Head of Acute Commissioning Finance (NHS)

Our Client and NHS Trust in Central London are looking to recruit a Head of Acute Commissioning Finance:
Responsible for the financial management and reporting for acute spend across the sector focussing on:

Support to Directors and Commissioning Managers and Financial Planning managers involved in acute commissioning.
Provision of financial information on acute spend to the senior finance team, both regular and ad-hoc requirements.
Provision of expert financial advice and support for contract negotiations, monitoring and management
Overseeing the management of acute budgets totalling approximately £1.1 billion and provide a full financial support role to managers providing costing services and budgetary control processes and monitoring service level agreements.
Provide management information on acute spend to GP commissioning consortia and local borough finance team on a regular basis and as required.
Provide expert financial and information support, advice and guidance to commissioners and the Financial Planning team throughout the commissioning cycle.
Develop and maintain the Annual Financial Planning model for the acute budget setting process in order to achieve financial balance, maintaining full audit trails of the cost implications of decisions taken during the preparation of the annual financial plan.
Production of monthly acute management accounts, internal monitoring reports and information to the Delivery Board, Sector Board and individual PCT boards as required.
Monitor Contract and SLA performances against planned targets, assess material financial risks to the PCT and recommend option proposals where appropriate to maintain the financial probity.
Undertake detailed and complex analysis of acute data, working with the information team to ensure that all material variances are identified, investigated and root causes understood. This may include trend analysis, expert knowledge of PbR rules etc.
Report the findings of contract analysis to the Director of Contracts, the Director of Finance, the Board and the GP consortia, ensuring that actions to address root causes are identified and implemented and overspends are controlled and mitigated.
Lead the financial support to acute contracts, including leading on at least one contract personally
Attend contract management and technical meetings for those contracts for which you are the finance lead, ensuring that all financial issues are identified and resolved. Play a key role in contract negotiations, including formulating of negotiating strategy and ensuring QIPP schemes are agreed.
Assess the on-going financial risk to the PCT on a monthly basis. Maintain continuous contact with the financial planning team to discuss material risks. Propose and discuss appropriate action to minimise such risks.
Ensure all relevant accounting adjustments to commissioning budgets are made at the end of the financial year in accordance with accounting guidelines and within the deadlines. Lead responsibility for the co-ordination of acute year-end accruals, reconciliations, trading accounts, and lead liaison with auditors for aspects of the annual accounts.
Responsibility for the production of Care Programme Budgeting Reports.
Management, supervision and development of the acute finance team.
Provide specialist training and support for finance staff, and staff in other functions, on financial management and reporting processes and practices relevant to their role.
To create and develop financial information systems to meet the requirements of the acute commissioning finance team, and colleagues in commissioning and contracting functions, as required.
Manage the acute commissioning finance team, ensuring that all acute contracts have strong financial and analytical support and that all acute finance issues are resolved in a timely fashion.
Lead, develop and performance manage the acute commissioning finance team, ensuring that all members of staff have up to date personal development plans and are regularly appraised.
Develop financial management and reporting policies, procedures and practices, working with colleagues within the function to establish a consistent and effective approach.