Finance Business Partner

Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust A successful Finance Business Partner will be an individual with the skills to actively engage with budgetholders on a wide financial agenda. The role involves providing advice to budget holders within corporate directorates and clinical divisions of the Trust. You will be working directly with the Heads of Operations for the divisions and Corporate Directors and be responsible for the management of the Divisional Management Accountant. You should have excellent technical and interpersonal skills with the ability to prioritise and manage workload to deadlines. Be a team player who is self-motivated, innovative and able to actively contribute to both the success of the divisions and the trust. Applicants should be CCAB qualified.

This role reports to the Head of Financial Reporting and as well as analysing and reporting on budgetary performance, as a member of the Divisional leadership team you will ensure colleagues develop a thorough understanding of business drivers within their areas of control.

Main duties of the job We are looking for a talented individual that can combine excellent financial management acumen with the interpersonal skills to build meaningful relationships with Divisional Heads of Operations & Divisional Leads. You will provide robust and accurate financial advice, in line with the wider trust vision, and actively engage with key stakeholders to contribute to the success of the divisions and the Trust as a whole. We require an effective and personable communicator to translate complex finance concepts. As a Trust, we encourage our senior leaders to be innovative in their decision making, while providing the platform and freedom to do so.

Job responsibilities Job Purpose

We are looking for a talented individual that can combine excellent financial management acumen with the interpersonal skills to build meaningful relationships with Divisional Heads of Operations. You will provide robust and accurate financial advice, in line with the wider trust vision, and actively engage with key stakeholders to contribute to the success of the divisions and trust as a whole.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

1. Develop close working relationships with the Head of Financial Reporting, Deputy Director of Finance and Director of Finance ensuring timely and accurate reporting of monthly management accounts that is concisely explained and understood.
2. Work as an active member of the Divisional Leadership team, ensuring colleagues develop a thorough understanding of business drivers within their areas of control.
3. Manage the designated Management Accountant, providing professional and managerial leadership.
4. Work with the Income and Costing team in the completion and use of Service Level Reporting and Patient Level Costing as required.
5. Ensure that the Management Accounts section has effective working relationships with colleagues in the Finance, Contracts, Information, Supplies and Procurement departments and with other colleagues across the Trust.
6. This key business partner role provides independent financial advice to the divisions managing the divisional Income and Expenditure plans, actual and forecast reports.
7. To autonomously provide professional comprehensive financial management information and advice to the Divisional Leadership team, Executive Board members, speciality leads and all budget holders in user friendly terms to enable the achievement of their financial responsibilities.
8. To be an active member of the Divisional Leadership team providing advice and guidance on all finance related issues and challenging Board members as appropriate to influence Business decision.
9. To provide integrated I&E contract performance and capital financial planning and financial accountancy and forecasting advice.
10. To instigate, advise and facilitate training to ensure compliance with external financial standards and internal Trust financial and operational policies and procedures, and specifically all SFIs including procurement requirements.
11. To develop accurate and robust financial plans which reflect the Divisions Business Plans.
12. Identification and analysis of opportunities for the more efficient deployment of resources and the communication of such to the divisional management teams, senior clinicians and/or Trust Executive.
13. To support the Divisional Leadership team in developing plans and delivering actions to ensure that the financial affairs are conducted in accordance with the Trusts regulatory framework.
14. Interpretation, advice and implementation of Department of Health and Trust financial policies linked to operational issues, activity, income (payment by results) and costs.
15. Design and develop budgets with the Divisional Leadership team, in accordance with the framework determined by the Deputy Director of Finance taking into account phasing, forecasting, cost pressures and service developments.
16. Assist local management in the drawing up of CIPs, validating the plans to provide assurance around delivery.
17. Working with the Management Accountant, to review and provide assurance to the monthly financial statements within agreed timescales.
18. Analyse and report the income position of the Division.
19. Identify and implement action to correct variances and monitor compliance against Trust plans.
20. Autonomously produce narrative reports (Word or Excel) to identify the current business position of the Division.
21. Identify and review the financial information needs of the Divisions.
22. To provide advice and financial control to the Division on staffing establishment issues.
23. Attend relevant management meetings within the Division to clearly explain to senior clinical staff and divisional clinical director the financial position of the Division and Trust.
24. Represent the Trust in communications with External organisations.
25. To identify the impact on income and expenditure of changes in both the volume and case-mix of activity where required.
26. Compute and summarise the financial evaluation of legal documents.
27. Calculate the financial implications of decisions and service changes.
28. Ensuring financial reporting is consistent with various statutory and mandatory returns.
29. Work for and with the internal and external audit teams.
30. To ensure that all audit reports are responded to within Trust deadlines.
31. Responsible for the development and implementation of a range of Finance policies and service developments within the Division.
32. Provide visible leadership and promote continual improvement in quality, performance and delivery of Trust objectives.
33. Lead, manage and motivate staff to deliver and improve services so meeting the needs of patients.
34. Use specialist knowledge and experience to ensure that decisions taken are in the Trusts best interests.
35. To manage the Divisional Management Accountant, leading on the provision of a full financial business partnership service to the divisions.

Person Specification Qualifications

• Degree or equivalent
• Qualified CCAB or equivalent
• Management/leadership qualification or equivalent experience

Skills and Abilities

• Competence in Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook
• High level of analytical and problem solving skills
• Ability to work independently and make autonomous decisions
• Strong communication skills both written and verbal
• Negotiation on controversial issues
• Ability to organise and prioritise own workload and direct the work others

Experience

• Significant post-qualification experience in the financial management reporting of an NHS acute hospital.
• Experience of implementing new approaches/ systems to financial reporting
• Experience of communicating with senior managers, senior clinicians and senior staff of external organisations
• Extensive experience of Cost Improvement Plan (CIP) monitoring and reporting
• Proven experience of working in a senior management/leadership role
• Leading changes in practice in a complex environment to improve performance/services
• Responsible for a significant budget and budget setting
• Identifying and interpreting national policy and implementing required changes
• Financial planning and forecasting to deliver targets
• Experience of a Specialist NHS Trust environment

Knowledge

• Financial procedures including budget setting and working knowledge of financial processes
• Business planning /annual planning/long term planning
• Thorough experience and up to date knowledge of IFRS accounting standards and internal financial controls
• Familiarity with integrated financial IT systems
• In depth understanding of the current NHS agenda and healthcare policy
• Demonstrable knowledge of service improvements and project management
• Extensive knowledge of financial reporting systems including report writing

Disposition and Attributes

• Ability to work under pressure and meet objectives with conflicting deadlines
• Sound judgement: able quickly to identify and explain the essential issues
• Empathy: ability to understand and respond to managers' motivations to achieve successful behaviour change
• Ability to use initiative and develop innovative solutions
• Treats others with Integrity and respect
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