Financial Accountant
Job overview
Assist in the production of the published annual accounts for the Trust. Maintain the integrity of the financial ledgers, through reconciling and monitoring various control accounts and maintaining the Trusts chart of accounts. Take responsibility for all banking activities, including monitoring liquidity making transfers and paying suppliers.
Assist in the production of the published annual accounts and monthly management accounts for the Trust.
Specific responsibility for maintaining the integrity of the financial ledgers through the reconciliation of all balance sheet control accounts for the Trust, (including bank reconciliations) in accordance with monthly timetables. Liaise with management accounts teams as necessary to meet their deadlines for input of journals.Investigate all unusual balances and process correcting journals and inform relevant personnel of posting errors.
Monitor the Trust’s liquidity position daily through the use of the banking systems. Initiate sterling and foreign payments as required and make cash transfers, deciding on amount to be transferred to gain optimum interest on balances.
General banking administration. Liaise with bank personnel and keep up to date with developments and improve use of the facilities they provide – e.g. on line transactions. Post ad-hoc cash receipts and payments.
Process Creditor payments.
Assist Sales Ledger and Purchase Ledger teams with receipt and payment queries.
Main duties of the job
Produce the Trust’s monthly VAT returns and liaise with VAT inspectors as required to resolve any VAT investigations.
Sole responsibility for maintaining the Trusts chart of accounts, this involves creating new cost and expense codes and ensuring they are correctly linked to the reporting structure.
Sole responsibility for maintaining the authorised signatory lists for payable and non-payable expenditure. Ensuring this is up to date, reflecting leavers and circulating weekly lists to other sections of Finance such as procurement and payables.
Maintaining financial accounting records such as reconciliations on the finance network. Retaining hard copy documentation (including bank mandates) in accordance with external legislation and archiving documents according to Trust guidelines.
Contribute towards the development and review of professional standards and working practices within the Finance Department.
Carry out all duties with due regard to the Trust’s equal opportunities policy.
Be aware of the responsibility of all employees to maintain a safe and healthy environment for patients, visitors and staff.
Ensure that all duties are carried out to the highest possible standard, and in accordance with current quality initiatives within the area of work.
Any other duties which may be required from time to time.
Working for our organisation
Our Trust
Cambridge University Hospitals (CUH) NHS Foundation Trust comprises Addenbrooke’s Hospital and the Rosie Hospital in Cambridge. With over 13,000 staff and over 1100 beds the priorities of the Trust focus on a quality service which is all about people – patients, staff and partners.Recognised as providing ‘outstanding’ care to our patients and rated ‘Good’ overall by the Care Quality Commissioner, is testament to the skill and dedication of the people who work here. CUH’s values – Together - Safe, Kind, Excellent – are at the heart of patient care, defining the way all staff work and behave.
The Trust provides accessible high-quality healthcare for the local people of Cambridge, together with specialist services, dealing with rare or complex conditions for a regional, national and international population.
CUH is committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive community - a place where we can all be ourselves. We value our differences and fully advocate and support an inclusive working environment where every individual can fulfil their potential.We want to ensure our people are truly representative of all the communities that we serve. We welcome applications for all positions in the organisation irrespective of people’s age, disability, ethnicity, race, nationality, gender identity, sex, sexual orientation, religion or belief, marriage and civil partnership status, or pregnancy and maternity status or social economic background.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please see the attached Applicant Information Pack (combined Job Description and Person Specification) for key duties and responsibilities.
Due to Home Office immigration rules, a full time permanent vacancy cannot be filled by individuals on a Student visa. Therefore, please be advised that if you are a Student visa holder, we will not be able to offer you a full time permanent contract unless you have:- applied for a Graduate visa
- or you will have successfully completed your course and have applied for a Graduate visa before the anticipated start date of your employment
- or the Trust has agreed that they will Sponsor you as a Skilled Worker and you will complete your studies within 3 months of the anticipated start date of employment
This vacancy will close at midnight on 14th February 2025
Interviews are due to be held on 25th February 2025
Benefits to you
At Cambridge University Hospitals, we want to do all we can to support good working days. We offer development opportunities and a wide range of benefits, including on-site leisure facilities, shopping concourse and day nurseries. Our good work programme currently includes providing reduced cost Stagecoach bus travel to and from Cambridge University Hospital site.Park and Ride bus journeys between Babraham Road and Trumpington sites are free, as is the route to and from Cambridge train station and our hospitals. We also subsidise the cost of parking on site for eligible staff.
On CUH campus, hot food is available 24/7 and at a reduced cost for colleagues. Recently we launched the first of our staff pod break spaces. Located in the Deakin Centre, we have a purpose-created colleague-only café, with free tea and coffee, a break space and private outside area for colleagues to rest, refuel and recharge.Just one of the ways we are working hard to support good working days at CUH.
CUH is committed to assisting employees in achieving a good work-life balance irrespective of role or personal circumstances. Flexible arrangements may include, but are not limited to, part-time working, job-share, term-time working and flexible start and finish times.
Please note if you would like to discuss the required hours of this role further, you should approach the contact given. In some cases, alternative working hours will be considered.
We welcome applications from the Armed Forces.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria- AAT member or professional accountancy qualifications.
- ACA or ACCA qualified or part qualified.
- Desire to continue study towards a recognised accounting qualification.
Experience
Essential criteria- Experience of working in financial accounts
- Expertise in a range of accounting areas in particular reconciliations, VAT, finance ledgers, coding structures and related policies and procedures
- Experience of banking systems (BACS/CHAPS/etc)
- Experience within one of the big audit firms, dealing with large complex organisations
- Experience in dealing with internal & external auditors
- Experience and expertise in accounting within NHS Foundation Trusts
- Experience working with Oracle
Knowledge
Essential criteria- Good working knowledge of International Financial reporting standards
- Good PC skills including knowledge of Excel, Access and Word. Proficient in designing, formatting and manipulating financial spreadsheets and databases
- Good working knowledge of the Charities Statement of recommended practices.
Skills
Essential criteria- Good problem-solving skills, able to analyse, interpret and reconcile complex financial data, observing trends in the data and investigating and resolving complex discrepancies
- Excellent organisational skills, able to organise & plan own work in order to meet monthly and annual financial requirements and able to plan & co-ordinate ad hoc work in light of tax or legislative changes, audit requirements or organisational needs
- Able to review/audit own work and complete complex review/audit of all balance sheet postings by various finance and payroll teams, to identify posting errors and explain errors to posting personnel in order to constantly improve the validity and accuracy of the financial statements
- Able to identify, develop and implement changes to working practice or policies where efficiencies can be made, or controls are inadequate for both financial accounting and other areas
- Excellent inter-personal / communication skills, able to discuss complex financial queries and sensitive or contentious issues diplomatically both internally with staff and externally
- Able to negotiate issues with external parties, in particular with HMRC on VAT issues. Able to advise on complex financial and or corporate issues with non-Finance mangers
Additional Requirements
Essential criteria- The ability to understand and behave at all times, towards patients, visitors and colleagues according to the Trust values of safe, kind, excellent
- Highly numerate and good written language skills
- Team player
- Ability to prioritise work to ensure organisational requirements are met