About this role
Job summary
The Birmingham, Black Country and Solihull (BBCS) ICB Cluster is seeking a Senior Finance Officer Acute & Community to join our Finance Directorate. Reporting to the Senior Finance Manager you will provide financial management support to budget holders across a portfolio of Acute and Community services whilst contributing to wider strategic objectives anchored in the 10 Year Health Plan for England, including:
- Commissioning for Value and Outcomes
- Accelerating Neighbourhood Health
- Making Best Use of Digital Solution in Care Pathways
- Improving Financial Discipline and Service Productivity
- Advancing Heath Equity
- Integrated Partnership Working.
We are looking for an individual educated to degree level in a related subject (or equivalent qualification) with significant NHS financial management experience, excellent analytical skills who is able to build positive working relationships, has a demonstrable understanding of equality and diversity and able to manage their own workload. In return, you will join a supportive, forward-thinking team offering flexible hybrid working, professional development opportunities and the chance to make a real difference to the health of our communities.
Main duties of the job
Support the Senior Finance Manager in delivering financial management, accounting, and reporting services. Produce monthly management accounts and forecasts, maintain financial records, and manage ledger processes.
Provide financial support to commissioning teams, programme managers, and budget holders for Sandwell & West Birmingham, Dudley acute and Community contracts. Undertake financial analysis, investigate variances, support budget setting and in-year monitoring, and provide financial advice to support decision-making.
Process journals, invoices, purchase orders, accruals, and credit notes, ensuring compliance with financial policies, standing financial instructions, and statutory requirements. Prepare financial reports, support audits and external returns, respond to information requests, and assist with contract and project financial management.
Maintain effective relationships with finance teams, commissioners, providers, local authorities, and external organisations. Contribute to cash flow, funding allocations, projects, service developments, business cases, and performance reviews. Promote good governance, accountability, and financial stewardship while meeting deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
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.
Job description Job responsibilities
More information can be found on the attached job description.
The postholder will act as a representative and ambassador of the organisation and must demonstrate high standards of behaviour commensurate with a finance professional whilst providing financial management support to the Acute & Community services areas of the ICB.
You will be a key member of the Financial Management function, supporting the ICB to make the best use of resources and improve equity to ensure a marked difference in patient outcomes within the Acute and Community setting.
In carrying out your role, at least one of the agreed strategic anchors should be at the core of everything you do:
Commissioning for Value and Outcomes
Accelerating Neighbourhood Health at Pace
Making the Best Use of Digital Solutions in our Pathways
Financial Discipline / 2% Productivity
Advancing Health Equity
Integrated Partnership
You will be accountable for:
1. 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.
2. Supporting the Acute and Community team with the financial arrangements for ICBs partnership arrangements, mainly with the Local Authorities in relation to the Better Care Fund for the local place.
3. Supporting on the completion of Freedom of Information requests that require financial input relating to ICB Acute and Community Service contracts or Better Care Fund agreements in accordance with the legislation.
4. Support the Senior Finance Manager Acute & Community with co-ordinating the financial performance of placed based responsibilities to the relevant commissioning board and project groups.
5. Undertake monthly reconciliation of the ledger to ensure that all transactions are coded correctly, to post ledger journals where required.
6. Undertaking in-depth financial analysis, interpreting data trends and variances, and presenting findings to senior finance colleagues and stakeholders to inform strategic decisions.
7. 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.
8. Processing mandate payment schedules in line with contract values, processing of Non-Purchase Order invoices ensuring these are correctly validated and coded.
9. Liaising and working with providers for the relevant contracts/projects and resolving payment queries.
10. 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
11. 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.
12. Following financial policy and process to ensure funding allocations are spent in line with guidance and relevant accounting/procurement processes.
13. The post holder will support the Financial Control team with the month-to-month management of the ICB cash requirements providing cash flow forecasting and supporting with cash management for specific budget areas.
14. Completion of reconciliations relating to contracts and other areas as required.
15. To support the implementation of projects and provide the financial support in the development of business cases as appropriate
16. 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.
17. 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
18. Utilising benchmarking data to assess performance against standards set both internally and externally by NHSE
19. Contributing to the continuous improvement of financial processes, identifying efficiencies, and supporting wider financial projects as directed by senior finance staff.
20. 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.
Key Relationships
o Finance team colleagues
o Senior finance leadership team (CFO, deputy CFOs, associate directors of finance)
o ICB staff across several directorates relevant to financial budgets, including commissioning managers and business intelligence analysts.
o Staff from other NHS organisations, e.g., NHS England and NHS providers
o Staff from non-NHS organisations e.g., local authorities, third sector and independent sector providers
o Staff from internal/external audit as appropriate in responding to audit requests
o Staff from SBS
Core Duties and Responsibilities
Communication
1. Communicate, establish, and maintain constructive relationships with a broad spectrum of key stakeholders, gaining their cooperation to support successful delivery of programmes of work within the portfolio in agreement with departmental managers and head of service as appropriate.
2. Participate in relevant internal and external working groups/projects to provide information/analytical advice and expertise to the team and wider stakeholders
3. Develop and share a clear communication plan for the service to ensure the ongoing delivery of the project objectives for the project.
4. Create and present information, including complex issues through the development of briefings and reports to a wide range of internal and external stakeholders
5. Prepare and produce concise yet insightful communications for dissemination to senior stakeholders and a broad range of stakeholders as required relating to project
Organisation and Planning
1. Develop and assist in the maintenance of project documentation to monitor progress and resources.
2. Contribute to performance improvement, taking a lead for identified areas and actions where agreed.
3. Provide coordination of and participate in relevant internal and external working groups and provide project advice, expertise and support where requested
4. Work directly with other project coordinators and officers on projects and support appropriate management and recording of information
5. Work directly with the programme lead to support the programme meetings and outcomes and support appropriate management and recording of information
6. Provide relevant and timely specialist advice and guidance on own portfolio of projects/function
7. Work with members of the internal and external teams to investigate the causes of any variance from target/plan and proactively contribute to the implementation of solutions.
8. Management of a risk and issues tracking mechanism and its proactive resolution and escalation processes.
9. Contribute to the strategic planning of the projects, identifying interdependencies across projects/functions, potential impacts on wider organisation, resource requirements and building in contingency and adjustments as necessary
10. Contribute to the development of performance and governance strategies in line with the national networks and implementation
11. Contribute to short, medium and long term business plans, achieving quality outcomes.
Person Specification
Autonomy Essential
Demonstrated capabilities to manage own workload and make informed decisions in the absence of required information. Able to use initiative to decide relevant actions and make recommendations, with the aim of improving deliverables Ability to make decisions autonomously when required, working to tight and often changing timescales
Mobility Essential
Ability to travel across sites as required
Skills and abilities Essential
Putting the long-term health, social care and well-being needs of the population first (system first) Working collaboratively with other leaders to achieve excellence in everything we do Holding yourself and others to account for delivering better outcomes Being inclusive, supportive and empowering at all times Engaging and enabling those working towards the aims we have as a collective Demonstrated capability to plan over short, medium and long-term timeframes and adjust plans and resource requirements accordingly
Experience Essential
Significant experience of successfully operating in a politically sensitive environment Experience of presenting budget reports and corresponding at a senior level to a range of audiences Significant experience of working within a finance department. Demonstrated experience of co-ordinating projects in complex and challenging environments Experience of setting up and implementing internal processes and Procedures Working knowledge of Microsoft Office with intermediate keyboard skills with the willingness to embrace technological advancements. Ability to Analyse, interpret and communicate useful financial information from large volumes of data in accordance with strict deadlines.
Desirable
Experience of monitoring budgets and business planning processes Experience of financial management accounting in the NHS Understanding of the public sector
Mobility Essential
Ability to travel across sites as required
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Essential
A demonstrable understanding of equality, diversity and inclusion with evidence of personal impact in these areas
Qualifications Essential
Educated to degree level in relevant subject or equivalent level qualification or Significant experience of working at a similar level in specialist area Post-graduate degree in a relevant subject or equivalent Evidence of continued professional development
Desirable
Actively studying towards a professional accountancy qualification CIMA or CCAB accountancy bodies
Employer details Employer name Black Country Integrated Care Board
Address Wolverhampton City Council
St. Peters Square
Wolverhampton
WV1 1SH
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://blackcountry.icb.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)