Finance Business PartnerinCreweinCrewePUBLISHED THU 13 MAR 2025

The postholder will be fully responsible for providing a comprehensive financial management and support service to designated divisions, providing a full range of advice to the Divisional Director and other Senior Managers within the division.

This is a senior role where the postholder will be required to be a member of the Divisional Board presenting highly complex and sometimes contentious information.

To take a prominent role within the Division's Senior Management Team, which meet weekly to discuss areas of concern within the Division. To recommend new ways of working not just in a financial capacity but also as a business partner- looking at the 'bigger picture'.

The postholder will operate autonomously in decision making, working with senior management in the decision making process within the context of the Divisional and Corporate objectives ensuring adherence to financial controls.

The postholder will require technical accounting and business knowledge, strong analytical skills and the ability to communicate complex financial issues effectively to groups and senior non-financial people, including divisional boards and executive teams.

The postholder will also constructively challenge all aspects of divisional performance whilst maintaining a team ethic within the division.

An exciting opportunity has arisen within the Management Accounts Team for a talented individual to fill a key post as a Finance Business Partner.

The post holder will be responsible for the production of comprehensive financial reports, offering advice and guidance, and delivering highly complex costings to the Operational Teams. We are looking for an individual with strong analytical and reasoning skills, who can work autonomously and as part of a team, and has excellent communication skills.

Applicants must be CCAB qualified with post qualification experience in a senior finance role and have an advanced understanding of financial management. Advanced excel skills are essential to this role

The team supports a culture of continual learning as part of the finance team ambition to become finance skills development (FSD) accredited to level 3.

Postholder will be required to be onsite for a minimum of 2 days a week

About us

FINANCIAL

1. To provide financial intelligence, advice and to make recommendations to the Divisional Director, Clinical Director and other senior managers within the division. To meet regularly with these managers to ensure that any potential financial problems are identified early enough for corrective action to be taken. To meet frequently with the Head of Management Accounts to discuss the financial position of the relevant division and any issues / risks this raises.
2. To take the lead in the formulation of the financial aspect of the divisional business cases in accordance with the Trusts strategic aims and objectives. To make the Head of Management Accounts aware of the risks and benefits of business cases. To advise & recommend options on financial and non-financial aspects of the business plans, including assessment of financial risk and advice regarding the allocation of financial resources.
3. To play an active member of the Divisions Establishment Control Panel, ensuring that all posts are costed up correctly and that no posts are advertised without the authorisation of the Finance Business Partner

• Strong negotiating skills are required during this meeting to ensure that the Division achieves its efficiency saving targets.

1. To prepare option appraisal reports for presentation to the Trust Board incorporating recommendations and where necessary conveying complex financial issues clearly and persuasively.
2. To work with the Head of Management Accounts in the monthly corporate reporting cycle. This will include explanation of significant variance movements for inclusion in the Trust Board Report.
3. To proactively investigate variances acting as a catalyst when discussing corrective action with managers. Carrying out highly complex calculations involving comparisons of groups of data and making judgments and implementing changes based on results.
4. To develop new costing and budgeting methodologies to provide information for both managerial and commercial purposes. Always looking strategically to ensure such processes will assist the Division's and therefore Trusts 5 year Integrated Business Plan.
5. To work with the Head of Management Accounts in planning and coordinating the Trusts budget setting process, ensuring that all relevant factors are incorporated. To attend meetings with Key Senior Managers and play a major role in the negotiations during the overall process, including contributing to the Local Delivery Plan.
6. To produce a monthly forecast on the expected out-turn of expenditure and miscellaneous income positions of the Division as part of the departments normal reporting cycle. Ensure all known financial pressures are identified, costed and incorporated into the forecasts, proactively looking at new ways of working which will make the Divisions more efficient.

BUSINESS ADVICE & MARKET DEVELOPMENT

1. To monitor, analyse and report to the divisional board on divisional activity and corresponding income generation. Recommending new ways of working. Developing an understanding of the divisional trading accounts and advising on often contentious aspects of financial performance.
2. To act in an entrepreneurial and innovative manner, ensuring that all financial opportunities and strategic threats (often including highly complex cross divisional issues) are identified, investigated and acted upon to deliver a balanced financial position for the division.
3. To assist the Divisional Director, Clinical Director and other senior managers in identifying and achieving cost improvement and income generation targets, undertaking reviews of all existing practices with the aim of improving efficiency.

GOVERNANCE

1. To report monthly to the Divisional Board on Resource Effectiveness. Advising on new ways of working to ensure the Division is utilising its resources in the most efficient manner.
2. To meet monthly with the Division at the Monthly Finance meeting to present the key financial issues facing the Divisions, emerging issues and escalations required up the Operational Finance Group.
3. Ensure compliance with Trust policies, procedures and guidelines for self and others, by taking action/alerting senior management team if practice appears to contravene policy, or if concerned about any aspect of patient care.

TRAINING AND EDUCATION

1. To ensure that all financial training and budget management is provided to all budget managers, the Divisions Senior Management Team. Then monitoring how well this education has been when reviewing their budget statements.
2. To present Financial Awareness sessions to new starters within the Trust, ensuring that they are aware how their small decisions can have a financial impact.
3. Promoting the role of Finance as Business Partners.
4. To engender a culture of service and visibility to the internal and external customers of the department.
5. Take responsibility for own learning and development by recognising and taking advantage of all opportunities to learn, including full participation in KSF/appraisal, supervision, action learning and by maintaining a professional/personal portfolio of learning.

PATIENT IMPACT

1. To look at the bigger picture when working on Service Reviews, to ensure that the service is both Financially viable but that Clinical Care is not compromised and if possible enhanced.
2. Benchmarking our services with other Trusts (competitor analysis) to ensure that the services we offer are using the Divisions resources in the most efficient way e.g. staffing of wards etc
3. To work with the Division's senior team to actively work at making the division as efficient as possible ensuring that we are receiving value for money, so that any surplus can be reinvested to enhance patient care.
4. As an active member of the Establishment Control Panel, being aware that some posts have a direct impact on patient care and recommending viable options to the Divisional Director.
5. To ensure that the KPIs within Resource Effectiveness domain of the Clinical Governance Framework are reported accurately in line with the HCC Standards.

SYSTEMS AND PROCESS MANAGEMENT

1. To monitor the service provided by the divisions to other Trusts in accordance with the SLA agreements. Discussing and negotiating as necessary with NHS and external organisations over significant cost and service issues.
2. To take responsibility for reporting divisional budgetary performance, overseeing production of accurate budget statements within strict deadlines. To ensure that the information contained within the general ledger is maintained on an accurate basis. To ensure Budget Holders receive information in a timely manner.
3. To take a lead role in the monitoring and verification of new investments.
4. To undertake when relevant lead responsibility for the implementation and monitoring of the internal recharging mechanism, ensuring that investments are appropriately accounted for in the process.
5. To work with divisions to ensure awareness and compliance with the Trusts budgetary control, procurement policy, SFIs and other financial procedures ensuring that service managers understand and adhere to them.
6. To be responsible for the day-to-day management of the Assistant Management Accountants including identifying training and development requirements in line with the Knowledge and Skills Framework requirements and ensuring that Personal Development Plans are in place.
7. To delegate appropriate duties and responsibilities to the Management Accounts Assistants. To ensure that they have a clear brief and relevant support in order to deliver expected outcomes. To monitor work undertaken by the Management Accounts Assistants ensuring that the continued high level of quality is maintained.
8. To be responsible for the recruitment, selection and appointment of staff working within the department in accordance with the Trust's employment policies and procedures and legal requirements.
9. To actively participate in an annual review and using a personal development plan, develop own knowledge and skills and support the development of others in line with the KSF framework requirements for the post.
10. Contribute to improving the effectiveness of accounting systems. To maintain the sections procedure notes to ensure that they accurately reflect current practice.
11. Design, implement and maintain documentary evidence to support individuals capabilities, both for new and existing staff, that is reflected in the allocation of duties, to ensure individuals can perform tasks without risk to themselves and others.
12. Initiate risk assessment and as a result develop, implement and monitor safe systems of work
13. Review, audit and monitor all health and safety arrangements within area of responsibility.
14. The prompt reporting and investigation of all incidents and untoward incidents
15. Report any deficiency in health & Safety systems or documentation to own line manager or manager of area concerned.
16. Attend Occupational Health for health surveillance / vaccination following incidents and for monitoring as laid down by trust policies
17. Cooperate with and attend training provided for health and safety purposes

MANAGERIAL/LEADERSHIP

1. Ensure a healthy, safe and secure working environment, ensuring compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, maintaining accurate documentation and reporting