Job Purpose We are looking for a talented individual that can combine excellent financial management acumen with the interpersonal skills to build meaningful relationships with Divisional Heads of Operations. You will provide robust and accurate financial advice, in line with the wider trust vision, and actively engage with key stakeholders to contribute to the success of the divisions and trust as a whole. Main Duties and Responsibilities Relationships 1. Develop close working relationships with the Head of Financial Reporting, Deputy Director of Finance and Director of Finance ensuring timely and accurate reporting of monthly management accounts that is concisely explained and understood. 2. Work as an active member of the Divisional Leadership team, ensuring colleagues develop a thorough understanding of business drivers within their areas of control. Work with clinicians and managers to understand their need for, and ensure that they are promptly provided with, financial information to understand and manage the business drivers and achieve effective budgetary control. 3. Manage the designated Management Accountant, providing professional and managerial leadership. 4. Work with the Income and Costing team in the completion and use of Service Level Reporting and Patient Level Costing as required. 5. Ensure that the Management Accounts section has effective working relationships with colleagues in the Finance, Contracts, Information, Supplies and Procurement departments and with other colleagues across the Trust. Principle Objectives 6. This key business partner role provides independent financial advice to the divisions managing thedivisional Income and Expenditure plans, actual and forecast reports. 7. To autonomously provide professional comprehensive financial management information and advice to the Divisional Leadership team, Executive Board members, speciality leads and all budget holders in user friendly terms to enable the achievement of their financial responsibilities. 8. To be an active member of the Divisional Leadership team providing advice and guidance on all finance related issues and challenging Board members as appropriate to influence Business decision. 9. To provide integrated I&E contract performance and capital financial planning and financial accountancy and forecasting advice. 10. To instigate, advise and facilitate training to ensure compliance with external financial standards and internal Trust financial and operational policies and procedures, and specifically all SFIs including procurement requirements. 11. To develop accurate and robust financial plans which reflect the Divisions Business Plans 12. Identification and analysis of opportunities for the more efficient deployment of resources and the communication of such to the divisional management teams, senior clinicians and/ or Trust Executive e.g. benchmarking divisional and speciality performance against the NHS Dashboard. 13. To support the Divisional Leadership team in developing plans and delivering actions to ensure that the financial affairs are conducted in accordance with the Trusts regulatory framework. 14. Interpretation, advice and implementation of Department of Health and Trust financial policies linked to operational issues, activity, income (payment by results) and costs. This is to include communication with Trust management or amending Trust policy with regard to any change in external legislation. Financial Management and Control 15. Design and develop budgets with the Divisional Leadership team, in accordance with the framework determined by the Deputy Director of Finance taking into account phasing, forecasting, cost pressures and service developments. 16. Assist local management in the drawing up of CIPs, validating the plans to provide assurance around delivery. Once the relevant CIP has been approved, the post holder will report performance against the CIP plan on a monthly basis, highlighting areas of non-achievement. 17. Working with the Management Accountant, to review and provide assurance to the monthly financial statements within agreed timescales to enable the financial performance of the divisions to be monitored and consequently the identification and explanation of financial variances that have occurred within the Division. 18. Analyse and report the income position of the Division. Amalgamation with cost analysis and hence reporting in both activity and financial terms, to enable a holistic appraisal of the divisions activities to be made. 19. Interpretive analysis and subsequent calculation of the forecasted year-end financial position, in terms of both Income and Expenditure, to be provided for the monthly Trust Board report and external reporting to NHS Improvement. 20. Identify and implement action to correct variances and monitor compliance against Trust plans. Identifying and investigating the monthly and year to date financial position. 21. Autonomously produce narrative reports (Word or Excel) to identify the current business position of the Division, including activity, finance, staffing establishments, financial forecasting and potential corrective action plans in order to support the Division to ensure correct business actions are taken. 22. Identify and review the financial information needs of the Divisions. Design, facilitate and chair training days for non-finance staff to ensure they understand the financial information they receive and explain clearly highly complex financial concepts, processes and data that are used/ provided. Training also to be included with regards to the non-financial elements of business case processes and formulation. 23. To provide advice and financial control to the Division on staffing establishment issues. Assert financial control and ensure that the Division remains within their funded staffing establishment. 24. Attend relevant management meetings within the Division to clearly explain to senior clinical staff and divisional clinical director the financial position of the Division and Trust (including highly sensitive information) and identify and implement corrective actions. Business/Service Planning and Service Agreements 25. Represent the Trust in communications with External organisations. To include, negotiating and liaising in conjunction with the formulation of service definition and specification agreements, formulating service outputs and reporting mechanisms, collation of information and invoicing appropriately. Constantly reviewing service needs and negotiating with external organisations over relevant changes. 26. To identify the impact on income and expenditure of changes in both the volume and case-mix of activity where required. Preparing a financial analysis of the changes and presenting the results and solutions to Trust Divisional managers within the relevant areas. 27. Compute and summarise the financial evaluation of legal documents, e.g. leases, and advising as to the correct financial treatment (bearing in mind legislative requirements) and option appraisal. 28. Calculate the financial implications of decisions and service changes. Reporting the financial and service implications, either through presentations or written reports to Division teams. Providing comprehensive financial support in the production of business cases. 29. Ensuring financial reporting is consistent with various statutory and mandatory returns, including reference cost submissions and statutory accounting. This may include liaison with external auditors. 30. Work for and with the internal and external audit teams to clarify account queries or enable value for money audits to be completed within agreed timescales. 31. To ensure that all audit reports are responded to within Trust deadlines and that agreed audit report recommendations are dealt with and reported to the Audit Committee as required. 32. Responsible for the development and implementation of a range of Finance policies and service developments within the Division. Corporate 33. Provide visible leadership and promote continual improvement in quality, performance and delivery of Trust objectives 34. Lead, manage and motivate staff to deliver and improve services so meeting the needs of patients 35. Use specialist knowledge and experience to ensure that decisions taken are in the Trusts best interests 36. Put the interests of the Trust before any interest to a specific area of responsibility, and to participate fully in the Divisions collective decision-making as a team member rather than as a functional or professional advocate 37. To manage the Divisional Management Accountant, leading on the provision of a full financial business partnership service to the divisions. the financial procedures and controls which are in operation. 46. To report all breaches of SFIs by the division to the Board Secretary and Director of Finance. 47. Identify, draft and monitor the implementation of corrective action agreed in both internal and external audit reports within required delivery and reporting timescales. 48. To be conversant with the appropriate financial legislation covering areas of responsibility (i.e. VAT, PAYE, SMP). 49. Represent the clinical division in a professional manner, within and outside of the Trust.