Assistant Director of Finance | South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust

Posting date:	02 May 2025
Salary:	Not specified
Additional salary information:	£74,290 - £85,601 Per annum
Hours:	Full time
Closing date:	18 June 2025
Location:	Bicester, OX26 6HR
Company:	South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust
Job type:	Permanent
Job reference:	7109919/195-25-232-TAM

Summary

South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SCAS) is one of 10 ambulance services in England and we serve the counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire and Oxfordshire, and Sussex and Surrey for Non Emergency Patient Transport Services.

We are looking for a highly motivated and enthusiastic individual to join our finance team as Head of Finance on a fixed-time basis for 12 months. The successful applicant will be a valuable member of the Trust's senior leadership, reporting directly to the Deputy Chief Finance Officer.

This is a hybrid working position with homeworking and regular attendance at the Trust's headquarters in Bicester, plus other SCAS locations as required. Further information about SCAS can be found at www.scas.nhs.uk.

Please note, staff affected by the internal corporate review may be considered ahead of other applicants, depending on their at risk status (please see Organisational Change Procedure and Redeployment

Leading a team of 15wte, the Assistant Director of Finance oversees all aspects of our financial management function including monthly financial reporting, effective budgetary control, forecasting annual and longer-term planning, maintenance of financial systems, and the continued development of Service Line Reporting and Patient Level Information Costing Systems.

Additionally, the successful applicant will provide wider leadership across the Finance directorate, deputising for the Chief Financial Officer and Deputy Chief Financial Officer as required.

Benefits we offer:
• Full training and support when you join and ongoing throughout your employment with us.
• Holiday entitlement is 27 days rising to 29 days after 5 years and 33 days after 10 years, plus 8 bank holidays (pro rata for part time).
• Enrolment into the NHS Pension Scheme.
• Access to continual professional development and opportunities within SCAS and the NHS.
• Occupational Health support along with an Employee Assistance Programme.
• NHS Discounts in over 200+ stores including Holidays, Days out, Car insurance, Restaurants and Clothing.
• Staff networking and support groups.

About Us

South Central Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust provides a range of emergency, urgent care and non-emergency healthcare services, along with commercial logistics services.

The Trust delivers most of these services to the populations of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire and Oxfordshire as well as non-emergency patient transport services in Surrey and Sussex.

We serve a population of over 7 million and answer over 500,000 urgent calls a year. We employ 4,551 staff who, together with over 1,100 volunteers, enable us to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Financial Management and Reporting

1. Provide professional expertise to the design, planning, implementation and monitoring of the Trust’s financial strategy, policies and business plans. This will involve the production and interpretation of highly complex information.
2. Develop and maintain effective systems for the accurate recording of the Trust’s income and expenditure in line with required accounting standards and relevant public sector guidelines.
3. Ensure that internal financial reporting systems are robust and that accurate and timely information and analysis is available as required.
4. To provide timely, accurate, concise and relevant financial reports for Board, Committees and other senior forums across the Trust at all levels and to fully brief the Chief Financial Officer and Deputy Chief Financial Officer on the overall financial performance including risks, opportunities and mitigations.
5. Maintain a system of effective budgetary control, ensuring budget holders have access to the necessary knowledge, information and skills to manage their financial performance, supported by dynamic, challenging and constructive business partnering from the Financial Management team.
6. Lead the annual budget setting process, ensuring alignment of the financial plan with the Trust’s wider operating plan and strategic priorities. Develop medium and long term financial plans in line with the Trust’s strategic vision.
7. Oversee the development of the Trust’s Patient Level Costing Information Systems, and increased use of costing and benchmarking information across the finance function and the wider Trust.
8. Ensure that external finance reports to commissioners and regulators are accurate and submitted by required deadlines with the appropriate level of internal approval.
9. Embed a culture of continuous improvement where all financial processes and systems are regularly reviewed with reference to best practice to ensure they are efficient, resilient and robust.


People Management

1. Overarching responsibility for ensuring the Financial Management function is appropriately configured, and individuals within it possess the qualifications, skills and training to enable them to meet Trustwide expectations and required outcomes.
2. Manage the recruitment and selection of staff within the Financial Management function.
3. Maintain an effective system of staff performance appraisals and objective setting to ensure staff development and training is encouraged, including a Personal Development Plan for each staff member.
4. Ensure the Financial Management team builds effective working relationships with stakeholders including budget holders, corporate functions, and the Trust Board.
5. Monitor, review and amend staff workloads, as necessary, delegating and prioritising the department’s work.
6. To manage sickness and absences and be responsible for ensuring adequate cover is provided.
7. Establish a supportive, fair and open culture in line with the Trust’s Organisational Development programmes including Just and Learning Culture, Freedom to Speak Up, and Equality Diversity and Inclusion.
8. Act at all times in accordance with the Trust’s values of ‘Caring, Professionalism, Innovation and Teamwork’, and promote these across the wider organisation.

Leadership and Corporate Governance

1. Ensure the establishment and maintenance of effective corporate and information governance arrangements for Financial Management.
2. Deputise for the Chief Financial Officer and Deputy Chief Financial Officer as required.
3. Ensure that the trust’s management processes are open and transparent and encourage the confidence of staff, the public and other agencies.
4. Establish and develop effective networks and partnerships with other organisations to enable the Trust to continuously improve and learn from best practice.
5. Support the preparation and management of information relating to financial audits, including ensuring the preparation of clear and accurate working papers relating to the Trust’s income and expenditure for the audit of the annual accounts.
6. Ensure that the Trust’s funds are properly used, represent value for money, and can withstand public scrutiny.
7. Act at all times in conformity with the Trust’s Standards of Business Conduct and other codes of conduct, advising on their local application and promote awareness to Trust staff.


This advert closes on Sunday 1 Jun 2025

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