details