[ref. p02349600] Financial Accounts Assistant

We are East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS), an organisation focused on delivering a high standard of emergency and urgent care to our patients across the region.

The East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EMAS) provides Emergency, Urgent and Non-Emergency pre-hospital care and transport across six counties (Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire & Rutland and Northamptonshire).

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an enthusiastic and highly motivated Financial Accounts Assistants to provide a professional financial accounting service supporting the Head of Financial Accounting in all aspects of financial accounting.

The output of the finance team is crucial to maintaining financial control, scrutiny of income/expenditure and ensuring the achievement of financial targets. The team is also responsible for the maintenance of the integrity of the financial systems and ensuring they are compliant with Standing Financial Instructions.

We are looking to recruit a Financial Accounts Assistant with a drive to add value and be a real team player as well as being able to work autonomously. As we are a small finance department, there are many learning opportunities to broaden your finance experience.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will be reporting to the Head of Financial Accounting in all aspects of the systems, processes and controls involved in the day to day management of Cash and Financial Accounting and aspects of Capital. This is a challenging and multi-faceted role which combines a requirement for the highest standards of technical competence in managing the outputs of a finance team.

The postholder must have:

• Good standard of education to A-Level or equivalent.
• Full commitment to undertake continual personal development.
• Work experience.
• Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office packages and general computer literacy.
• Good spreadsheet, numeracy and analytical skills.
• Good communication skills both written and verbal.

Working for our organisation

The finance department consists of two teams; Financial Management and Financial Accounting. The Financial Accounting Team is a small team that provides full training to prepare any post holder to become a professional qualified accountant.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

1. Maintain procedure notes for own area of work.
2. Be actively involved in the continuous review and improvement of all accounting processes and information.
3. Undertake job rotation within the finance team to enhance finance skills and competencies.
4. Monthly reconciliation of control accounts for Statement of Financial Position codes within an agreed timetable. This will include clearing items to the appropriate areas by investigating unreconciled balances.
5. Ensure the control account checklist is completed in full on a monthly basis for audit purposes.
6. Support the day to day management of the Financial Accounting Team Mailbox.
7. Provide support to finance managers and the wider Finance Department.

1. Lead and monitor the Trusts database in relation to sales invoice preparation and processing.
2. Support the Head of Financial Accounting in the development and maintenance of the debt management process, working closely with NHCT Accounts Receivable Team and finance managers to resolve issues and the referral of debts to an external debt recovery company by completing case preparations.
3. Support the Senior Financial Accountant in producing the salary overpayments analysis data from reviewing the aged debtors report, escalating any aged debts to relevant finance managers for resolution in line with Trust protocols.
4. Investigate unallocated income and advise correct allocation or budget code.

1. Support and monitor the No Purchase Order No Pay scheme from a finance perspective, working closely with the Procurement department and finance managers to ensure continual adoption of the policy and review of Goods Received Not Invoiced Accruals.
2. Prepare ad-hoc supplier faster payment requests for processing.
3. Produce and complete supplier set up requests as and when required.
4. Produce and upload the Accounts Payable Collection return via the NHS Digital portal.
5. Support the production of the monthly agency cost analysis reconciliation.
6. Produce new supplier requests for authorisation and submission to NHCT Accounts Payable Team.
7. Support the Finance Officer with the role of Invoice Query Manager within Integra.

1. Have a working knowledge of VAT legislation as it is applied within the NHS.
2. Ensure that the Trusts VAT claim is submitted in a timely and accurate manner, dealing with queries as appropriate.

1. Assist in the production of internal and external monthly, quarterly and annual returns and reporting.
2. Carry out all month end ledger closedown processes as per the timetable.
3. Prepare and present the aged debt report analysis for the month end review meeting.
4. Support the preparing and uploading of the monthly stock orders.
5. Ensure that all Error Suspense Accounts are cleared at each month end.
6. Produce and review the Income Reconciliation Report for the month end review meeting.
7. Participate fully in the month end review meetings.
8. Liaise and discuss all aspects of duties with internal and external audit teams.
9. Support the Trainee Financial Accountant on the NHS Agreement of Balances exercise on a quarterly basis.
10. Prepare year end declaration point working papers on a monthly/quarterly basis.
11. Prepare and upload relevant expenditure journals, ensure the control log is complete and journals are authorised and include appropriate supporting information.

1. Lead the production of the daily cash flow forecast, investigating receipts without remittances.
2. Responsible for the reconciliation of the unallocated cash control account and unreconciled bank items.
3. Monitor the monthly breakdown of the bank charges from the bank and process accordingly, ensuring that this is coded accurately in the general ledger.
4. Assist with the Trusts Petty Cash reimbursement requests ensuring petty cash holders are reimbursed in a timely manner.

1. Support the Senior Financial Accountant/Trainee Financial Accountant in producing analysis of salary overpayments data.
2. Reconcile all payroll deductions to Electronic Staff Records (ESR) reports, ensuring timely payment to third parties and accurate coding by NHCT Cash Management Team.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Good standard of education to A-Level or equivalent.

• Educated to Degree level or equivalent.
• Full Member of the Healthcare Financial Management Association.
• ECDL.
• Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) Qualified with membership / NVQ Level 4 in Finance or equivalent.

Experience

• Work experience.

• Previous experience in a finance environment.
• Previous NHS finance experience.

Knowledge

• Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office packages and general computer literacy.
• Good spreadsheet skills
• Good numeracy skills
• Good analytical skills
• Attention to detail and accuracy.
• Flexibility in working hours in accordance with the work commitments and needs of the department and Trust policies.
• Willing to accept additional responsibilities as delegated by senior members of the team.

• Understanding of the NHS financial regime.
• Knowledge and understanding of financial services processes
• Knowledge of Integra Financial System.
• Use of financial ledger and reporting packages.
• Experience with computerised financial systems

Personal Attributes

• Display a positive, professional, enthusiastic and helpful approach.
• Reliable, good time keeping, honesty and integrity.
• Works effectively as part of a team.
• Easily adapts to changing circumstances.

The East Midlands has a lot to offer:

Excellent Location

Making a Difference

Action Packed Roles

Support and Belonging

Note on Covid-19 Vaccination status:

It is a clear professional responsibility of all health care staff to be vaccinated. EMAS NHS Trust therefore encourages and supports all employees to be vaccinated as it remains the best line of defence against COVID 19.

If you haven’t heard back from us within eight weeks of the closing date please consider your application unsuccessful.

Due to the high volume of applications received we are unable to provide updates on the progress of applications and only successful candidates at shortlisting stage will be contacted, regrettably feedback will not be provided. If you are unsuccessful at this stage please refer back to the job description, person specification and advertised requirements for ways to improve your future applications.

Internal candidates applying for vacancies must have completed their probationary period (stated within your contract) at point of application.

East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust is an equal opportunities and Disability Confident employer, committed to ensuring equality of opportunity. We actively encourage interest from across our diverse communities. Black and Minority Ethnic staff are currently under-represented within our workforce, and we welcome applications from within these communities.

If it works for our service, we will do our best to make it work for you.

We believe that it’s our people who make EMAS what it is.

Our Vision - Responding to patient needs in the right way, developing our organisation to become outstanding for patients and staff, and collaborating to improve wider healthcare.

Please note we reserve the right to withdraw this vacancy if an internal member of staff on our redeployment register expresses an interest and is successful for this vacancy, or if a sufficient number of applications is received.

Please be aware if you are applying for a Frontline role, an Enhanced DBS clearance check will be required, and depending on the nature of other non-patient facing roles this check may also be required if offered a position with EMAS (All spent and unspent convictions must declared).

If you are not part of the update service, you will be liable for the payment and this will be deducted from your first months’ salary. The current cost of an enhanced DBS check is £43.88.