Job summary
- Main area
- Financial Management
- Grade
- Band 6
- Contract
- Fixed term: 13 months (Sabbatical Leave Cover to 31st August 2026)
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Able to work flexible during busy times such as Month end/ specific tasks etc.)
- Job ref
- 364-A-9111
- Employer
- Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Thameside House, Thurrock Community Hospital
- Town
- Grays
- Salary
- £37,338 - £44,962 per annum + 5% High Cost Allowance
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 06/07/2025 23:59
Employer heading
Senior Management Accountant
Band 6
About Us
EPUT provides community health, mental health and learning disability services to support more than 3.2 million people living across Bedfordshire, Essex and Suffolk. Also:
- We are among the largest employers in the in the East of England region, with more than 10,000 staff working across more than 200 sites.
- We run the COVID-19 vaccination programme across mid and south Essex and Suffolk and north east Essex.
EPUT was formed on 1 April 2017 following the merger of North Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (NEP) and South Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (SEPT). A new leadership team was established at the Trust in 2020.
Our vision and values
Our Vision
“To be the leading health and wellbeing service in the provision of mental health and community care”.
Our Purpose
“We care for people every day. What we do together, matters”.
Our Values
- We Care
- We Learn
- We Empower
Our strategic objectives
- We will deliver safe, high quality integrated care services.
- We will enable each other to be the best that we can.
- We will work together with our partners to make our services better.
- We will help our communities to thrive.
Our services
- Mental Health Services
- Community Health Services
- Learning Disabilities Services
- Social Care
Find out more about the services we offer in our service directory.
Job overview
To provide a comprehensive financial management service to corporate managers within one or more directorates. This will involve working closely with budget managers to provide financial management advice and support using information produced by the management accounting team.
The role involves the production of timely and accurate management information, and requires both technical knowledge of accounting procedures and an understanding of the operational business of the Trust
The senior management accountant is part of a team providing support to one or more Executive Directors. Within this larger team, each Senior management accountant works with a management accountant providing financial management information and advice to a defined group of budget holders.
Main duties of the job
To produce monthly budget reports for services within one or more directorates. Understand the key drivers of the underlying financial position and communicate these effectively to budget holders. Meet regularly with budget holders to discuss financial performance and to understand the reasons for any variances. Identify areas of concern and communicate these to the budget holders and, where appropriate, senior finance team and service directors. Attend Directorate Senior Management Team meetings with senior management and clinical staff and present the financial information clearly. Undertake costings for new developments and service enhancements within the service area supported. Provide support and advice on the revenue implications of business cases, service developments and proposed service changes. Support managers to develop an annual budget to ensure services are planned within available resources and accurately reflect the expected cost of the service. Assist budget holders in identifying their Cost Improvement Programmes, and monitor delivery of cost reductions and achievement of any CIP targets set. Provide support to the Senior Finance Manager in monitoring contract income.
Working for our organisation
EPUT are looking for motivated staff who shares our Trust values of Care, Learn and Empower. In return, EPUT can offer you a range of benefits and development including;
- Season Ticket Loans
- NHS discounts for staff
- Excellent Training facilities and opportunities
- Buying and Selling annual leave scheme
- The opportunity to work bank shifts and expand knowledge and experience in other areas
- Salary Sacrifice schemes including lease cars and Cycle to Work
- Day One Flexible Employer
Join our Staff bank
What is Staff Bank?
Our EPUT NHS staff bank is an entity managed by the trust that hires clinical and non-clinical healthcare professionals to take on shifts at our trust hospitals and community settings. Here at EPUT we maintain our own bank of specialist staff to ensure that we are able offer safe and effective care at all times.
All our permanent staff are automatically enrolled onto the staff bank however this does not mean you have to work any additional shifts, but the option is there for you if you wish.
If you are joining our Trust in a fixed term role, please indicate on your New Starter Paperwork that you wish to join our staff bank.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
- To produce monthly budget reports for services within one or more directorates, ensuring that the monthly reporting timetable is achieved, the data within the reports is accurate and correctly takes account of all appropriate accruals and pre-payments. This will include reconciling budget movements, monitoring savings plans and identifying and investigating variances.
- Understand the key drivers of the underlying financial position and communicate these effectively to budget holders. Through knowledge of the service and dialogue with the budget holder prepare robust forecast income and expenditure estimates to feed into the organisational monitoring returns and performance reports.
- Meet regularly with budget holders to discuss financial performance and to understand the reasons for any variances. Provide challenge, support and advice to ensure that variances are dealt with and financial control is maintained.
- Identify areas of concern and communicate these to the budget holders and, where appropriate, senior finance team and service directors. Provide advice to managers to take corrective action, including identifying opportunities for cost reduction or income generation. Follow through on agreements for corrective action and provide appropriate level of challenge where performance does not improve.
- Attend Directorate Senior Management Team meetings with senior management and clinical staff and present the financial information clearly. Be able to explain and discuss financial performance in detail and deal with any queries arising.
- Undertake costings for new developments and service enhancements within the service area supported. Attend relevant meetings with operational managers and commissioners as required.
- Provide support and advice on the revenue implications of business cases, service developments and proposed service changes.
- Support managers to develop an annual budget to ensure services are planned within available resources and accurately reflect the expected cost of the service. This will include costing an approved staffing establishment, assessing the level of non pay expenditure, understanding income flows and identifying cost pressures.
- Assist budget holders in identifying their Cost Improvement Programmes, and monitor delivery of cost reductions and achievement of any CIP targets set.
- Provide support to the Senior Finance Manager in monitoring contract income, ensuring that contract variations are recorded in the ledger in a timely fashion and any payment issues are highlighted immediately. Responsible for ensuring that monthly block invoices for defined contracts are raised and income reconciled on a monthly basis.
- Ensure that all directorate income is invoiced correctly and regularly. Provide appropriate and clear supporting information for charges and liaise with debtor organisations to resolve any queries.
- Provide training and advice to budget holders on trust financial and purchasing systems and interpretation of the financial statements provided to them.
- Ensure that budget holders understand and comply with key financial procedures and policies including Trust Standing Orders, Standing Financial Instructions and purchasing procedures. Provide advice and clarification as required.
- Contribute to the production of the Trust Annual Accounts, completing working papers, analyses and returns as directed.
- Responsible for the management, development and training of the Management
Person specification
Educational Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Membership of AAT, relevant degree or equivalent qualification or equivalent knowledge gained through extensive experience in a similar role.
- Engaged in study for CCAB or equivalent qualification or willing to commence training
- Evidence of commitment to continuing and ongoing personal and professional development
- GCSE level or equivalent
Desirable criteria
- Willing to learn new skills
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Proficient in use of IT software including spreadsheets, word processing
- Knowledge of NHS finance regime
- Awareness of current NHS issues and challenges
Skills /Experience
Essential criteria
- Literate in IT/Computer Skills
- Good oral communication skills based on fluency on the English language
- Experience working in NHS finance department using computerised financial information systems
- Ability to clearly present and explain complex financial information and concepts to non financial managers
- High degree of accuracy and excellent attention to detail
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Chloe Harvey
- Job title
- Senior Finance Business Partner
- Email address
- [email protected]
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