Senior Financial Accountant in Eastleigh

Please note this organisation does not hold a sponsorship licence, we regret to inform you that we are unable to consider applications from individuals who require sponsorship.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a full-time Band 7 Financial Accountant to join our team. We are looking for a self-motivated and proactive individual with excellent planning, organisational, and communication skills. The successful candidate will play a key role in delivering high-quality financial accounting services across the organisation.

Main duties of the job:

• The post holder will provide financial accounting services for the ICB and act as a key advisor on all aspects of financial accounting.
• You will also influence and support capital budget management across the ICB, helping to drive high-quality financial reporting and decision-making.

About us:

We offer excellent employment opportunities to new and existing staff. We aim to be a model employer by embedding best HR practice and to support new ways of working. We pride ourselves on offering good working conditions, job security, lifelong learning, fair pay and benefits, staff involvement and a balance between work and personal life. We enjoy a forward thinking and innovative culture and our vision is to have healthy people, living healthy lives in healthy communities. We understand the only way to deliver this is to have the right people with the right skills.

Here is a summary of some of the benefits and services which are on offer to staff:

• 27 days paid minimum holiday and bank holiday entitlement
• Sick pay policy
• Occupational health services including staff counselling services
• Flexible working and family friendly policies
• Flexible retirement and retirement vouchers

Successful candidates will be subject to a six-month probationary period.

Job responsibilities:

• Lead the delivery of month-end close, VAT compliance, payroll interfaces, working capital management, and Agreement of Balances (AOB) processes.
• Provide technical financial accounting expertise to ensure accurate and timely reporting, statutory compliance, and robust financial controls that support organisational governance and financial sustainability.
• Undertake NHS Agreement of Balances exercises as required by NHS England.
• Prepare monthly VAT returns and liaise with SBS and external tax advisors for specialist advice.
• Liaise and agree VAT treatment with HMRC when required.
• Manage payroll interfaces, ensuring suspense accounts are cleared at month end.
• Review and submit payment runs by deadlines, ensuring compliance with authorisation processes.
• Prepare monthly reports on creditors and debtors over 90 days and lead recovery actions.
• Aid the Financial Controller with statutory annual accounts and working papers.
• Ensure control account reconciliations (including payroll) are prepared monthly and reviewed.
• Lead on recovery of overpayments in conjunction with payroll provider.
• Liaise with SBS on VAT queries and ensure adjustments are correctly reflected in HMRC returns.
• Liaise with external Tax Advisors for specialist advice and quarter-end reviews.
• Liaise with SBS on cash issues and debtor queries.
• Liaise with external debt recovery agencies and Counter Fraud.

The job description and person specification are an outline of the tasks, responsibilities and outcomes required of the role; the job holder will carry out any other duties as may reasonably be required. The job description and person specification may be reviewed on an ongoing basis in accordance with the changing needs of the Department and the Organisation.

Person Specification:

• Part-qualified or full member of CCAB body (ACCA, ACA, CIPFA, CIMA).
• Demonstrable experience of working in a Finance environment and working with computerised data systems.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office including Word and Excel.
• Manipulation of complex information using a range of skills and techniques.
• Understanding of Data Protection legislation.
• Experience of working in a health care environment.
• Awareness of a range of Health Services provisions.
• Detailed understanding of NHS Finance regime.
• Ability to change priorities and switch from one complex activity to another.
• Experience of producing set of accounts.

Communication Skills:

• Clear communicator with good writing, data entry and telephone skills.
• Ability to work effectively as part of a team.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.