About this role
Job summary
The Senior Finance Business Partner is responsible for providing strategic and operational financial leadership to Divisional management teams, ensuring that financial resources are used effectively to support delivery of the Trust's objectives. The postholder leads all aspects of financial management for their portfolio, including budget setting, forecasting, financial reporting, business case support, efficiency programmes, financial recovery plans and long-term financial planning.
The role acts as a trusted advisor to senior operational managers, translating complex financial information into clear business insight and providing constructive challenge to performance, costs and decision-making. The postholder is expected to influence senior leaders, support major service developments, identify risks and opportunities, and ensure robust financial governance across their areas of responsibility.
In addition to financial leadership responsibilities, the role manages and develops a team of Finance Business Partners, Management Accountants and trainees, ensuring the delivery of accurate month-end reporting, strong financial controls and a high-quality finance business partnering service. The postholder also deputises for the Head of Management Accounts when required.
Main duties of the job
- Lead financial support for Divisional services and senior management teams.
- Deliver monthly reporting, forecasting and financial performance analysis.
- Lead annual budget setting and business planning processes.
- Support development of the Trust's operational and long-term financial strategy.
- Challenge financial performance and drive efficiency improvement programmes.
- Provide financial advice on business cases, service developments and investment decisions.
- Lead and develop finance staff, ensuring delivery of Finance KPIs and service standards.
- Build strong relationships with Divisional leaders, budget holders and wider stakeholders.
- Contribute to deficit recovery, productivity improvement and medium-term financial planning
UKVI Sponsorship: This role is eligible for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI). We welcome applications from individuals who require sponsorship to work in the UK. Sponsorship will be offered subject to meeting UKVI eligibility criteria.
About us
At DCHFT, we pride ourselves on the care we provide for our patients, and on the culture we are creating for our staff. We work hard to create a fair, inclusive environment for our staff.
Our Mission is to provide outstanding care for people in ways which matter to them, and our vision is Dorset County Hospital, working with our health and social care partners, will be at the heart of improving the well-being of our communities.
We are a Trust that celebrates diversity, and we are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We welcome applications from people in all under-represented groups.
We understand that AI can be a useful tool when completing your application. However, we are seeing an increasing over-reliance of AI tools, which can negatively affect your application as it reduces a candidate's individuality, and makes it difficult for us to gain a clear and authentic understanding of your experience, skills, and in turn your suitability for the role.
All submissions must be truthful and if you do use AI, it should only be used to enhance your application and not create your supporting statement in its entirety. Your supporting statement should be in your own words and must accurately reflect your personal experience and achievements. Where we have concerns that AI has been used to generate content that misrepresents your experience and suitability for the role, we may withdraw your application.
Job description
Job responsibilities
The postholder will report to the Head of Management Accounts and will be the responsible primary finance contact providing robust management accounts for the Divisional functions within the Trust linked to the Trusts strategic objectivesThe post holder will deputise for the Head of Management Accounts as necessaryThe post holder will ensure effective use of the Divisional financial resources in pursuit of agreed goals, in line with the Trusts Standing Financial Instructions The post holder will constructively and positively challenge all aspects of Divisional financial performance, whilst maintaining excellent working relationshipsThe post holder will play a primary role in providing comprehensive, proactive management accounts support, providing a full range of advice to senior managers related to the relevant budget areaThe post holder will produce robust monthly reporting position in line with timetable to enable accurate, timely and effective reporting for Divisional leads linked to workforce, activity and performance areas that will directly contribute to wider Trust reporting, working closely with colleagues to ensure accurate results and delivery to timetableThe post holder will provide an accurate monthly forecast position of the Divisional areas financial position for that year against the planned position with detailed risks, mitigations and opportunities highlighted Thepost holder will provide monthly financial reports for the Divisional areas that are effective and useful to support decisions and delivery of efficienciesThe post holder will support the Divisional areas in the financial aspects of business case production and provide advice and support as necessary, with a clear understanding of workforce, activity and performance implications required including impact of support service areas as required The post holder will contribute relevant data supporting the development of the Trusts operational plan and long term financial strategy, working closely and effectively with other members of the senior finance teamTo post holder will have a key role planning and coordinating the Divisional areas annual business planning including the development of budgets and supporting with Sustainability and Efficiency programmes for these areasThe post holder will manage and support a team of staff in accordance with Trust policies and ensuring the team provide a high quality service to their customers and be responsible for accurate, timely month end production, proactive reporting and internal controls including the delivery of appropriate Finance KPIsThe post holder will ensure that all budget managers receive regular appropriate training in the understanding and interpretation of financial reports including cost control best practice and ensure they are capable of reviewing them and taking the appropriate action of their own initiative The post holder will support the annual business planning round, responsible for Divisional areas including development of the Trust plan, budget setting, income generation support, business development, Sustainability and Efficiency delivery, medium term financial planning and underlying deficit recovery including Productivity and benchmarking reviews
Person Specification
Education, Qualifications and Training
- Essential
- Professional qualification (CCAB) in accountancy (CIMA, ACA, CIPFA, ACCA) or demonstrable experience at a senior level in a similar environment
- Evidence of having kept technically up to date
Experience
Essential
- Significant, recent experience in a senior finance position
- In depth and applied knowledge of financial and accounting procedures
- Experience of budgetary control, financial planning and forecasting in the NHS or an equivalent large and complex organisation
Desirable
- Significant experience of managing and developing staff
Skills, Abilities and Knowledge
Essential
- Excellent analytical skills
- Excellent communicator both verbally and in writing
- Ability to present and explain financial information in a manner that can easily be understood by non-finance managers
- Ability to make use of systems (e.g. Excel, Microsoft Word) to prepare and present accurate, clear information and to identify what can be produced from other financial systems
- Record of delivering to tight deadlines
- Record of improving processes and reporting in previous roles
- Record of influencing staff, colleagues and budget holders to achieve positive outcomes
- Record of analysing areas of work to identify and implement improvements
- Record of successfully training and coaching staff
- Team player who complies with policies set by senior management
- Flexible and resilient
Disclosure and Barring Service Check
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Certificate of Sponsorship
Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Employer details
Employer name
Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Address
Colliton House
Dorchester
DT1 1JH
United Kingdom
Employer's website
https://www.dchft.nhs.uk/working-for-us/ (Opens in a new tab)