Head of Strategic Finance

Band 8C | £70,641- £80,554 per annum*

*Inclusive of London weighting

Job Purpose

As a key member of the Finance management team, take responsibility for:

Establishment, development and maintenance of the Trusts long term financial model ensuring it is aligned to the enabling strategies across the Trust and reflects the most up to date planning assumptions

Leading the team providing central financial expertise to underpin major investments, productivity programmes and business planning decisions the Trust, in line with the Trust's overall strategic objectives.

Working on plans for major transformational change to enable delivery of the Trusts Strategy including estates and fleet reconfiguration

Advising on the use of bench marking including Lord Carter's programme for productivity, The Model Ambulance and Corporate Service Bench marking to develop opportunities for improvements in productivity and efficiency

Ensuring that the Trust is well placed to take advantage of new approaches to sector-wide planning and new car models including Integrated Care Systems

The post holder will work closely with the Financial Controller to provide leadership and direction to improve the financial performance of the Trust.

Key Relationships

Board and Executive Team Members

Chief Finance Officer

Financial Controller

Directors and budget holders

NHS England/Improvement

Trust Commissioners

Senior staff in other NHS organisations i.e NHS Trusts

Professional advisors

Business Intelligence and Data Science Teams

Fleet, Logistics and Estates Teams

Operational Management

Key Result Areas & Performance Indicators

Lead on the long term developments, business planning and the development of major strategic business cases

Provide leadership and line management to the Senior Analyst - Forecasting, Planning and Modelling

Lead of the development and maintenance of the long term financial model ensuring that it accurately reflects the business planning outputs and strategic objectives of the Trust.

Key Responsibilities

Main tasks and responsibilties

Strategic financial advice

To lead and coordinate the development of the 5 year financial model and annual financial plan drawing together all financial and non-financial elements including cash flow, balance sheet, Income and Expenditure,Capital Expenditure, Workforce and Activity including presentation and agreement with the Trust Board and Executive Teams.

Pro-active evaluation and communication of highly complex loan and financing options for the financial plan. Provide detailed and complex scenario modelling of cash flow, loan financing and capital expenditure for the financial plan.

Forward planning for updated financial/accounting guidance from NHS Improvement, Department of Health or Treasury Including updates to accounting standards and scenario modelling ensuring any changes are reflected in Trust wide policies and procedures and communicated effectively to the wider organisation.

To translate the Trust's strategic objectives into best practice applications which realise clear, costed and assigned financial targets to fully meet the requirements of the annual financial plan.

To interpret changes in Government Policy (including health policy and strategy) to assess the potential impact on the Trust and to specifically consider how any changes may create or limit current, planned or future strategy. This policy interpretation will guide the post holder when offering expert advice when setting the Trust's medium and long term financial planning activities.

Ensure that the Trust continues to implement national policies relating to finance, particularly tariff development, in a way which maximises the financial benefit and stability of the organisation.

Develop Trust strategy in relation to financial systems and processes with ELFT (outsourced financial services provider}, Procurement, budget holders and other senior stakeholders ensuring expected benefits are being delivered through effective presentation of highly complex information to both financial and non-financial audiences.

Business case, service development and tender evaluation

Lead the appraisal of in-year business cases, service development proposals and tenders for contracted out services and supplies, making recommendations to the Executive Committee and Trust Board as required.

Advise the Trust Programme Management Board on the allocation of capital funding to "invest to save" schemes including service consolidation, pathway change, and asset productivity initiatives.

Oversee sound financial governance processes throughout the programme and project cycle, to underpin business case and tender development, achieve accurate and timely submission of bids for service developments, ensure capital and revenue implications of approved schemes are fully incorporated into the business plan, and ensure post implementation reviews are carried out and action taken as a result .

Business planning , productivity and efficiency

Provide the financial analysis to underpin the Trust's strategy, Five Year Sustainability and Transformation Plan, and the annual Operational Plan. Track risks and opportunities in the plan, and liaise as appropriate with NHS Improvement and other central bodies.

Advise on the financial strategy for cost improvement programmes, interpret bench marking data from a wide range of sources to identify and evaluate opportunities, present the information in a compelling way to non-financial audiences and provide robust scrutiny of proposals put forward.

Analyse and evaluate financial opportunities arising from the Trust Quality Improvement programme, and ensure that benefit realisation is built into programme design and implementation.

Develop a strategic response to the Carter report, drawing together inputs from Executive leads across the Trust, and manage the relationship with the Department of Health Productivity and Efficiency team.

People and Managerial Functions

To build, lead, motivate and develop the senior analyst and wider financial management team increasing and embedding strategic financial capability across the directorate including ensuring there is effective recruitment and selection of staff in line with Trust policies and the Manager's Code of Conduct. Responsible for managing Grievance, Disciplinary, attendance and other employee relations cases including redeployment and redundancy situation.

To ensure that all staff are appraised annually, have clear objectives which link to department and Trust objectives, and ensure all staff have appropriate departmental inductions. To ensure training and development needs are identified in line with organisational needs. Ensure all their staff have an annual PDP and undertake the relevant statutory mandatory training and appraisals.

To ensure performance issues are dealt with in an appropriate and timely manner and follow the Trust's Disciplinary or Managing Performance Procedures where formal action is necessary.

To develop professional standards within the Finance Department and actively seek and encourage feedback from users of financial services to enable continuous improvements plans to be implemented.

To observe and comply with the Trust's policies and procedures for Health and Safety ensuring the environment in which you and your staff work is safe, clean and tidy.

To comply with standard infection control precautions to prevent or minimise the spread of micro-organisms and communicable diseases to patients, staff and surrounding community.

To observe and continually promote equal opportunities in compliance with the Trust's policies on Equality and Diversity and Dignity at Work.

To ensure that all financial procedures comply with the 'Standing Financial Instructions', and raise awareness of the SFls across the Trust.

To create a culture which ensures the benefits to patients are maximised through careful, economical and appropriate use of NHS resources including equipment, property, money and time.

As a member of the Finance Department management team, take collective responsibility for decisions made.

Research and Development Responsibilities

To lead on finance staff development ensuring that the department has appropriate training policies and practices in place. Regularly reviews policies and procedures and recommends and/or implements improvements to them.

Responsible for developing and embedding strategic finance capability and capacity across the finance department and wider organisation.

To lead development and implementation of financial policies, procedures and processes to ensure they are compliant with current accounting practice and be responsible for the interpretation and application of appropriate accounting and forecasting techniques both within the finance department and across the wider organisation.

To lead the continuous improvement and effectiveness of financial forecasting and modelling processes to support the changing needs of the Trust.

To demonstrate a commitment to Continuing Professional Development.

Financial and Physical Resources

Responsible for professional advice to Directors (Executive and Non-Executive), budget holder to set budgets. This budgetary responsibility relates to a total budget of £404m covering all Trust areas of revenue income and expenditure and £20.8m of annual capital expenditure.

Support the development of Financial Strategies to deliver service development and cost improvements. This requires the post holder to provide expert advice on how to identify opportunities and deliver change and improve services within the allocated budget and resource availability.

Support the delivery of operational performance targets.

Information Resources

Responsible for the integrity and quality of financial information which is recorded and reported from long term financial model across the Trust and to the Trust Executive, Board and Regulators.

The post holder will be responsible for the development and design of information, KPls and reporting systems to meet the needs on individual customers and the business as a whole.

The post holder will undertake data analysis, reporting and integration of data before designing and developing options and solutions with stakeholders.

The role will require the post holder to use Excel, Access, the general ledger, forecasting system. In addition analysis, interpretation and reporting of Directorate specific information systems and external data and benchmarking.

Other

Provide cover for CFO, Financial Controller and senior colleagues as appropriate. Assist in producing ad hoc reports and in project work.

Undertake any other duties requested as appropriate to the banding.

Mental Effort

This role requires frequent, intense and prolonged concentration. The role has daily requirement for concentration for more than half the shift analysing and reviewing highly complex financial and non-financial data and other highly complex information. The post involves attending Board and Executive meetings that require prolonged periods of intense concentration. There is a high level of unpredictability in that post holders will be interrupted and will need to move between activities to meet stakeholder needs and requests.

Person Specification

Key

Essential (E), Desirable (D), Application (A), Interview (I), Test (T)

Qualifications, Accreditations, Education

CCAB recognised accountancy qualification (E, A)

Significant post qualification experience in a senior accounting role gained ideally in a large audit firm and in a senior financial account in a role. (E, A)

An MBA or equivalent experience of managing part of the Finance function in a large service delivery organisation (E, A)

Undertaken a variety of additional short courses to develop specialist knowledge (E, A, I)

Significant experience and knowledge gained through working in specialist areas within organisations and from exposure to differing business models (E, A, I)

Evidence of Continuing Professional Development (E, A, I)

Experience

Experience of delivering a customer focused service to ensure that the finance department matches the operational needs of the Trust. (E, A, I, T)

Considerable experience of using computer based financial systems in a complex environment. Able to contribute to the ongoing development of financial systems and processes. (E, A, I, T)

Experience of negotiating and agreeing deadliness and standards and quality of work with other departments (E, A, I, T)

Significant experience of managing, motivating and developing a team. Experience of setting objectives, carrying out staff appraisals, identifying training needs , mentoring and coaching staff. Experience of performance management including managing poor performance and sickness matters. (E, A, I, T)

Experience of working at a strategic level, able to recognise direction and implications of policy (E, A, I, T)

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

Specialist in technical accounting issues, the post holder must be able to demonstrate sound technical accounting knowledge. This must include the application of knowledge from IFRS (E, A, I, T)

Able to demonstrate sound analytical skills with the ability to deal effectively with large quantities of complex data, both financial and non-financial and producing clear and understandable recommendations from it. (E, A, I, T)

Good knowledge of the Trust, its aims, targets to be delivered, structures and activities (E, A, I, T)

Able to demonstrate a detailed knowledge of the NHS as a whole, its strategic direction and implications of policy. (E, A, I, T)

Awareness: up to date with the NHS policy, national directives and all Governance aspect but with a specific emphasis on NHS Finance (E, A, I, T)

Experience of the NHS planning process and Tariff development including Payment by Results (E, A, I, T)

Able to predict or calculate the resources and/or time needed for an activity using knowledge and experience and aware of the need to make realistic predictions and contingency plans. (E, A, I, T)

Able to make effective contributions to the decision making process within the Finance team and more widely for the Trust (E, A, I, T)

Able to contribute to the strategic direction of the Trust and to approach issues with a broad view. (E, A, I, T)

Considerable experience of using computer base.d financial systems in a complex environment. Able to contribute to the ongoing development of financial systems and processes (E, A, I, T)

Highly developed IT Skills (E, A, I, T)

Able to plan and co-ordinate the work of the financial accounts team and of other teams in / outside of Finance to meet the month end and year-end timetables. Experience of negotiating and agreeing deadliness and standards and quality of work with other departments. (E, A, I, T)

Highly developed level of communication and interpersonal skills that enable highly complex technical issues to be explained in clear and concise terms. (E, A, I, T)

Highly developed influencing skills; with senior health care professionals across the Health Community and external organisations (E, A, I, T)

Able to adapt readily and respond constructively to change and to work effectively in a variety of situations with groups or individuals (E, A, I, T)

Able to persuade others at all levels, including Executive Directors and clinicians, of a particular course of action or viewpoint, whilst respecting their point of view. (E, A, I, T)

Able to establish a course of action for self and others to ensure that objectives are achieved (E, A, I, T)

Contributes to effective team working within the Finance Department and other senior teams in the Trust. (E, A, I, T)

Regularly reviews policies and procedures and recommends and/or implements improvements to them. (E, A, I, T)

Promotes the Finance Department within the organisation. (E, A, I, T)

Able to manage and motivate staff, focus on key issues and is committed to the organisation and personal self development (E, A, I, T)

Maintains realistic and acceptable performance when under pressure (E, A, I, T)

Smart and professional appearance (E, A, I, T)

Able and willing to travel between the two sites. (E, A, I, T)

Able to exercise judgement, express opinion and present recommendations impartially. (E, A, I, T)

Readily makes decisions and takes action based upon logical assumptions which reflect factual information. (E, A, I, T)

Applies a range of styles and approaches to situations to ensure good achievement or maximum effectiveness (E, A, I, T)

Visualises tasks, activities, processes and outcomes in a range of situations. (E, A, I, T)

Other Requirements

Positive attitude towards learning and development (E, A, I)

Ability to maintain concentration for long and frequent periods (E, A, I)

Ability to work on a computer with a monitor for extended periods (E, A, I)

Ability to work flexibly and travel frequently between Trust sites (E, A)

An understanding of and demonstrable commitment to equal opportunities and the importance of valuing diversity (E, A, I)

Low level of absence due to sickness (E, A, I, T)

Advanced keyboard skills and use of various software to produce reports and enable the production of powerful visual presentations and info graphics to share highly complex information (E, A, I, T)

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