Finance Apprentice
Would you like to work in an organisation that sits in the top 10 best NHS Mental Health, Learning Disability and Community Services Trust to work for. This ranking is based on staff feedback in the 2023 NHS Staff Survey.
Job overview
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a proactive and enthusiastic individual to join our Finance Team as a Finance Apprentice on a fixed term contract for 24 months.
This is a good opportunity for development within a finance role, working across all aspects of accounting.
Alongside the practical experience you will undertake a Level 3 finance apprenticeship and study Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) Level 3. Study time of 1 day per week and off the job training will be fully supported and considered of equal importance to work experience.
Main duties of the job
As a Finance Apprentice you will rotate across a range of finance teams, spending varying months in each service during the year. This will involve the:
- Financial management team involving month end processing and reporting, budget setting
- Financial services team involving accounts payable and accounts receivable, capital accounting
- Strategic finance team, involving costings, financial analysis, benchmarking
Working for our organisation
Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust is the leading provider of health and social care services for people of all ages with mental ill-health and learning disabilities in Surrey and North East Hampshire. We also provide social care services for people with a learning disability in Croydon and ASD and ADHD assessment services in Hampshire.
We actively seek to engage people who use our services and our communities in improving the mental wellbeing of the local population. We work closely with other NHS and voluntary sector organisations who provide services and support people who use services and carers.
Surrey is a beautiful county lying just 30 minutes away from Central London and from the South Coast.
Our historic market towns and bustling districts are enveloped in wonderful countryside, and our excellent road and rail networks bring the rest of the country within easy reach.
For international travel, both Gatwick and Heathrow airports are nearby.
Please note that we reserve the right to close posts as soon as sufficient applications are received.
We look forward to receiving your application!
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Financial Management- To calculate and enter transactions in the General Ledger as required under the supervision of a Finance Business Partner/Senior Management Accountant.
- To raise any sales invoices as required by the Finance Team
- To assist in the production of accurate information to support financial reports under the guidance of supervising colleagues.
- To assist in the preparation of annual budget and monthly reporting for the assigned cost centres in accordance with the departmental procedures and timetable.
- To assist colleagues within the Finance Team as and when required to ensure that the activities within the sections are conducted in accordance with the Trust’s current procedures and controls
- Distribute budget reports and sundry information to budget holders in line with the monthly timetable.
- To assist in various aspects of the year end accounts process that inputs in the Annual Accounts and Report of the Trust.
- To help with the Accounts Payable process from receiving invoices through the approvals process to the final payment to supplier.
- To support with the Accounts Receivable process including raising sales invoices, receipting money received and the debt collection process.
- To be involved in the banking, petty card and credit card functions of the section.
- To assist in the maintenance of the general ledger and assisting with SBS queries
- To attend the training assocaited with apprenticeship programme and complete units within deadlines. The proposed external training provider will be in contact weekly and monitor progress accordingly. At present, these are likely to be virtual.
- Shadow team members, attend meetings and undertake learning opportunities; both in person and virtually.
- To maintain good time keeping and attendance, comply with any codes of conduct and to keep any equipment loaned to you for your work (e.g. a laptop will be provided for work and training purposes).
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria- 2 A levels at grade C or above
- GCSE Maths and English grade C or above (9-5)
- Enthusiasm to learn and develop
Skills
Essential criteria- Ability to use initiative organising own workload
- Good interpersonal skills and ability to communicate effectively
- Ability to work under pressure in a busy working environment and to deadlines
- Ability to deal with confidential information
- High level of numeracy and good analytical skills
- Able to analyse problems and initiate appropriate solutions effectively
Experience
Essential criteria- Experience of working as part of a team
- Working knowledge of Microsoft Office including Word and Excel
Please note that you are not restricted from applying for this role if you do not identify with these characteristics and all applicants will be considered fairly against the job description.
As a flexible working and friendly organisation, we want to ensure that you can work in a way that is best for us, our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement whether that’s job share, part time or any other flexible working patterns.
Gender Pay Gap Action
Women in our Trust are under-represented in some senior grades. We are therefore encouraging women to apply for posts at 8A and above.