Finance Business Partner

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

CORE JOB ACTIVITIES  
1. Financial Management  
• Coordination of the annual budget setting process across the Division 
supporting the wider management team with the identification and appropriate 
management of financial pressures. Integrating clinical, workforce and other 
plans and subsequently works with them to control expenditure within 
allocated resources.  
• To plan, coordinate and be responsible for the production of detailed financial 
information in accordance with agreed monthly timetables. Liaising with 
members of the finance team to ensure tasks required, ad hoc financial 
analysis and activities to support monthly closedown are completed to time 
and required standards.   
• Undertaking review and analysis of the Trusts financial position providing 
briefing to the Head of Financial Management and Associate Director of 
Finance on key financial issues on potential risks and opportunities including 
the maintenance of rolling forecasts of divisional financial performance and 
when required establishment and monitoring of financial recovery plans.  
• Provision of accurate and timely complex information to various internal and 
external key stakeholders such as NHS Improvement. This may take form of 
both standard financial returns and also ad-hoc queries but will always have 
accuracy and quality at its core.  
• Assists in the development of operational plans assessing the implications on 
both income and costs to facilitate the development of service operational 
plans and medium term plans.  
• Advise Clinical Directors and the wider management teams on the implication 
of financial strategy and policy. Advising, influencing and educating proactively 
in relation to business and financial objectives to include the delivery of 
savings plans while always acknowledging our wider responsibilities as a 
Foundation Trust.  
• Provision of professional financial advice and leadership to the Division so that 
services are delivered and developed within the overall financial targets set by 
the Trust and that financial risks within the Division are managed appropriately 
to maintain financial balance.  
• Proactively supporting budget holders in the ongoing identification and 
evidencing of the cost effectiveness of services including the identification and 
monitoring of Cost Improvement Programmes, and the financial implications of 
proposals.  
• To communicate with all levels of staff both within the Finance Department 
and the wider Trust. Such communication will be in the form of written reports, 
spreadsheet analysis, formal presentation, meetings, verbally (face to face 
and by other electronic means) up to Executive Director level. This may 
involve communicating with large groups.  
• Supports Divisional Managers in the identification of capital equipment 
replacement needs and in the development of proposals for capital 
expenditure including the associated revenue implications.  
Undertakes tender evaluations advising of the financial implications to the 
divisional management team and the trust board as appropriate.  
• Maintain Trust establishment control in ESR  
  
• Utilises information systems to create standard and ad hoc reports to facilitate 
the understanding of the divisional budget holders of their financial position 
and its correlation or otherwise with the activities undertaken.  
• Review business processes and where appropriate identify and implement 
improvements to efficiency and internal control, for example, stock control 
routines.  
• Seek a process of continuous improvement and develop innovative financial 
and business improvement techniques and solutions that will enhance both 
the clinical services and Trusts financial controls and policies and business 
performance.  
2. Service Developments/Disinvestments and Costing  
• To lead the financial and economic appraisal of business cases by the  
Division at the same time as challenging the Division to ensure Value for 
Money is delivered. Ensure that financial risks within the cases are fully 
understood, and that benefits realisation and performance are monitored once 
the case is operational.  
• Promotes in association with the Income Accountant the understanding of 
service costs by actively participating in the analysis and review of allocation 
of costs to product or service lines to support reference cost submissions and 
service line reporting liaising with Managers, and Information staff in their 
formulation and review.  
• Maintains up-to-date knowledge of Trust and Department of Health policies 
and proactively undertaking ad hoc costing so as to be able to inform the 
divisional management teams and wider Trust of any financial implications.  
• To support the Contracting team on contracting negotiations for the Trust 
ensuring payment for service provision as appropriate.  
3. Statutory Accounting and Governance  
• Promotes within the Division and Corporate departments an understanding of 
and compliance with Trust Standing Orders and Standing Financial 
Instructions and Scheme of Delegation.  
• Ensure that the finance team advise clinical managers on the correct 
interpretation and implementation of all relevant internal and external policy 
guidelines, e.g. Standing Financial Instructions, NHS Improvement guidelines 
etc.  
• Work with Trusts internal and external auditors ensuring the clearance of any 
audit issues and implementing agreed recommendations in a timely manner.  
• Contributes to the production of the statutory accounts through ensuring 
accounting transactions supporting the reporting of Divisional positions comply 
with recognised professional standards and guidance including IFRS and 
undertaking specific tasks to the required timescales and quality specified by 
the Financial Controller.  
  
To maintain a keen working understanding of the Foundation Trust regime and 
the key aspects that are relevant or may become relevant to the organisation. 
To engage with this high level of understanding when conducting all aspects 
of the role e.g. supporting the Head of Financial Management with the Annual 
Plan submission, Ensuring that the organisation has the correct processes in 
place to adhere to NHS Improvement rules and providing financial and/or 
business advice etc.  
• Liaises with the Financial Controller on the performance of financial services 
as it relates to the Division and vice versa agreeing mutually beneficial action 
to enhance services provided.  
4. Training and Development  
• The post holder will need to provide and lead their team with the provision of 
first class expert financial advice to the service managers and clinicians that 
they support. This will include the understanding and interpretation of financial 
forecasts and the uncertainties that exist within them.  
• Responsible for leading the management accounting function and be 
responsible for a team providing an effective, efficient and business focussed 
financial management service covering the Trusts budget.  
• Responsible for the professional development of all members of staff within 
the team through appraisal and development sessions.  
• Maintains and evidences CPD requirements of professional body with whom 
post holder is registered.  
• Develops, delivers and facilitates training sessions for non-finance staff within 
the Division so as to develop understanding of the financial framework and 
issues within which services operate.  
• To communicate with all levels of staff both within the Finance Department 
and the wider Trust. Such communication will be in the form of written reports, 
spreadsheet analysis, formal presentation, meetings, verbally (face to face 
and by other electronic means) up to Executive Director level. This may 
involve communicating with large groups.  
• To take a proactive approach in your own personal development whilst acting 
as the FSD Lead for the Trust  
5. Other  
• Responsibilities for day to day management of a finance team. Including 
recruitment, appraisal, discipline, training and development. The post holder 
will provide leadership to their finance team to ensure that they develop their 
full potential.  
• Deputises for the Head of Financial Management at internal and external 
meetings.  
  
• Participates on behalf of finance department in ad hoc multi-disciplinary 
project groups involving Clinicians, Directors, and Service Managers.  
• To undertake any other duties commensurate with grade as requested.  
To ensure that all information is treated in a secure and confidential manner.  
  
• The above is not intended to be an exhaustive list of duties of the post. Other 
duties will be required of the post from time to time.