Finance Business Partner (Care Group)

Find out about the current vacancies available at the Trust and take the next step in your career with us.

Main area: Financial Accountant

Grade NHS AfC: Band 8b

Contract: Fixed term: 12 months (Temporary maternity cover)

Hours: Full time - 37.5 hours per week

Job ref: 345-FIN6882362

Site: University Hospital of North Tees

Town: Hardwick

Salary: £62,215 - £72,293 per annum

Salary period: Yearly

Closing: 10/01/2025 23:59

Interview date: 27/01/2025

We are on a continuous journey of improvement and transformation; however, our main priority is, and always will be, providing safe and high quality care to our patients every day; the kind of care we would want for ourselves and our loved ones. If you share our passion, then apply for this opportunity and help us make our patients’ experience the best it can possibly be.

With a budget of around £365m, three hospitals and 5,500 staff, North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust provides hospital-based services to the population of Hartlepool, Stockton on Tees and parts of East Durham and Sedgefield as well as community, therapeutic and screening to a wider population across Durham and Teesside.

Job overview

Are you a qualified accountant who wants to help to make a difference to patient outcomes? We are looking for an experienced Finance Business Partner to support our Collaborative Care Group. Leading on all things Finance, we want someone who is committed to real Business Partnering to ensure the best possible care is delivered for our patients whilst maintaining value for money within the Trust.

This role offers an opportunity to join our award-winning Financial Management team within a Trust that has an annual turnover in excess of £365m. Not only will you lead on finances within the Care Group, you will also have the opportunity to lead, mould and develop our Finance stars of the future.

You will be a key part of the finance team providing financial stewardship to the organisation to deliver our strategic aim of transforming our services through financial stability and sustainability. We are seeking applications from individuals who have the drive, passion and ability to make a difference. If you believe you can offer this, then we would like to hear from you.

Main duties of the job

• To lead on the provision of comprehensive financial advice to Care Group Management teams to enable the achievement of financial balance and contribute to the business planning process and service developments.
• The focus within this role is to use information (financial and non-financial) to make recommendations for improvements to the efficiency and effectiveness of Trust departments.
• Although the role is providing financial expertise within a specialist area, the Finance Business Partner will also work across the Trust to deliver specific objectives.
• Skills in presentation of ideas and influencing others will be a key requirement.

Working for our organisation

At North Tees & Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust, our main priority is, and always will be, to provide safe and high-quality care to our patients every day; the kind of care we would want for ourselves and our loved ones. We want our organisation to be the best place to work with the right staff, in the right roles, at the right time, to ensure we deliver exceptional patient care and experience.

We will support staff through providing an inclusive and supportive workplace with health and well-being initiatives, staff benefits and opportunities for personal and professional development. Staff recognition is very important to us; as well as performance reviews and appraisals, we recognise staff through Star and Team of the month, colleague recognition - a note of thanks, Managers Awards, Shining Stars and Service Awards.

We recruit for values and "Together we are North Tees & Hartlepool"

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

• Budgetary Control and Cost Efficiency
• Directorate and Performance Management
• Business Planning and Capital
• Management and Leadership

Person specification

Qualifications

• CCAB qualified accountant with experience in a complex finance department at a managerial level or NHS financial experience at Senior Manager level.
• Evidence of continuing personal and professional development.
• Experience within the NHS.

Experience

• Experience of managing the finances for a highly complex service within the NHS or comparable.
• Experience of understanding cost drivers and the impact of fluctuating demand on services, such as Emergency activity.
• Experience of system implementation and change management.
• Evidence of leadership, direction and supervision skills and ability to motivate and manage staff.
• Experience of dealing with highly complex and/or sensitive information and unpredictable situations.
• Experience in the NHS at a managerial level.

Skills, aptitude & knowledge

• Comprehensive knowledge and understanding of both national, regional and local financial reporting processes and systems, both manual and computerised.
• Good team player able to contribute effectively to the achievement of shared objectives.
• Ability to work without supervision on a regular basis, interpreting financial guidance, accounting policies and standards.
• Detailed knowledge and understanding of all aspects of NHS financial regimes and reporting requirements.
• Knowledge of HR policies and procedures relating to employee management.

Please note - Once sufficient applications have been received this vacancy may close early. Please check your email address on a regular basis as applicants invited to attend an interview will be notified via this method.

As part of our recruitment process, you will be required to undertake pre-employment screening: Disclosure and Barring Scheme (previously Criminal Records Bureau).

It is the policy of North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust that all successful candidates who are new to the Trust who require DBS clearance for the post they have been offered, are required to pay the cost for their DBS certificate. The method of payment for this is via salary deduction from your first month's pay on commencement with the Trust.

Please note the essential qualifications required for the post outlined within the Person Specification. You are required to hold and provide evidence of the necessary qualifications for the post at interview should you be shortlisted.

For any new employees commencing employment with North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust, you will be subject to satisfactory completion of a 6-month probationary period. Please note that internal applications and individuals that are appointed to fixed-term appointments of less than 6 months duration are exempt from the probationary period (unless you are an internal applicant currently part way through a probationary period or a bank member of staff).

If the hours advertised for the post are up to full time (37.5 hours per week), applications are still welcomed from individuals who may be seeking to work less than full-time hours and all requests will be considered in line with the post being appointed to for the successful applicant.

North Tees & Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust operates a No Smoking Policy.

If you experience any technical difficulties applying for this post please contact a member of our recruitment team on 01642 624023 quoting the vacancy reference.

The details in the Monitoring Information section of your application will be used for monitoring our recruitment process and will not be seen by the interview panel. The information you give will be treated in the strictest confidence. To meet its commitment to promoting equality of opportunity, the Trust's policy is that individuals will be recruited, trained and promoted according to ability and job requirements only. As such we welcome your application irrespective of your gender, race, disability, colour, ethnic or national origin, and nationality, and marital status, responsibility for dependants, religion, trade union activity and age.

Disability

The Trust gives full and fair consideration to applications for employment received from disabled people. We are a “Positive about Disabled People” employer, and we hold the ‘two ticks’ Disability Symbol, which is a recognition given by Jobcentre Plus to employers who have agreed to meet five commitments regarding the recruitment, employment, retention and career development of disabled people. If you have a disability, which makes it difficult for you to complete our application form, please do not hesitate to contact the recruitment team on 01642 624023.

As a supporter of the Armed Forces and an employer of Reservists, North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust are proud to be a signatory of the Armed Forces Covenant, which is a promise by the nation to ensure that those who serve or who have served in the UK Armed Forces (and their families) are treated fairly.

We proactively demonstrate our forces-friendly credentials within our recruitment and selection processes, by having a Guaranteed Interview Scheme for those indicated as part of the Armed Forces Community. We engage with our local and regional Career Transition Partnership representatives and are a member of Step Into Health. We employ veterans and reservists from differing branches of the Armed Forces and actively promote our positive policies for the Armed Forces Community, including our Special Leave policy.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.