Job vacancy: Head of Financial Accounting, Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust, London

Job summary

Main area

Finance

Grade

NHS AfC: Band 8b

Contract

7 months (Fixed term to 31/03/2026)

Hours

Full time
Flexible working

37.5 sessions per week (Include remote working)

Job ref

260-TP-972

Employer: Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type: NHS
Site: Tavistock Centre/Hybrid Working
Town: London
Salary: £72,921 - £83,362 £72,921 - £83,362 per annum inclusive of Inner London HCAS
Salary period: Yearly
Closing: 01/09/2025 23:59

Head of Financial Accounting

NHS AfC: Band 8b

It is a condition of this employment that you must live in and remain a resident of the United Kingdom during your employment with the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust.

Covid-19 Vaccination

Getting vaccinated, and getting a booster, remains the best defence against COVID-19.
We encourage and support staff to get COVID-19 vaccine and a booster dose as and when they are eligible.

Please note in order to progress your application, your data will be processed by our 3^rd party recruitment providers – North London Partners Shared Service, who conduct recruitment activities on behalf of The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust

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The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust is a specialist mental health trust with a focus on training and education alongside a full range of mental health services and psychological therapies for children and their families, young people and adults.

We are committed to improving mental health and emotional wellbeing, believing that high quality mental health services should be available for all who need them. We bring a distinctive contribution based on the importance we attach to social experience at all stages of people’s lives, and our focus on psychological and developmental approaches to the promotion of health and the prevention and treatment of mental ill health

We contribute to the pool of ideas through our own research and development, but are also committed to bringing together the best ideas of the time, old and new, from inside and out, together with the most gifted and able professionals in our fields of endeavour. We aim to share our ideas and practice through as many routes as possible.

As a Trust we aim constantly to be evolving in nature and form in relation to the environment in which we work, to ensure that our contribution remains relevant.

The Trust uses electronic new starter forms on Trac to collect personal details. Information collected is securely stored and used to set up the employee record on the ESR HR system.

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Detailed job description and main responsibilities

The Head of Financial Accounting is a 'hands on' role, with the role holder having primary responsibility for maintaining the underlying financial records of the Trust, ensuring statutory and regulatory compliance. The Head of Financial Accounting also has primary responsibility for production of the Trust's annual financial statements and acts as the Trust's expert in financial accounting matters.

The Head of Financial Accounting manages a team of six staff covering accounts payable, credit control, procurement administration, income and expenses.

Production of the annual accounts of the Trust in compliance with all relevant statutory and regulatory requirements
Supervision of 6 staff members involved in all aspects of accounts payable, debtors and cash book
Dealing with complex queries regarding debtors and creditors referred by Finance Officers and SBS
To interpret and apply Dept. of Health and NHS policies and guidance, International Accounting Standards etc. advising the Director of Finance on the potential impact
Responsibility for maintenance / improvement of the Trust's internal control environment (as it pertains to finance-related matters) including overseeing the monthly balance sheet / control account reconciliation process
Responsibility for overseeing the accounts of the Trust's charitable funds
Liaising with SBS, monitoring and reviewing contract performance

This is not an exhaustive list, please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification for more information on the role requirements and duties.

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

CCAB professional qualification Degree or equivalent level of tertiary education Evidence of post graduate / qualification study

Knowledge I Experience

Essential criteria

Significant post qualification experience as a financial accountant / financial controller / head of financial accounting
Significant experience of preparing financial statements / accounts
Significant experience of interpreting / applying international accounting standards
Experience of NHS financial policies and processes
Confident user of IT e.g. Microsoft Office, integrated financial ledger system, databases. Advanced Excel
Able to form judgements and make autonomous decisions guided by policies and procedures
Practical experience of financial accounting practices (preparation of reconciliations, accounts payable, credit control, banking etc.)
Good communication skills, able to explain complex financial issues to non-finance managers
Good analytical skills, able to solve complex financial and non financial problems
Experience of managing a team

Personal Attributes

Essential criteria

Able to demonstrate a commitment to and a desire to live by the Trust's values.
Ability to communicate clearly and concisely, both verbally and in writing
Ability to plan and prioritise the completion of high volume / complex tasks
Motivates others
Acts with integri and professionalism at all times
Approachable both to staff, Finance colleagues and Trust budget managers
Ability to negotiate and resolve disputes.
Team player with a positive 'can do' attitude to objectives and challenges

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The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion. We are particularly keen to attract candidates from underrepresented backgrounds to better meet the needs of the service users and students that we serve.

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Applications from job seekers who require sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. Before submitting your application and to avoid disappointment please check that you are eligible under the UKVI points based system.

By applying for this role, you accept in the event you are successful that your personal data may be transferred from the Trust to another NHS organisation where your employment transfers within the NHS. This is in accordance with the streamlining programme which is aimed at saving you time and improving efficiencies within the NHS when your employment transfers. Therefore we want you to complete your e-learning modules prior to joining our organisation.

We communicate to all job applicants via the email address which has been provided on the application form. Please ensure you check your email on regular basis and inform us if you would prefer an alternative option or any changes to your details after making your application.

PLEASE NOTE:
* The closing date given is a guide. We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so we advise you to submit your application as early as possible to prevent disappointment.

* Only those candidates who clearly demonstrate how they meet the person specification on their application will be shortlisted for this job.

*Candidates suitable for shortlisting will be contacted within three weeks. If you have not heard from us within this time then you have not been successful on this occasion.

* Interview arrangements will be communicated via email so please check your email regularly following the closing date

* In submitting an application form, you authorise the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust to confirm any previous NHS service details via the Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) process should you be appointed to the post

If you are offered a role with one of the NLPSS partner trusts, as part of pre-employment checks your identity and right to work documentation will be verified remotely (in most circumstances), using a certified identity verification service provider TrustID. You will be asked to capture an image of the relevant documents as well as a “selfie” using your smartphone/tablet (if available) for facial matching. TrustID will also perform a digital address check using runarrative and Equifax, which is a soft check and does not leave a footprint on your credit rating. For more information, visit www.trustid.co.uk

For further support on submitting an application please refer to the NLPSS Applicant Toolkit: https://royalfree.pagetiger.com/cuuomnr/1

___________________________________________________________________________________

Mindful employer. Being positive about mental health.

Stonewall equality policy. Equality and justice for lesbians, gay men, bisexual and trans people.

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name: Hanh Tran
Job title: Deputy Chief Finance Officer
Email address: [email protected]
Telephone number: 07754857754

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Job summary

Employer heading

Head of Financial Accounting

NHS AfC: Band 8b

Job overview

Main duties of the job

Working for our organisation

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria

Knowledge I Experience

Essential criteria

Personal Attributes

Essential criteria

Employer certification / accreditation badges

Applicant requirements

Documents to download

Further details / informal visits contact

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