Senior Finance Assistant
South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust is one of the top performing organisations within the NHS. Our staff think this is a great place to work and we hope you will agree. We have recently been rated as 'Outstanding' by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) following our most recent inspection.
We provide services across Warwickshire and beyond ranging from Hospitals in Warwick, Stratford-Upon-Avon, Royal Leamington Spa and Shipston-on Stour to Community Services across the whole county. This includes our Community Teams in North Warwickshire.
We are a progressive, expanding organisation with great ambition around improving quality, integrating pathways and delivering high levels of productivity. Over 6000 people work for the Trust and many of them have been here a long time. People find they don’t need to go elsewhere to find a fulfilling career in healthcare.
The first thing you will notice about us is how we take our values seriously. We believe that our values underpin everything we do. If you are interested in a role with us you need to make sure our values match your own.
Our values can be summed up in one sentence. We are ‘Trusted to provide inclusive, safe, effective and compassionate care’. Throughout the recruitment process you will be asked to think about how you demonstrate these values and how they impact on your work.It doesn’t matter what role you do, whether it is patient facing or not, we are all working in the same way with our values at the core.
Probationary Period
All new staff to the Trust will be subject to a standard 6 month probationary period, the details of which will duly follow in your contract of employment.
Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion
South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust is committed to creating and sustaining a positive and inclusive working environment for all our employees. Our aim is to ensure that employees are equally valued and respected and that our organisation is representative of all members of society.We define diversity as valuing everyone as an individual – we value our employees, job applicants, students, patients and visitors as people. This is reflected within our values of being Inclusive, Safe, Effective, Compassionate and Trusted.
Agile and Flexible Working
All our staff will have a work base. However the Trust operates as an Agile Working Team therefore staff may be working from home on a regular basis as required by the service. However, occasionally travel around Warwickshire and into your base will be required so access to your own transport would be helpful.
The Trust also welcome staff to work flexibly and we would welcome the conversation at interview regarding flexible working.
Staff Benefits
The Trust offer a wide range of additional benefits to staff. Anyone who joins us on a substantive basis can assess things such as the Lease Car Scheme, Electronics Scheme, Discounted Leisure and Travel, Cycle to work scheme amongst many others available.
Car Parking
The Trust have recently completed the construction of a multi-storey car park at our Warwick Hospital site which has allowed us to reduce waiting times for car parking passes.
To keep up to date on our latest recruitment activity follow us on twitter @swftrecruit or look us up on Facebook (Recruitment - South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust).
Job overview
The Financial Reporting and Strategy team is a small important team within the finance department of South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust.
As a senior finance assistant in the Financial Reporting and Strategy team you will support the Senior Finance Manager and Finance Manager in providing a quality and continually improving financial service for SWFT Charity.
Main duties of the job
To support the Finance Manager (Financial Reporting and Strategy) in providing a quality and continually improving financial service for SWFT Charity, specifically in the following areas:
- Day to day management of Charitable Funds finances to ensure timely provision of statements to all Fund Managers.
- Preparation of reports for Charity Trustee meetings.
- Preparation of the Annual Accounts and Report for Charitable Funds, including submission of the annual return to the Charity Commission.
- Liaison with internal and external auditors as appropriate.
- Working closely with the Charity’s Fundraising team to help provide a quality service.
Working for our organisation
Come and join a Trust rated Outstanding by the CQC. South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust have been rated as outstanding following our latest inspection by the CQC and we are recruiting new staff to come and help us improve even further.
We provide services across Warwickshire and beyond ranging from Hospitals in Warwick, Stratford-Upon-Avon, Royal Leamington Spa and Shipston-on Stour to Community Services across the county. We are a progressive, expanding organisation with great ambition around improving quality, integrating pathways and delivering high levels of productivity.
Our values can be summed up in one sentence. We are ‘Trusted to provide safe, effective and compassionate care’. Throughout the recruitment process you will be asked to think about how you demonstrate these values and how they impact on your work.It doesn’t matter what role you do, whether it is patient facing or not, we are all working in the same way with our values at the core.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The post holder is responsible for the day-to-day management of Charitable Funds. This will include the following:
- Review of expenditure applications to ensure that it meets the fund objectives and is in accordance with guidelines, negotiation with requisitioners where appropriate to understand reasons for using charitable funds and provide advice and training on what falls within the charity’s remit.
- Input of income and expenditure onto the Charitable Funds system on a weekly basis
- Commitments against funds are recorded in the Charitable Funds system
- Preparation of monthly reports, to include reconciliation of all control accounts including providing analysis of outstanding transactions to managers
- Monthly transaction reports sent to all fund holders
- VAT advice to fund managers and Trustee – specifically relating to the Zero rating of medical equipment
- Liaise with suppliers to ensure zero rating is achieved on medical equipment, including negotiation of the charity’s position where appropriate.
- Providing advice and guidance to fund holders to ensure that any expenditure is in accordance with the funds objectives and that income is maximised.
- Gift Aid returns submitted to HMRC on a quarterly basis.
- Contact point for both internal and external audit enquiries regarding the charity, dealing with complex queries and resolving issues independently where possible.
- Recording of all potential income due from legacies and follow up outstanding legacies by verbal / email communication with executors/solicitors in a sensitive nature as this will relate to individual’s wills and legacies.
The postholder will plan their own workload, ensuring that the deadlines and timetables as agreed with the Finance Manager (Financial Reporting & Strategy) are adhered to.
The postholder will be required to prepare and write reports for the quarterly meetings of the Charity Trustee, including analysis of expenditure against spending plans and analysis of movements during the year where appropriate
The postholder will be required to produce the statutory returns required by the Charities Commission and HMRC, including the annual accounts and report, annual return and any Gift Aid returns, through analysis of the year’s accounts.
To prepare and circulate the spending plans report to all fund managers, working with fund managers to help formulate the plans for their funds.
To collate the responses into a report for Trustees and to evaluate the implications of the plans on the charity’s funds.
To be responsible for the day-to-day management of the bank accounts associated with the Charitable Funds including the monthly reconciliation of all accounts and the reconciliation of any external investments.
The postholder will be required to keep up to date with specialist technical issues concerning the operation of the Charitable Fund, including accounting and taxation changes, to provide guidance to relevant parties, including internal staff, Trustees and external fundraisers, to ensure the correct application within the accounts.
Develop an awareness of all key Trustwide financial issues and contribute to the achievement of the Trust financial targets.
To ensure that all internal and external audit recommendations are appropriately implemented.
To deliver training sessions to staff with regard to charitable funds.
To maintain an authorised signatory database in accordance with the Trust’s Standing Financial Instructions. To include:
- Liaison with financial management staff to ensure budget holder detail is correct and kept up to date.
- Issue signatory forms to new budget holders and update the database.
- Issue the database to appropriate departments on a quarterly basis
Management
Responsible for ensuring all standard operating procedures are regularly reviewed, updated and issued as appropriate.
Work with colleagues across the Trust to help improve processes.
Work with the Finance Manager (Financial Reporting & Strategy) to update and improve policies relating to the charity.
Work with colleagues within the finance team to ensure that the finance department maintains a professional, unified approach within a framework of clear and consistent accounting and budgetary policies.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria- AAT Technician Level 4 or equivalent
- Degree or equivalent experience
- CCAB part qualified
Experience
Essential criteria- Experience in any role requiring face-to-face contact with customers where a high degree of interpersonal skills are required
- Experience in a finance role utilising double entry accounting skills
- Experience in writing reports for senior management
Skills/Knowledge
Essential criteria- Ability to design and format spreadsheets on a regular basis for specific purposes
- Ability to input and manipulate data accurately into databases and spreadsheets
- Excellent communication skills required as this post requires direct communication with patients, carers, hospital managers, and external stakeholders, e.g. auditors, solicitors
- Specialist knowledge and understanding of accounting procedures/principles and regulations including Charity Commission guidance or willingness to complete training to achieve
- Detailed knowledge of tax and VAT regulations as they relate to the Charitable Funds or willingness to complete training to achieve
- Presentational skills e.g. finance training for finance and non-finance managers
Personal Qualities
Essential criteria- Ability to plan and organise own workload in order to achieve tight deadlines, some of which may span a period of work over several months
- Able to work on own initiative and as part of a team
Other
Essential criteria- Able to deal with frequent interruptions and reschedule tasks accordingly
- Attention to detail
- A methodical and orderly approach to working practices
- The postholder will maintain confidentiality where appropriate both within the Trust and externally, including information regarding patients.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Sometimes we get a lot of applications for our roles. On those occasions we might close the job early. If you don’t want to miss out we recommend submitting your application as early as possible.
The Trust use an Applicant Management System called TRAC which helps us manage the recruitment process. All communications regarding your application will come via TRAC (even if you applied via NHS Jobs).
Please check your TRAC account regularly and ensure your email is set up to accept messages so they don't go into your junk/spam folder.
We aim to shortlist all vacancies within 2 days of the vacancy closing, we will get back to all candidates ASAP.
Please ensure all sections of the application form are completed fully. Please particularly ensure that you provide full details of all referees including business email address, telephone contact details and postal address.
South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust is an equal opportunities employer who is committed to Equality and Diversity and does not tolerate discrimination or harassment on the grounds of any protected characteristic as defined by the Equality Act 2010.
All South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust sites are smoke free. We feel it’s a great way to help our patients, visitors and staff stay healthy.
The Trust is part of a ‘Foundation Group’ through a strategic alliance with Wye Valley NHS Trust, George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust and Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust. This partnership is great for the sustainability of all four organisations and allows us to share learning and maximise opportunities to ensure the delivery of high quality health and care services for our local populations.