The Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust is recruiting to its Group Financial Controller position. This is an exciting opportunity for a dynamic, passionate, experienced individual to join the Senior Finance team in continuing to provide professional and managerial leadership to the department and wider organisation.

You will use your excellent organisational and management skills, as evidenced by delivering high quality tasks to tight deadlines, to influence operational development as part of change management and Continuous Quality Improvement.

If you are interested, please send us an email or give us a call about the role.

Main duties of the job

The Group Financial Controller is responsible for the management and performance of the Financial Accounts team, through designing, implementing, and managing operational and strategic processes and plans in relation to the Trust, the Royal Berkshire Charity, and the Trust subsidiary, Healthcare Facilities Management Services Ltd (HFMS).

A balance of managing staff and financial resources within the areas of responsibility is needed to ensure the effective delivery of a proactive and strategic service to the Trust, which includes leading the team and directorate in providing, developing, and implementing financial processes as part of continuous quality improvement, maintaining focus on best practice. You will maintain a rigorous system of cashflow planning to ensure management of Trust liquidity.

The post holder will design, implement, and manage processes to ensure all financial transactions of the Group is recorded accurately, on time and in accordance with statutory and regulatory requirements. Through reporting on monthly and annual returns, including coordinating the producing the annual report and financial statements, they will deliver a timely audit for each of the three entities to agreed deadlines.

About us

They will be responsible for maintaining and improving the integrity of the Trust's Balance Sheet. They will promote a professional approach, ensuring compliance of key governance policies including the Standing Orders, Standing Financial Instructions and Scheme of Delegation. They will ensure the Group is compliant with legislative requirements and deadlines.

The Group Financial Controller will act as principal finance contact with

• NHS England for all daily financial issues, developing an effective two-way relationship with key individuals to ensure all financial returns are submitted on time.
• Trust's Counter Fraud Officer, providing support on investigations of current fraud activities while managing any fraud impacts on the Trust.
• Internal and External auditors, ensuring records are available on time and completed to the required standard for audit testing, audit recommendations/findings are considered and where accepted are actioned and tracked through to completion.
• Charity Commission, ensuring all charitable funds are maintained in accordance with statutory and regulatory bodies.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Serve as internal authority on all matters within this remit. Compile and present proposals to ensure complex variables are made clear. Maintain expert-level knowledge of all regulatory matters sufficient to guide difficult choices by senior management, Executive Trust Board and Foundation Trust Council of Governors as necessary.

Take responsibility for the assurance of proper governance of financial transactions across the organisation. Maintain an ongoing review of all Financial Procedures and present suggestions for modification where necessary.

Maintain systems to ensure income invoices are raised in a timely manner in accordance with contractual terms so that debts are collected to maximise the Trusts cash inflow whilst minimising the potential for bad debts developing. Assess risks as they develop and advise on courses of action, including assessment of complex legal argument.

Maintain all processes to ensure all valid expense invoices are paid in accordance with payment terms and to maintain the Better Payment Practice Code. Ensure the system of invoices matched with Purchase Order and Goods Received Note are maintained. Provide leadership to any conflict resolution with suppliers.

Maintain established practices for receipts and payments, with strictly control in accordance with Trust financial procedures, following best practice for managing bank and cash payments. Ensure reconciliations of such balances are properly executed.

Be responsible for short, medium and long-term cash flow forecasts to manage the Trusts liquidity. Ensure all investment of temporary cash balances are properly managed. Maximise short term return on Trust cash balances whilst formulating long-term strategic plans for the investment of Trust monies.

Manage all aspects of the Trusts financial accounting function, including monthly and annual accounting closedown processes and timetable. Maintain expert knowledge on accounting standards required for the Group to ensure financial statements are fully compliant with all relevant standards.

Ensure that the accounting of capital expenditure is properly managed in accordance with the relevant rules. Maintain trustwide check of IFRS 16 assets, ensuring compliance with relevant accounting standards.

Ensure all ledger validation checks are undertaken on both inputs and outputs, including the monthly reviews and clearing of suspense accounts. Deliver controls over Statement of Financial Position, initiating actions as necessary to ensure accounting entries are recorded accurately, timely and completely.

Be responsible for the accuracy and timeliness of both financial and non-financial data in the financial systems. Manage the processes of creating accruals and prepayments.

Deliver all statutory returns and payments within deadlines. Ensure accurate inventory accounting is maintained. Oversee the periodic stocktaking procedures.

Initiate audit investigations when necessary to ensure the probity of financial processes. Lead in issues that arise from accounting for Charitable Funds in accordance with Charity Commission guidance and the specific financial reporting guidance.

Manage all year end processes for the production, audit and submission of the Annual Reports to agreed timetables and regulatory requirements. Support the in decision making process leading to the appointment of Internal and External Auditors, along with Local Counter Fraud Services, and audit activities across the Trust.

Be responsible for the accuracy and quality of the standard suite of reports for the Group, including annual statutory accounts, monthly Board Committee Reports, ensuring effective data streams are in place, and staff are informed and capable to provide the necessary inputs to these reports in a timely manner.

Ensure VAT and taxation records are maintained in line with legal requirements and all submissions are undertaken within the submission deadlines.

Person Specification

Professional Qualification

Essential

• Professionally qualified accountant e.g. CCAB, ACCA, CIPFA

Desirable

• Significant experience in Senior Manager role - to equivalent professional qualification level

Statutory Returns

Essential

• Significant experience of Leading on Annual Audit

Employer details

Employer name

Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust

Address

Princes House

73a London Road

Reading

RG1 5UZ

Any attachments will be accessible after you click to apply.

193-5833864CORB8cFIN