Finance Officer - Acute and CommunityNHS

Job summary

We are seeking a motivated and analytical Finance Officer to join our Acute and Community Finance Team.

This is an exciting opportunity to support the financial management of acute, community, ambulance, NHS 111 and Better Care Fund contracts.

Working with finance colleagues, commissioning teams and healthcare providers, you will support budget setting, reporting, forecasting, contract monitoring and payments. You will analyse financial information, monitor budgets and variances, complete reconciliations, support business cases and provide clear information for decision-making.

You will have finance experience, strong Excel and analytical skills, and the ability to interpret and present complex information clearly. You must be organised, proactive and able to manage competing priorities and deadlines.

The role offers an excellent opportunity to develop your NHS finance career, gain experience across a diverse service portfolio and work within a supportive team.

Applicants must hold a full AAT qualification, be part-qualified with a CCAB/CIMA accountancy body, or have equivalent relevant finance experience. You must demonstrate the technical knowledge and practical skills required, with a commitment to continuous professional development.

Main duties of the job

As a Finance Officer within the Acute and Community Finance Team, you will support the effective financial management of a wide range of healthcare services, including acute, community, ambulance and place-based contracts.

Key responsibilities include:

• Supporting the preparation of monthly financial reports, forecasts and budget monitoring information.
• Undertaking financial analysis, modelling and variance investigations to support decision-making and performance management.
• Monitoring and reporting on a portfolio of healthcare contracts and budgets, identifying risks and opportunities.
• Processing journals, payment schedules, invoices and reconciliations, ensuring financial transactions are accurate and compliant with relevant policies and procedures.
• Supporting the development of business cases, efficiency programmes and service improvement initiatives.
• Preparing financial information and returns for internal and external stakeholders, including NHS England requirements.
• Building effective working relationships with finance teams, commissioners, healthcare providers and external partners to resolve queries and support service delivery
• Maintaining accurate financial records and contribute to strong financial governance and control process
• Contributing to continuous improvement activities, identifying opportunities to enhance financial processes, reporting and ways of working

Job description

The postholder will be accountable for:

• Supporting the Senior Finance Manager with monthly accounting processes including supporting monthly reporting to budget holders. This includes timely financial analysis and modelling on a routine and ad hoc basis to ensure that monthly reports and forecasts represent a true and fair view of the ICBs financial position.
• Undertaking monthly reconciliation of the ledger to ensure that all transactions are coded correctly, to post ledger journals where required and on behalf of the team.
• Undertaking in-depth financial analysis, interpreting data trends and variances, and presenting findings to senior finance colleagues and stakeholders to inform strategic decisions.
• For a range of specific healthcare contracts and programme/projects to be responsible for budget setting and in-year monitoring and reporting of variances and areas of risk. This will also include supporting the team to meet any external reporting requirements.
• Processing mandate payment schedules in line with contract values, processing non-purchase invoices ensuring these are correctly validated and coded.
• Liaising and working with providers for the relevant contracts/projects and resolving payment queries.
• Producing complex financial analysis and modelling to tight deadlines and to a high standard of accuracy, using information from various sources outside of the general ledger. This can include support to the development of healthcare programme reporting, for projects related to value and efficiency
• Preparation of sales invoices and processing of credit notes and raising of purchase orders and liaising with suppliers and the finance team to ensure prompt and accurate payment of invoices/reimbursements.
• Following financial policy and process to ensure funding allocations are spent in line with guidance and relevant accounting/procurement processes.
• The post holder will be responsible for month-to-month management of the ICB cash requirements including, cash flow forecasting and cash management for specific budget areas.
• Completion of reconciliations relating to contracts and other areas as required.
• To support the implementation of projects and provide the financial support in the development of business cases as appropriate
• Providing financial information to support financial returns/requests to external stakeholders, e.g. financial submissions to NHS England, Freedom of Information Requests, ensuring that all financial information is accurate and submitted on time.
• Working to tight timescales and fixed deadlines with peaks in workload requiring increased focus and effort, particularly at month end and during the year end accounting process and the annual contracting round
• Utilising benchmarking data to assess performance against standards set both internally and externally by NHSE
• Contributing to the continuous improvement of financial processes, identifying efficiencies, and supporting wider financial projects as directed by senior finance staff.
• To contribute to the development and improvement of the ICB finance team as a service provider by suggesting improvements to working practices; documenting procedures; maintaining a robust filing structure; organising own time to meet departmental and statutory deadlines; and supporting the development of other members of staff.

About us

Birmingham, the Black Country and Solihull Integrated Care System bring together the NHS, councils and voluntary sector to serve 2.7 million people. Our vision is to be the healthiest place to live and work, improving life chances and reducing inequalities.

You will model system values, champion inclusion and actively address health inequalities, helping create an environment where everyone can thrive. In return, the Cluster offers a supportive, ambitious and inclusive environment with opportunities to develop and work across partners to deliver meaningful change.

The ICB is committed to having a workforce which is representative of the population of Birmingham, the Black Country, and Solihull Cluster. Our current staffing profile demonstrates that we are not as representative as we would like to be at this level within the organisation. We would actively welcome applications from women and people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds for this role.

The ICB is registered as a Disability Confident Employer. We actively welcome applications from applicants with a disability and commit to shortlisting all such suitable applicants who meet the essential criteria for an interview. Please let us know of any reasonable adjustments you require to participate in the recruitment process.