Assistant Director of Finance | Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
| Posting date: | 02 April 2024 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | Not specified |
| Additional salary information: | £70,417 - £81,138 per annum |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 02 May 2024 |
| Location: | Huyton, L363SD |
| Company: | St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 6175269/409-S3914156 |
Summary
We are currently seeking an Assistant Director of Finance to join our dynamic team at Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospital, where culture and leadership are paramount. We foster an inclusive and collaborative environment that values innovation, encourages personal growth, and recognises exceptional leadership. As a forward-thinking organisation, we prioritise the well-being and development of our employees, providing them with opportunities to thrive and make a meaningful impact. If you are seeking a workplace that celebrates diversity, embraces teamwork, and offers outstanding leadership support, we invite you to apply and become an integral part of our success story.
Please note, there will be an assessment centre for this recruitment process.
The assessment centre will be held on Thursday 18th April 2024.
As Assistant Director of Finance, you will provide financial leadership to the Trust, to develop and manage systems and processes to ensure the effective and efficient processing of financial and non-financial data, and to further extend the range of management tools and reports used to inform the organisation, sharing the objective with the Deputy Director of Finance Strategy and Deputy Director of Finance Governance for the overall financial management and financial performance of the Trust.
The post holder will keep up the pace with evolving technologies and industry trends by aligning the finance vision with the trust strategy and implementing sustainable change into the finance department.
To achieve this, the post holder will be expected to collaborate with IT, Information and Finance staff to meet business requirements and to ensure the effective delivery of overall aims and programmes of work and responsibilities.
The Secretary of State has approved the partnership between St Helens & Knowsley and Southport & Ormskirk Hospitals.
From 1stJuly we have come together as a single organisation under the name Mersey & West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
The Trust delivers acute hospital care, intermediate care, community, and primary care services to a population of over 600,000 people with a combined workforce of around 9000 dedicated and skilled staff from 17 locations including Whiston, Southport & Formby, St Helens, Ormskirk and Newton hospitals.
The Trust provides regional services for burns, plastic surgery and spinal injuries to more than 4 million people across Mersey and West Lancashire, Cheshire, the Isle of Man and North Wales.
Our Vision is to deliver 5 Star Patient Care:
• CARE that is evidence based, high quality and compassionate
• SAFETY that is of the highest standards
• COMMUNICATION that is open, inclusive and respectful
• SYSTEMS that are efficient, patient centred and reliable
• PATHWAYS that are best practice and embedded, but also respect the individual needs of patients
Our achievements include:
• Trust rated Outstanding by CQC Inspection August 2018
• Top 100 places to work in the NHS (NHS Employers & Health Service Journal)
• Awarded National Preceptorship Accreditation (2023) for our Nursing & AHP Preceptorship Programme
Please see our Wellbeing & Benefits booklet for more information on our staff benefits. Accessible version available upon request.
KEY DUTIES
• To lead on defining the trust’s finance projects strategy and be accountable for its delivery.
• To lead on identifying improvements leading to increased accuracy and efficiency of the month-end and year-end process
• To lead on identifying improvements leading to increased accuracy and efficiency of the annual planning process
• Collaborating with the wider finance team and continuously monitoring internal processes – identifying industry trends and value creation opportunities to maximise the potential of the department.
• To lead on the automation and innovation of financial processes.
• Work closely with the finance systems and internal control teams to ensure the design and effectiveness of systems, processes and controls provide a strong and robust environment.
• To provide the trust with comprehensive financial information and advice relating to all service aspects to enable and support managers to plan and monitor delivery of their services efficiently and effectively.
• To lead on the review current interfaces, forms and procedures of finance systems and propose solutions to streamline and reduce manual intervention. Ensure all changes are fully documented and tested.
• Liaise with external stakeholders (e.g., internal, and external auditors, system developers) and keep up to date to ensure good practice in this area.
• Design, implement and maintain internal system controls (preventative and detective) to provide quality assurance over financial data.
• Ensure policies and procedures exist for all finance systems, working with Finance team members as necessary.
• Train and support finance team members and other staff in the use of financial systems and procedures
• Work with senior finance managers, other finance colleagues and budget holders to design and develop management reports to better inform the business.
• Provide additional and ad hoc financial support and analysis, as required.
• To develop the financial information analysis skills and expertise across the finance department to support clinicians and managers in using a consistent and "data-based" approach to business decision making.
• Ensure that financial information produced meets the individual and changing needs of its recipients.
• Proactively assist colleagues in managing budgets. Continually act to promote financial control and stewardship to safeguard the use of funds and promote value for money. Ensure the appropriate use of funds within the Trust.
• Work co-operatively across the finance function to ensure that common standards of accounting practice are maintained within the Trust. Share information and best practice to achieve more effective use of resources or enhance productivity.
• Exercise independent judgement and initiative when problems arise and take appropriate action to resolve areas of concern.
• Lead on the development and implementation of policies, procedures, and protocols for the provision of financial management information to ensure the trust complies with statutory and internal requirements, in conjunction with the Deputy Director of Finance.
• To establish a network of various relevant external comparators / organisations, and routine mechanisms for the exchange of data.
• Liaise with external advisors for specific expertise e.g., Legal considerations.
• Develop comprehensive business plans when required liaising Trust-wide as appropriate.
OTHER DUTIES
• To ensure that Standing Financial Instructions are followed at all times.
• To maintain financial policies in accordance with Department of Health, professional and other guidelines.
• To implement and maintain procedures and working guidance notes to preserve consistency in the financial advice and information provided on income.
• To deputise for the Deputy Director of Finance in their absence
• To carry out any other duties as may be required by the Deputy Director of Finance.
This advert closes on Tuesday 9 Apr 2024
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