Job description

Job responsibilities

1. To provide in depth specialist advice and expertise on finance applications and play a lead role in managing finance systems. provide professional leadership

2. To act as the trust lead for reporting and monitoring of bank and agency costs, forecasting bank and agency financial spend and providing in depth trend and spend analysis for borough leads and the SLaM Board.

3. Using specialist skills in Oracle, Unix, Excel and BOXI, maintain and improve the automated processing of approximately 500k records (annually) of bank and agency data received by the trust. Load the data to a relational database, interface, validate and post to the accounting system.

4. To devise and lead on the delivery of specialist training programs for both finance and non finance staff.

5. To act as system administrator and developer for all finance systems.

6. To provide appropriate, accurate and timely financial information, analysis and specialist advice to the managers and other finance colleagues so as to enable them to fulfil their responsibilities. This will involve working to tight deadlines and presenting highly complex information from differing data sources in a clear and persuasive manner to a range of stakeholders with different interests and differing competencies.

7. To analyse and interpret highly complex data received from other departments and external organisations.

8. To be a proactive member of the Finance Department management, taking collective responsibility for decision making.

9. To assist in the planning, implementation and monitoring of complex financial projects and initiatives impacting across the finance department and wider.

10. To assist building and maintain effective and collaborative working relationships throughout the Trust and with external partners and stakeholders.

11. To create highly complex spread sheets from a range of data sources and, where possible, automate any manual processes. Using expert knowledge to enable best practice throughout the department.

12. To act as an approver for finance system related purchases ensuring correct specification, appropriateness and consistency.

13. To develop or enhance and be responsible for bespoke features, reports and programmes to enhance applications and databases to meet the needs of the department, either in-house or in conjunction with external software providers.

14. Together with the Head of Finance Systems, the postholder is responsible for proposing, developing and implementing policies, procedures and service development in relation to own areas of work and ensuring compliance with these as they relate to the finance department and the Trust.

1. To learn and assist in writing and designing the Finance Intranet web site and on-going maintenance. Using this knowledge to assist and develop sites for other departments.

15. To provide expert advice on information being reported, at all levels including board directors.

16. Monitor the performance of finance applications using expert knowledge on a daily basis and take the appropriate action with regard to any systems problems including direct involvement with third parties to ensure the problems are resolved in a timely manner.

17. To ensure daily and monthly systems routines and reports are scheduled to maximise effective utilisation of the system resources.

18. To responsibly handle complex, sensitive information in areas around Finance, patient and employee information.

19. To assist the Finance Department with the research and development of any software for local requirements. For example Patient Level Costing and Service Line Reporting.

20. Developing processes to undertake surveys, the collection and analysis of its data and disseminating appropriately.

21. To ensure complete and accurate procedures are provided, in accordance with Standing Financial Instructions and Audit requirements for the administration of all systems applications.

22. To ensure system security, application security and data integrity of finance systems security is in place and adhered to.

23. To assist in representing the finance department at application user group meetings, promoting the Trusts requirements discussing complex systems issues, problems or queries at the groups and advising the finance department as to the outcomes of the meetings, implementing any changes as needed.

24. Prepare data and help where necessary for any statutory Finance returns.

25. To support Head of Finance Systems with any systems upgrades, fixes or enhancements ensuring adequate testing prior to promotion to the Live environment.

26. To ensure that all finance staff are trained in the use of finance systems and financial applications and to help them achieve their objectives by developing new methods to help to improve efficiencies.

27. To ensure that all Finance staff have the system support to enable them to work efficiently and effectively.

28. To establish and maintain processes for effective communication with other departments and across multidisciplinary teams. Clearly communicate highly complex financial analytical data to finance management and trust wide stakeholders up to board level and required to attend or host presentations on this data.

29. To demonstrate a commitment to continuing Professional Development and training to enable the role to be fulfilled successfully.

30. To support corporate financial issues and Trust wide projects and plans as required, including acting as finance representative on committees and working parties.

1. To support Head of Finance with monitoring s budgets for projects and contribute to costing budgets for finance systems and developments

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• oEducated to degree level with evidence of further professional development in the field of system and informatics or equivalent in-depth knowledge and specialised technical skills in the field of system and informatics
• oDetailed knowledge of NHS Financial policies
• oHighly developed specialist knowledge of finance & accounting procedures with a strong understanding of its application within an NHS environment across a wide range of practices and procedures.
• oSound intellectual skills with a general education and equivalent experience

Desirable

• oEvidence of continuous personal and professional development

Experience

Essential

• oMinimum 4 years experience in a finance role.
• oExperience in Business Objects or equivalent report writing tool.
• oHigh level and understanding of Excel
• oHighly developed skills in analysing and evaluating highly complex data and information.

Desirable

• oExperience of working collaboratively with other departments within an organisation
• oNegotiating, persuading and influencing experience on a range of issues
• oExperience of maintaining and developing complex financial management systems.
• oExperience and an understanding of SQL to a highly complex standard.
• oExperience in UNIX with the ability to maintain and write UNIX scripts.

Knowledge/Skills

Essential

• oAble to express highly complex and technical issues, both orally and written in a coherent and persuasive manner to a range of audiences.
• oTo devise and lead on the delivery specialist training programs for both finance and non finance staff.
• oAble to initiate, introduce and manage new developments / systems / reports that seek to continually improve the financial management of the Trust
• oSelf motivated and able to manage individual performance with a freedom to act effectively based on own decisions and judgement so that efficient and effective performance is achieved and targets are met
• oAble to work with minimal supervision and manage and prioritise own workload under competing objectives, concentrate for long periods of time on detailed information and carry out necessary maintenance tasks to tight deadlines.
• oAble to demonstrate a strong commitment to equal opportunities and fair access.
• oAble to demonstrate a strong commitment to the development of staff in the department and throughout the organisation.
• oThe post holder will be required to spend prolonged periods of time at a desk and is required to use a PC/VDU almost continually on most days. Excellent keyboard skills required.

Desirable

• oAble to establish credibility and good relationships with internal management, staff, external agencies and partners and manage those relations with sensitivity and diplomacy.
• oExceptional computer system skills, including Excel at macro level, ability to write SQL database queries and manipulate & transfer data to and from a variety of IT systems.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website .

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants .

Employer details

Employer name

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Jeanette Wallace House

Croydon

CR0 1FE