Assistant Head of Finance - Community & Children's Services

Job overview

This role is being advertised as both the substantive position, but we would also be keen to hear from candidates who would be interested in the opportunity as a 12-month secondment.

In addition, we are also advertising the role as a Band 7 development position, to enable those towards the end of their CCAB qualification to enable development and progression. If you, or someone you know may be interested in this option.

Main duties of the job

The ideal candidate will be an enthusiastic and motivated individual to join our strategic finance team as the Assistant Head of Finance for Community & Children’s Services.

The complete list of duties is available in the job description, with the primary responsibility being to assist the Integrated Care Board (ICB) by providing high-quality financial leadership through efficient financial management, monitoring, and reporting for Funded Care, Community & Children’s Services.

The successful candidate will possess strong problem-solving skills, effective communication abilities, accountability, and proficiency in IT systems. Furthermore, a passion for the NHS and a commitment to driving value for money are essential.

Recently, the Bristol, North Somerset, and South Gloucestershire system established a place-based Integrated Care System (ICS) serving a population of one million. This hybrid, ICB-based role encompasses both locality and system-level tasks, and the role composition will need to adapt to evolving organisational and system structures.

Interviews are scheduled for Wednesday, 19th March 2025, though we will make efforts to accommodate candidates where possible.

For further information regarding the role or the organisation, please contact Jamie Denton, Head of Finance for Primary Care, Community & Children’s Services.

Working for our organisation

The Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire system has recently formed a place-based ICS for a population of 1 million. This hybrid, ICB based, role would include locality and system-level strands of work. This role composition would need to evolve in response to the changing organisational and system structures.

We welcome applications which represent the rich diversity of our community; from people of all ages, disabled people, all genders, people from ethnic minority groups, LGBTQ+ people, people with diverse gender identity and expression, people from all religions and beliefs and other diverse characteristics, and we have processes in place to ensure that all applications are treated fairly and consistently at every stage of the recruitment process.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Ensures financial and performance information requirements are successfully met including participation in production of long-term financial plans, monthly finance and activity reporting. Including the provision of strategic financial management advice.
• Supports performance management arrangements across the organisations and ensures that appropriate action is taken to improve performance.
• Developing strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders to ensure;

§ A culture of shared responsibility for financial issues,

§ Business Partnering to support the delivery of robust finance and performance information in a format that is communicated effectively.

• Monitoring on-going financial performance ensuring the timely and accurate presentation of financial information and advice and highlighting risks as they emerge
• Maintaining appropriate budget systems and processes to accurately assess performance identify and report in-year risks and forecast year-end positions for all services.
• Leading on benchmarking of services, to promote the best use of resources and to identify areas of high cost.
• Keeping up to date with the changes in national policy, in particular around the Better Care Fund and other joint commissioning arrangements, by working with colleagues at local, regional and national level.
• As and when required, link into the work of internal audit, external audit and counter fraud functions, ensuring a robust control environment is in place.
• Support and advise managers to work within Standing Orders, Standing Financial Instructions and statutory obligations including the Corporate Governance Framework.
• Supporting the CFO in ensuring that the Organisations’ financial procedures and policies, including Standing Orders, Standing Financial Instructions and Budgetary Control Policy are in place, communicated to all staff and adhered to at all times.
• Cascading messages from the CFO to Directors and senior managers on the financial issues arising from NHS policy and lead the implementation of new processes.
• Being a proactive member of the Business, Strategy & Planning directorate and other multi-disciplinary teams by attending, contributing and influencing meetings and reporting, identifying, implementing and monitoring actions.
• Performing all duties in a professional manner, recognising confidentiality of financial information and the need to maintain professional credibility at all times.
• Seeking opportunities to contribute to the efficiency and effectiveness of the directorate, the service it provides and the standards of financial management
• Coordinating the contribution of the Finance teams across the system in supporting, monitoring, reporting and other work programmes.
• Actively interrogating investment schemes to ensure they are robust and likely to deliver savings. Monitoring of investment schemes throughout the financial year, assessment of delivery in terms of monetary savings and driving recovery plans where planned savings are not being made.
• Champion equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and ensure that activities take account of EDI requirements.

Person specification

Knowledge, Training and Experience

• CCAB Qualified Accountant with 1-2 Years post-qualification experience
• CPD at professional/Senior personal development
• Detailed knowledge of the NHS Finance and Performance regime
• Ability to interpret National policy that impacts on finance.
• Experience of NHS financial management regime
• Experience of business case evaluation and/or preparation

• Degree or equivalent
• Postgraduate management qualification

Communication Skills

• Able to provide and receive highly complex, sensitive or contentious information
• Present complex and sensitive information to large and influential groups
• Excellent facilitation skills evidenced during difficult and controversial issues i.e. performance and change.
• Inspiring confidence & developing highly effective working relationships with finance, clinical and non-finance colleagues, including those at a senior level.
• Lead financial discussions with NHS providers & Local Authorities and including potentially contentious funding issues.

Analytical

• Problem solving skills and ability to respond to sudden unexpected demands.
• Ability to analyse complex facts and situations and develop a range of options.
• Takes decisions on difficult issues where there may be several courses of action.
• Strategic thinking – ability to anticipate and resolve problems before they arise
• Ability to identify variances and investigate to ensure that all possible actions are undertaken independently or with minimal supervision.

Planning Skills

• Demonstrated capability to plan over short, medium and long-term timeframes and adjust plans and resource requirements accordingly

• Experience of project principles techniques and tools such as Prince 2 and Managing Successful Projects

Management Skills

• Must be able to prioritise own work effectively and be able to direct activities of others.
• Experience of managing and motivating a team and reviewing performance of the individuals.

Autonomy Freedom to Act

• Must be able to use initiative to decide relevant actions and make recommendations to Sponsor/ Manager, with the aim of improving deliverables and compliance to policies.
• Ability to make decisions autonomously, when required, on difficult issues, working to tight and often changing timescales
• Experience of identifying and interpreting National policy.
• Experience of researching best practice (globally, private and public sector), interpreting its relevance and processes/ practices which could be implemented successfully to achieve system reform (advising on policy implementation)

Physical Skills

• High standard of skill with Microsoft Office with intermediate keyboard skills.
• Competent in the use of financial ledger systems such as Oracle

Equality and Diversity

• Demonstrates understanding of issues affecting equality, diversity and inclusion, including how individual actions make a difference to this agenda.
• Evidence of delivery of equality, diversity and inclusion improvements through accounting for the particular needs of groups at risk of, or already experiencing, inequalities

Financial and Physical Resources

• Previously involved in budget setting /delivery and working knowledge of financial processes
• Experience of providing budgetary support to non-finance staff.