Senior Finance Business Partner in Milton Keynes

At Milton Keynes University Hospital, you will be welcomed into a friendly and supportive environment where teamwork and respect are at the heart of everything we do. We are proud to live our Trust values and behaviours every day, creating a culture where everyone feels heard and valued. MKUH staff's Motivation and Involvement scores are among the highest in our peer group, showing that our people feel inspired and included in decision-making (Staff Survey, 2024).

Benefits

• Free on-site parking including EV charging
• Complimentary refreshments
• Flexible working arrangements
• Discounted gym membership
• Salary sacrifice car scheme
• Generous annual leave, with the option to bank holiday entitlement
• Membership of the NHS Pension Scheme
• On-site nursery (charges apply)
• A wide-ranging staff health and wellbeing programme including EAP
• VIVUP products to support your mental, physical, and financial wellbeing

Job Overview

Department Finance
Band 8b £64,455 - £74,896 Per annum
Hours 37.5 per week, all MKUH roles will be considered for flexible working

We are looking for an enthusiastic and motivated CCAB qualified accountant to be a key part of the Women's and Children's Division at Milton Keynes Hospital. If you are a CCAB qualified professional with financial management expertise, adept at partnership and influencing, and driven by the desire to enact positive change within the NHS, this opportunity might be just right for you!

You will report to the Head of Financial Management and lead the month-end close-down and budget setting for the division, ensuring team resources are deployed effectively to meet key deadlines. You will form key relationships with divisional and service managers and clinicians to support the management of resources within the income generated by their services.

You will hold a senior role in managing staff and improving processes within management accounts, working closely with divisions on budget setting, budgetary management, forecasting, and efficiency plans, and leading on Trust-wide developments and business cases.

Main duties of the job

• Produce monthly financial reporting packs which set out clear performance in all aspects of finance, activity and contractual target delivery, ensuring a clear story of outcomes and causal factors is provided.
• Produce monthly forecasts on a corporate basis for activity and expenditure with CSU colleagues, presenting them in formal meetings where necessary and working with the divisional operational team to mitigate risks and exploit opportunities.
• Work closely with the finance programme manager to develop business cases in line with Trust format and process, ensuring robust evidence-based content that reflects full consideration of options to deliver best value.
• Present highly complex information about projects, initiatives and services to a wide range of stakeholders in a formal setting.
• Encourage, support and facilitate divisional, CSU and Trust-wide staff to contribute and innovate for the improvement of patient care and the efficiency, safety, quality and effectiveness of services; empower staff to implement their ideas for improvement and challenge divisions to improve financial performance while considering quality and safety.
• Work within the divisional triumvirate in a multidisciplinary way, flexibly supporting colleagues and sharing joint responsibilities and workload.
• Operate with discretion and without direct supervision to deliver the requirements of both the finance function and the Division/CSU, balancing competing priorities and handling contentious issues.
• Act as a leadership role model to demonstrate the Trust's values and behaviours at all times.

Person specification

Qualifications and knowledge – Essential criteria

• Professional Accountancy qualification
• Educated to postgraduate level, equivalent, or working toward.
• Evidence of CPD
• Knowledge and experience in a management accounts setting (month-end, year-end procedures, forecasting).
• Highly developed specialist knowledge of financial and accounting procedures, NHS finance policies, QUIP, CIP, SLR, procurement, human resources, general management theory, and information management and technology.

Desirable criteria

• Experience in Standing Orders, Standing Financial Instructions, Financial Directives, IFRS/STAP, Government Policy impact, Charitable Funds legislation, audit principles, VAT, EU Procurement Directives, NHS procurement guidance, NHS staffing terms and conditions, and employment law.
• Understanding of NHS income and ability to analyse variances.

Experience – Essential criteria

• Significant experience working at a senior level within a finance department.

Skills – Essential criteria

• Analyse highly technical issues and provide practical guidance and recommendations understood and acted upon by executives and users.
• Operate with discretion and without direct supervision to deliver finance and Division/CSU requirements; balancing priorities.
• Work with conflicting priorities and make judgement calls to deliver best service to stakeholders.
• Highly numerate, able to analyze reports and complex data sets.
• Achieve demanding tasks and objectives against deadlines.

Personal and people development – Essential criteria

• High personal standard of conduct and behaviour, acting as a role model encouraging respect and accountability.

Desirable criteria for personal and people development

• Build and develop multidisciplinary teams and maintain constructive working relationships at all levels.

Communication – Essential criteria

• Communicate clearly and effectively to a wide range of individuals, preparing and presenting financial information to Management Board members, staff groups, Trust senior managers, project managers, and external auditors.
• Show personal insight, willingness to learn and adapt style/approach.
• Communicate highly complex information to diverse stakeholders to ensure understanding and buy-in.
• Communicate contentious issues with sensitivity and empathy.

We believe success lies in the diversity of our employees and are committed to promoting equality, encouraging diversity and embracing inclusion. We welcome applications from everyone interested in working for us.

We reserve the right to expire vacancies prior to the advertised closing date once a sufficient number of applications have been received.

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.