Job Description

Our vision is to deliver pioneering care through pregnancy, childhood and loss, wherever families need us, whatever the future holds. This role supports our vision by ensuring timely and accurate monthly financial and payroll reporting is in place, which supports informed decision making across all areas of the hospice. This is an instrumental role within the organization managing the Hospice’s Finance function in its entirety on a day to day operational basis, ensuring excellent governance with record keeping and accounting of the charity and the trading company to produce accurate and timely reports. The role will be pivotal in implementing and reviewing systems and controls, providing high quality management information and support to the Finance & Corporate Services Director, and through them to the Senior Leadership Team and the Board of Trustees.

The role will be an active member of the Finance and Corporate Services Leadership Team and be an advocate of our values; Genuine, Courageous, Positive, Pioneering, Caring.

Main Duties and Key Responsibilities

Leadership and Management

• Manage the finance team, delegating duties and supporting development.
• Manage the Data/IT Analyst under the mentorship of the IG Lead.
• Identify volunteer resource requirements needed to support the finance function.
• Perform monthly 121’s setting clear objectives and focusing on well-being to encourage excellent team performance. Appraise and challenge team members accordingly, ensuring that organizational values are at the heart of all behaviors.
• Attend Leadership meetings to present finance updates and other organizational meetings as required.
• Have input into the in-house training programme, teaching and running workshops as appropriate.
• Deputies for the Finance & Corporate Services Director when necessary.

Relationship Management

• Hold and develop the relationship with bankers, auditors, insurers, security plus, lottery provider, pension advisors, gambling commission etc.
• Provide an essential finance support service across the wider organization through acting as a business partner to budget holders by developing and reporting on KPI’s and measures, through an understanding of finance related systems (Exchequer, Excel, Till Systems, Donor Database etc.)

Financial Management and Reporting

• Ensure efficient maintenance of the financial records of the charity and trading company.

• Ensure restricted and unrestricted funds are recorded accurately and restricted spend is monitored accordingly with relevant supporting paperwork e.g. trusts and grant income.
• Produce timely, accurate and relevant monthly management accounts information of the charity (all departments), trading company and other potential partnerships, including commentary on significant areas and variances against budgets.
• Accurate updating of the financial aspects of the Organizational Dashboard, within strict deadlines.
• Produce other reports and recommendations as appropriate.

Quality and Performance

• Ensure that high standards are met regarding the quality of data used across finance systems, data is accurate, reliable and therefore provides robust management information
• Provide a continuous, informed and expert view to the Finance & Corporate Services Director on current and predicted financial management, performance and controls, suggesting improvements and providing solutions.
• Reconciliation of all control accounts, inter-company account and regular review of nominal ledger, aged debtors and aged creditors.
• Maintain an accurate Fixed Asset register, ensuring accurate records to safeguard equipment and support the capital strategy and annual business plan.
• To be responsible for maximizing cash flow through banking and accurate recording of all hospice and trading funds, and ensuring all income is claimed in a timely manner such as gift aid, VAT, SDS and managing credit control.
• Authorizing monthly supplier payments, ensuring that invoices are authorized in accordance with internal financial controls and coded accurately against budgets.
• Work with the Trading team to ensure that systems such as stock management and cash handling are robust and follow auditor internal control requirements
• Monitor satisfaction, value for money and provide assurance in relation to finance and governance practice, through internal and external auditing e.g. peer review, work with other hospices, regular internal ‘spot checks’ across all sites, develop relevant audit checklists and seek to source an internal audit function etc.
• Take ownership of all relevant policies and procedures, ensuring that they are regularly reviewed, updated and communicated to colleagues.
• Take responsibility for procurement processes, review contracts accordingly and ensure a centralized register of contracts is in place.
• Ensure bank mandates are up to date and company charge cards/credit cards are tracked and limits regularly checked.
• Identify key risks associated with Finance, using the Hospice’s Risk Management Framework, and ensure strategies are in place to minimize those risks, including maintaining business continuity.
• Utilize automated practices wherever possible to maximize efficiency and minimize administrative duplication.
• Ensure all monies, financial information and keys are securely and appropriately stored. Regularly monitor retention schedules and data mapping in accordance with GDPR and attend the quarterly IG Committee meetings.

Budget Responsibility

• Assist the Finance & Corporate Services Director in preparing the consolidated annual budget, understanding trends, prior performance and future plans that will ultimately deliver the organizational plan and add value.
• Work with budget holders to review performance against budget, and monitor the overall organization’s finances to ensure we are operating within the agreed budget.
• Assist the Finance & Corporate Services Director with regular forecasting, working closely with budget holders, challenging performance, to obtain a good understanding of the predicted year end result.
• Budget responsibility for monitoring central support and IT costs, ensuring value for money is demonstrated and any variances are explained.
• Seek tenders and negotiate with suppliers to ensure a cost effective service in accordance with the procurement policy.

Audit and Year End

• In close cooperation with the Finance & Corporate Services Director, contribute to the preparation of the year end statutory accounts and audit file of the charity and the trading subsidiary.
• Lead on the annual audit in terms of preparation and deliverables required to ensure a smooth process.

Payroll

• Work closely with the HR team to ensure an efficient payroll service and that monthly payroll is accurate and meets tight deadlines.
• Responsible for meeting all payroll and pension compliance and regulation submissions and deadlines.
• Thoroughly check and authorize monthly payroll BACS
• Process monthly payroll journals and accruals within strict deadlines and reconcile all payroll control accounts with HMRC, SAGE payroll and Exchequer accounts system.

Other Duties

• To provide cover for, and complement the work of, other finance staff.
• To network and attend the Yorkshire & Humber Finance Forum, representing Forget Me Not Children’s Hospice, sharing best practice, benchmarking and developing relationships.
• To produce technical documentation and user guides, when required, for use within the Hospice and encourage best practice.
• Assist with providing financial information for grant applications.
• Any other reasonable duties as requested by Line Management.

For all of our roles we expect employees to abide by the expectations set out within the Together for Families Framework. Complying with Together for Families means that we will all act with integrity to ensure we are trusted by the people we care for, the people we work with and everyone who supports Forget Me Not.

Work remotely:

• Temporarily due to COVID-19

COVID-19 precaution(s):

• Remote interview process
• Personal protective equipment provided or required
• Social distancing guidelines in place
• Virtual meetings
• Sanitization, disinfection or cleaning procedures in place

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Demonstrate the ability to meet Hospice core values. Experience of working in the Charity sector and understanding the complexities in terms of charity structures and trading subsidiaries. Significant management experience being able to inspire, motivate, lead and delegate appropriately. Advanced Excel and Microsoft office skills, ability to do lookups, pivot tables and graphs. Experience of producing detailed departmental and consolidated management accounts, including analysis and commentary. Experience of working on accounting software such as Sage or Exchequer, and understanding the principles around the use of accounting systems. Experience of working on payroll software, and understanding of payroll principles and processing. The ability to provide accurate and timely information to a high standard and quality, and commitment to meeting tight deadlines. Demonstrate knowledge of the voluntary sector and understanding of charity accounting in terms of reporting requirements, charity law, VAT and legislation. Experience of communicating/disseminating information to a broad range of stakeholder’s at all levels, in a clear and straightforward way, with the ability to adapt skills in terms of audience. Operational experience of leading and managing all aspects of a finance department/service. Able to support and guide colleagues on complex financial matters, as well as general support on budgeting etc. Self-motivated, pro-active and innovative with a positive outlook embracing change. Ability to work as an effective and flexible team member and willingness to accept ad-hoc work requests. Excellent time management and prioritization skills, especially the ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously whilst under pressure. Prepared to undertake further training to extend existing skills/knowledge in new areas. Information governance and data protection knowledge essential. Ability to apply discretion in sensitive issues, and maintain confidentiality at all times. As this role might require working at multiple sites, you will need to have a full, clean driving license and access to a car for work purposes. Knowledge of Charities SORP FRS 102 and experience in preparing consolidated statutory accounts for a medium sized charity and trading company. Knowledge of corporate governance and company secretarial duties. Experience in changing established processes to ensure they remain effective and value-for-money. Sound knowledge of Exchequer, and how it can enhance and stream line existing finance systems i.e. importing/exporting data, integrating systems, automating systems, electronic purchase orders etc. An AAT qualification. Part qualified in other recognized professional qualification (e.g. ACA, ACCA, CIMA) with a thorough practical understanding of management accounting principles and techniques. A recognized professional qualification (e.g. ACA, ACCA, CIMA). Education: Diploma of Higher Education (Required) Experience: Charity Finance: 1 year (Preferred)