Job vacancy: Head of Financial Accounting, East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust, Nottingham

Job summary

Main area

Finance

Grade

NHS AfC: Band 8c

Contract

Permanent

Hours

Full time
Flexible working

37.5 hours per week

Job ref

335-A-1625

Employer: East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust
Employer type: NHS
Site: Trust Headquarters, Horizon Place
Town: Nottingham
Salary: £74,290 - £85,601 per annum
Salary period: Yearly
Closing: 08/12/2024 23:59

Head of Financial Accounting

NHS AfC: Band 8c

We are East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS), an organisation focused on delivering a high standard of emergency and urgent care to our patients across the region.

The East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EMAS) provides Emergency, Urgent and Non-Emergency pre-hospital care and transport across six counties (Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire & Rutland and Northamptonshire).

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Financial Accounting

• To work as part of the senior finance team to develop and implement the Trust’s long term ﬁnancial strategy, and in-year strategies necessary to meet the Trust’s ﬁnancial requirements.

• To contribute to the short, medium and long term planning process with particular responsibility for cash ﬂow, working capital, ﬁnancing charges, and movements in provisions.

To manage and develop the system for the forecast and control of the liquid assets of the Trust and charitable funds. Ensure borrowing requirements are effectively controlled and optimum benefit is derived from working capital and cash balances.

Main responsibilities:

Financial Accounting

• To work as part of the senior finance team to develop and implement the Trust’s long term ﬁnancial strategy, and in-year strategies necessary to meet the Trust’s ﬁnancial requirements.

• To contribute to the short, medium and long term planning process with particular responsibility for cash ﬂow, working capital, ﬁnancing charges, and movements in provisions.

• To manage and develop the system for the forecast and control of the liquid assets of the Trust and charitable funds. Ensure borrowing requirements are effectively controlled and optimum benefit is derived from working capital and cash balances.

• To ensure the Trust’s liquidity levels are managed and reported.

• To ensure the Trust and charitable funds have appropriate banking arrangements.

• To lead continuous improvement in the Financial Accounting Team, taking into account internal and external requirements, and identify opportunities to streamline processes and systems where possible.

• To liaise with the Financial Management lead and Procurement to improve and develop the finance function to maximise its potential to achieve the Future Focussed Finance accreditation levels.

• To provide expert ﬁnancial advice and technical support to the Trust Cash and Capital Management Group

• To provide advice on highly complex ﬁnancial and corporate issues to non-ﬁnancial managers, and discuss ﬁnancial queries with staﬀ and suppliers, which may be highly complex, sensitive, or contentious, and require developed negotiating skills.

• To lead the tendering process for both external and internal audit services.

• To ensure the integrity of accounting services and transactions functions and of the data in the ledger and liaise with internal and external auditors in audits designed to improve ﬁnancial services.

• To ensure that internal and external audit recommendations relating to ﬁnancial systems, policies and procedures are implemented.

• To lead and manage the relationship with outsourced service providers for the financial services function, ensuring that the Trust receives services that are value for money, ﬁt for purpose, and in line with agreed contractual obligations.

• To review the integrity and development of ﬁnancial systems to ensure they meet all statutory requirements and are ﬁt for purpose and provide strategic oversight of the relationship with the outsourced provider of ﬁnance services systems development.

• To ensure the ﬁnancial reporting structure is kept up to date, meeting the requirement of the Finance Department, the Divisions and budget holders, and maintain the speciﬁcations for standard reports to consider internal and external requirements.

Financial Reporting and Governance

• To be responsible for leading and managing the preparation of the Trust’s and charitable funds statutory annual accounts including interpretation and application of the required accounting standards and SORP within the required deadlines and without qualification, including the agreement of balances exercise and reports on the Trust’s compliance with statutory ﬁnancial duties and targets including for capital spend (CRL), cash balances (EFL) and the Better Payment Practice Code (BPPC).

• To ensure the accurate and timely completion of monthly statutory returns, including reports on the Trust’s compliance with statutory ﬁnancial duties and targets including for capital spend (CRL), cash balances (EFL) and the Better Payment Practice Code (BPPC).

• To ensure the maintenance of a robust financial control framework including leading the finance elements of the Annual Report and Annual Governance Statement.

• To be responsible for the maintenance of robust financial procedures and Standing Financial Instructions, ensuring that the Trust financial transactions/records comply with the above as well as with national requirements. Recommend and develop new policies and procedures where appropriate.

• To lead the Trust compliance with Tax, National Insurance, IR35 and VAT regulations and ensuring that returns are submitted to HMRC.

• To attend appropriate forums to support the Trust including reports to the Audit Committee and ensuring good liaison with the Internal and External Audit services.

• To be responsible for ensuring that accurate Capital Accounting information is produced, and that national guidance and accounting standards are applied, including the implementation of IFRS 16.

• To oversee the administration of the Trust’s Charitable Funds and providing information as required by the Trustees.

• Interpret and understand NHSE and Statutory Accounting guidance for all financial reporting aspects for the Trust and Charitable Funds, including the identification of the financial implications for the organisation.

• Actively check for changes in legislation, Trust accounting regulations, assess the impact and potential benefit or cost to the Trust, and where there is uncertainty of interpretation, consult directly with the relevant body for clarification. Proactively participate in dialogue with internal and external bodies to develop new or revised systems and/or processes ensuring compliance with all internal financial instructions and external regulation or guidance.

• To be the Information Governance lead for Finance to ensure compliance with GDPR.

• To manage processes to ensure that the schemes of delegation relevant to ﬁnancial systems, transactions and services are accurate and updated on a regular basis.

Other Duties

• Represent, cover, support or deputise for the Deputy Director of Finance or senior colleagues as required.

• Carry out other reasonable duties required.

• To contribute to the overall development of the Finance Department.

• To contribute to special projects as required throughout the Trust.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

• Expert knowledge of ﬁnancial and accounting procedures, ﬁnancial reporting standards, and ﬁnancial & other aspects of relevant legislation, gained through Professional Accountancy Qualiﬁcations (CCAB)
• Evidence of continuing post qualification development.

Desirable criteria

• Further relevant specialist CPD in technical skills and NHS finance
• Further training in formal project management approaches
• Expertise in implementing and maintaining ﬁnancial systems

Experience

Essential criteria

• Minimum of 5 years post qualification experience at a senior level in a complex financial environment, ideally within the NHS or wider public sector.
• Track record of significant financial and non- financial achievements at a senior level.
• Significant experience in the management, leadership, and professional development of staff.
• Managing a wide range of internal and external stakeholder relationships, including negotiating outcomes to complex problems
• Experience of initiating and leading substantial change with an impact within the team and across the organisation

Desirable criteria

• Knowledge of current finance issues within the NHS
• Experience of managing outsourced ﬁnancial services
• Experience of working on capital projects

Knowledge and Skills

Essential criteria

• Management and leadership skills.
• Strong communication skills both verbal and in writing.
• Strong technical accounting knowledge
• Ability to interpret complex financial concepts and apply in a practical setting.
• Ability to operate and think laterally at a senior level.
• Sound IT skills.
• Advanced skills in Excel
• Expert user of relevant ﬁnancial systems

Personal Attributes

Essential criteria

• Team worker
• Professional work approach

The East Midlands has a lot to offer:

Excellent Location

Making a Difference

Action Packed Roles

Support and Belonging

Note on Covid-19 Vaccination status:

It is a clear professional responsibility of all health care staff to be vaccinated. EMAS NHS Trust therefore encourages and supports all employees to be vaccinated as it remains the best line of defence against COVID 19.

If you haven’t heard back from us within eight weeks of the closing date please consider your application unsuccessful.

Due to the high volume of applications received we are unable to provide updates on the progress of applications and only successful candidates at shortlisting stage will be contacted, regrettably feedback will not be provided. If you are unsuccessful at this stage please refer back to the job description, person specification and advertised requirements for ways to improve your future applications.

Internal candidates applying for vacancies must have completed their probationary period (stated within your contract) at point of application.

East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust is an equal opportunities and Disability Confident employer, committed to ensuring equality of opportunity. We actively encourage interest from across our diverse communities. Black and Minority Ethnic staff are currently under-represented within our workforce, and we welcome applications from within these communities.

We are keen to promote a positive work-life balance. We recognise the importance of being able to spend quality time with family and friends and to engage in your own personal interests outside of work, which alongside work helps us to lead healthy and fulfilling lives. We are committed to embedding the NHS People Promise to support colleagues to work flexibly in a way that works for our patients, for us and for you. Many of our staff already work flexibly in many different ways, including job share, part-time or other flexible working patterns. Please talk openly to us at interview about flexible working opportunities. In addition, if a role is advertised as home based, we remain committed to supporting flexibility around workplace locations, so please talk to us about the options available to you. If it works for our service, we will do our best to make it work for you.

At EMAS we believe that our culture should be built upon our core values and that our behaviour should reflect these. Our values – respect, integrity, contribution, teamwork and compassion - underpin everything we do – how we deliver our services and how we work with each other. We believe that it’s our people who make EMAS what it is.

Our Vision - Responding to patient needs in the right way, developing our organisation to become outstanding for patients and staff, and collaborating to improve wider healthcare.

Please note we reserve the right to withdraw this vacancy if an internal member of staff on our redeployment register expresses an interest and is successful for this vacancy, or if a sufficient number of applications is received.

Please be aware if you are applying for a Frontline role, an Enhanced DBS clearance check will be required, and depending on the nature of other non-patient facing roles this check may also be required if offered a position with EMAS (All spent and unspent convictions must declared).

If you are not part of the update service, you will be liable for the payment and this will be deducted from your first months’ salary. The current cost of an enhanced DBS check is £43.88.