Head of Financial AccountinginHuntingdoninHuntingdonPUBLISHED FRI 14 MAR 2025
In this pivotal role, you'll be at the forefront of refining financial strategies while supporting our Trust’s mission. You'll oversee crucial financial functions, ensuring compliance, accuracy, and timely reporting for various statutory returns. With a strong focus on collaboration, you’ll be working closely with key stakeholders to foster relationships and drive our initiatives. We are committed to your professional development and overall well-being, offering a supportive environment where your contributions are valued and celebrated. Become a key player in not just managing finances, but in making a real difference in the care we provide. Apply today and empower both your career and the community!
An exciting opportunity has arisen to join the Finance Team within Cambridgeshire & Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust - you will be joining at a time when you can help to redefine the team's ethos. For that reason, we are looking for candidates who can already demonstrate embodiment of the Trust's vales:
- Professionalism - including self-development and demonstrating compassion to colleagues
- Respect - creating and fostering positive relationships
- Innovation - looking for continuous improvement
- Dignity - treating colleagues as individuals
- Empowerment - building your confidence and independence
You will be part of a team which has gone through significant change over recent months and are therefore looking to rebuild their resilience. We are committed to providing a supportive work environment where employees can work to the best of their abilities. We value professional development and care about health & wellbeing of our staff with many initiatives in place to make us an employer of choice and an organisation that employees are proud to be a part of.
The post holder will be responsible for several outsourced financial services functions to NHS Shared Business Services (SBS) and an in-house team providing Financial Services. They will play a key role in supporting the development of Trust financial plans, monitoring and reporting of financial performance, and provision of expert technical accounting advice.
The post holder will be responsible for the accurate, compliant and timely production of various statutory returns, including the Trust's annual accounts and monthly returns to the Integrated Care Board (ICB) and NHS England (NHSE). They will provide a lead role in managing the Trust's Balance Sheet as well as support to the Trust in planning, coordinating and monitoring the Trust's capital programme.
The post holder will work closely with a range of key stakeholders both internally and externally, which will include the establishment and maintenance of strong relationships with external bodies and regulators. This role will also manage the in-house team providing Financial Services to ensure a high-quality service is provided in a timely manner.
The role will be an integral part of the Finance Team providing support to the Associate Director of Finance and providing a reliable and responsive financial accounting service to ensure the provision of high-quality financial advice and information to Senior Managers, Committees, and other stakeholders.
About us
Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for full details of responsibilities.
Financial Reporting
1. Completion of key elements of the monthly Trust Board Report templates in liaison with the Associate Director of Finance and Financial Accountant, developing systems to ensure efficient production of reports from ledger outputs with minimal manual intervention.
2. Produce monthly, quarterly, and annual statutory monitoring returns, including supporting working papers, for review by the Associate Director of Finance.
3. Ensure there is a comprehensive, reliable, and accurate technical accounting function, keeping up to date with latest relevant guidance on behalf of Cambridgeshire & Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust.
4. Ensure the integrity of the general ledger is maintained to accurately record the financial position of the Trust, completing control accounts reconciliations, resolving differences, and ensuring compliance with relevant legislation.
5. To ensure accounting practice is compliant with IFRS, Treasury Financial Reporting Manual, NHS England guidance, Better Payment Practice Code, Audit Reports, and other guidance as appropriate.
6. To oversee the provision of forecasts for the Trusts capital expenditure and cash in line with the Financial Plan agreed by the Trust Board and within the constraints provided by Regulators.
7. Provide financial advice and support to the Head to Toe Charity and attending the Charitable Funds Management Committee.
8. Produce financial reports for the Charitable Funds Management Committee presenting the financial position of the charity, raising any risks and concerns.
Financial Accounts
9. Play a pivotal role in the production of the statutory Annual Accounts and financial returns ensuring they are prepared in accordance with Department of Health guidance and that all external and internal deadlines are met.
10. Liaise with internal and external auditors providing appropriate support and information to enable them to undertake their reviews and implementing agreed recommendations.
11. Take on responsibility for being the first point of contact for external audit, ensuring all queries are dealt with and resolved in a timely manner to enable the final accounts to be signed.
12. Lead responsibility to ensure that all control accounts for the Trust are reconciled monthly, reviewed and then any differences investigated and resolved.
13. Monthly review of aged debtor and aged creditor reports to ensure any old items are investigated and resolved, as necessary.
14. Monthly review of appropriateness of aged debtor provision and prepare schedules for approval by Chief Finance Officer or Audit Committee in line with Trusts SFIs.
15. To prepare the monthly VAT return and ensure that adjustments are processed.
16. To ensure that new accounting requirements are implemented as required.
17. Overall lead on debt collection, managing debt collection agency and escalation.
18. Preparing losses and special payments schedule for the Chief Finance Officer and the Audit & Assurance Committee.
19. Produce the statutory Annual Accounts for the Head to Toe Charity, ensuring they are prepared in accordance with the Charities Commission guidance and that all external and internal deadlines are met.
20. Ensure that the production of the Trusts annual statutory accounts is in accordance with national NHS deadlines and guidance.
21. To provide guidance to Technical Accounts staff in the planning and complying with the requirements of the annual accounts.
22. To ensure that working papers to support the accounts are prepared in line with best practice and are available for review by external audit, the Associate Director of Finance, Deputy Chief Finance Officer, and Chief Finance Officer, as appropriate, in line with the closedown timetable.
Financial Control
23. Lead responsibility for ensuring the balance sheet entries for the Trusts PFI schemes are processed on a monthly basis.
24. Maintaining the Trusts PFI and leasing accounting models, liaising with the Trusts Corporate management accountant, appropriate Trust managers and leasing / PFI partners where required.
25. Lead responsibility for ensuring the Trust manages its cash effectively to support implementation of the strategic plan for the Trust.
26. Responsible for managing the SBS contract for outsourced financial services, through monthly review meetings, raising and resolving issues as they arise with the provider, and escalating as appropriate to the Associate Director of Finance, Deputy Chief Finance Officer, or Chief Finance Officer.
27. Ensure cash and capital for the Trust is managed and accurate forecasts are prepared in line with appropriate guidelines.
28. Ensure Tax compliance in accordance with HMRC requirements and legislation, including completing VAT returns and approving and reconciling payroll on a monthly basis.
29. Ensure best practice within the Department, accountable to the Deputy Chief Finance Officer.
30. To ensure systems, procedures and current processes are followed and maintained to deliver agreed services in a transparent and accountable manner.
31. To review and process various journals, ensuring all records are reconciled and approved in accordance with internal procedures.
32. Responsibility for ensuring that the banking of income and reconciliation of bank accounts is completed in a timely manner.
33. Ensure Capital Accounting reflects relevant guidance and complies with Statute.
34. To develop and ensure the maintenance of the Trusts finance lease register ensuring that relevant journals are posted on a monthly basis.
35. Ensure patient monies are safeguarded, adequate petty cash controls are in place, and there is effective working with charitable funds.
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