Assistant Management Accountant

Job summary

Are you someone looking to start a career in one of the UKs most respected mental health trusts?

Would you like to do a job that makes a difference every day?

An excellent opportunity has arisen for a highly motivated, enthusiastic and flexible professional to join our finance team as an Assistant Management Accountant working within the Management Accounts function.

As an Assistant Management Accountant, you will be required to assist Accountants with preparing accounts and budgets whilst providing financial support to budget holders and business cases.

Main duties of the job

You will have demonstrable financial experience across a wide range of areas, including management and financial accounting, and be able to confidently apply the principles of double-entry book-keeping. You need to be comfortable handling and manipulating large datasets accurately and often simultaneously, and ideally your experience will have been gained in a large multi-faceted organisation.

The role is busy and you will often be required to work under pressure and to tight deadlines, so we expect you will be self-motivated, and be able to work independently, as well as working as part of a team.

As a team we support one another to focus on finding solutions to some of the challenges we face and ensure that our work is of a high standard. This role has a wide-ranging impact, and is key to the success of the team.

If you are an energetic team player, and feel you have the skills and values to join our friendly, outward looking, proactive team, we look forward to hearing from you.

About us

About Devon Partnership Trust

We provide mental health, learning disability and neurodiversity services, as well as a range of specialist & secure services for the wider south west region & nationally. We are passionate about promoting good mental health & wellbeing. We strive to use the expertise & resources within our organisation, and through our partnerships, to deliver high quality services that are safe & focused on people's recovery.

We are committed to developing a culture of coproduction, involving patients, families & carers in everything we do

Our values

We not only recruit based on qualifications & experience - we recruit individuals who possess & demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values. These include such attributes as showing a commitment to quality of care, improving lives of others, giving respect, dignity & compassion. We can bring those values to life in our everyday tasks by giving a smile; making time for people; challenging ourselves & others, & being open to new ideas.

We are committed to being an inclusive employer & applications are encouraged & welcomed from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics as governed by the Equality Act 2010. Part time & flexible working applications will be considered & supported, where possible. We particularly encourage applicants with lived experience of mental health conditions, neurodiversity or learning disabilities. We are a Disability Confident Leader.

Job responsibilities

1. To support the finance team and operational managers in provision of data requests, reconciliations and reports in a timely manner, ensuring financial information is processed in accordance with procedures and in order to provide information for statutory returns.

2. Assist with the maintenance, input, updating and reconciliation of computerised budgetary control systems. This involves developing spreadsheets and databases for specific purposes and undertaking enquiries on several financial based systems. The post requires using a computer on a daily basis with speed and accuracy.

3. To deputise for finance colleagues at meetings etc. when required.

4. Assist in all aspects of supplying financial information to key stakeholders including non-financial staff when requested. This will include variance analysis, analysis of pay and non-pay, evaluating a range of options, supporting business cases, directorate performance reporting etc. This will involve providing and receiving complex and contentious information, some of which may be sensitive.

5. Meet with relevant stakeholders on an on-going basis advising on the current financial position. This may involve travel between different sites.

6. Working as a finance team, adopting a task-based approach to workload, which will be co-ordinated by Senior Accountants and Accountants.

7. To ensure every process has an accurate procedure note that can be interpreted by both finance and non-finance colleagues.

8. To provide guidance and interpretation of the Trusts Financial Procedures, Scheme of Delegation, Standing Orders and Standing Financial Instructions where necessary.

9. Manage own time and workload in accordance with monthly / annual and ad-hoc timetables, ensuring all deadlines are met on a timely basis.

10. To deliver informal training to work colleagues and non-finance staff on a range of subjects related to own area and a range of general procedures.

11. Contribute to the effectiveness of accounting systems, processes and procedures and make recommendations to reduce costs and enhance value.

12. Undertake other duties as agreed with the Accountants, Senior Accountants, Assistant Director of Finance.

13. Line management of Finance Assistants (Bands 2, 3 or 4) where relevant.

14. To attend and contribute to both the wider finance team developments such as attendance of away days, the annual Budget Holders Conference etc. Separately, to contribute to non-finance communications such as the Budget Holders Newsletter etc.

In addition to the job purpose set out above, below is the range of assistant accountant roles across the finance department, together with a description of the core role of each:

a) Assistant Accountant Management Accounts (assisting the Management Accountants and Senior Management Accountants to prepare annual budgets, process month end reporting and year end accounts, and to support budget holders / business cases as required)

b) Assistant Accountant Systems (assisting the Accountant for systems to provide comprehensive systems support in relation to finance system maintenance and developments to maximise efficiency and effectiveness of financial systems, processes and procedures.

c) Assistant Accountant Costing (assisting the Accountant for systems and costing to provide a comprehensive financial service in relation to activity planning, monitoring and reporting, and aiding in the implementation of Payment by Results (PBR) in the Trust).

d) Assistant Accountant Financial Accounts (assisting the Financial Accountant and Senior Financial Accountant to prepare monthly analysis as required by the Trusts financial reporting requirements, to carry out balance sheet reconciliations of the Trusts financial ledger taking remedial actions as appropriate, process journals and salary sacrifice applications as required and to assist in the production of the Trusts external monthly returns and statutory accounts).

e) Assistant Accountant Capital / Charitable Funds (assisting the Financial Accountant and Senior Financial Accountant with the overall management and performance of the Trusts capital and charitable funds accounting functions).

e) Assistant Accountant Cash Management (assisting the Financial Accountant and Senior Financial Accountant to provide a reliable and effective service in respect of income/accounts receivable, banking and accounts payable functions, VAT and other statutory returns).

During the recruitment and selection process, from the above list, the available assistant accountant role being advertised will be clearly set out. The Assistant Director of Finance, in conjunction with the Senior Accountants, reserve the right to change the role to another assistant accountant role listed above due to resource pressures or any other reason deemed appropriate.

Person specification

Communication skills

Essential

• Good communication skills both verbal and written
• Ability to explain finance information to non-finance managers

Planning and Organising skills

Essential

• Manage own workload within agreed parameters and deadlines

Desirable

• Regular reliable method of transport and mobility throughout the area

Analytical and Judgement skills

Essential

• Good analytical skills
• Ability to interpret financial information

Desirable

• Logical approach to problem solving

Knowledge

Desirable

• Knowledge of NHS finance
• Knowledge of ledger systems/accounting strategy and budgetary control processes

Qualifications

Essential

• GCSE Maths and English (or equivalent)
• AAT Qualified or equivalent accounting experience

Experience

Essential

• Accounting experience - three years
• IT literate including extensive use of Word and Excel

Desirable

• Line management experience