Work for us
Pension Scheme Team Manager / Assistant Accountant
NHS AfC: Band 5
- Main area
- Finance
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 5
- Contract
- Permanent
- Hours
- Full time - 37.5 hours per week
- Job ref
- 914-BSA3974-A
- Site
- Hesketh House
- Town
- Fleetwood
- Salary
- £28,407 - £34,581 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 04/06/2023 23:59
Job overview
If you are highly motivated, analytical, and are interested in a role that can make a difference, the NHS Business Services Authority (BSA) have the opportunity for you! We are looking for an Accountancy Officer/Assistant Financial Analyst to join a specialist team that manages a wide range of financial accounting and financial assurance requirements for the Scheme. The role is a perfect step up into a rewarding career with the NHS and widening your knowledge and experience with Government and NHS finance.
If you are confident with using technology to design bespoke financial reports, working analytically, and challenging yourself then this is the role for you. The role provides support for the team’s delivery of objectives, and your experience with large amounts of data and delivering process improvements will be key for this. You will be a self-starter, wants a challenge and is keen to learn all aspects of the vast scope of work the team does.
What do we offer?
- 27 days leave (increasing with length of service) plus 8 bank holidays
- Flexible working (we are happy to discuss options such as compressed hours)
- Flexi time
- Hybrid working model (we are currently working largely remotely)
- Career development
- Active wellbeing and inclusion networks
- Excellent pension
- NHS Car lease scheme
- Access to a wide range of benefits and high street discounts!
Main duties of the job
We are looking for people who are analytical and methodical in their approach to work and are working towards or who are full AAT qualified.
The post holder will work within the Pensions Finance Reporting, Assurance & Reconciliation Team providing key financial support in delivering the objectives of the team and ensuring robust financial reporting and reconciliation processes are developed and maintained. This will require data input and transfer, data interrogation and analysis, reconciliation of contribution and member data, collation of financial information from a range of systems and production of reports. The post holder will be required to deliver high quality customer service, including communicating effectively with customers and stakeholders.
You will be able to demonstrate these essential skills and knowledge:
- Advanced IT application skills (MS Excel in particular)
- High levels of accuracy and concentration in all aspects of work
- Well-developed analytical skills
- Effective communication skills
- Experience in a finance department
- Experience of integrated finance systems, financial reconciliation, and monitoring processes
- Analysis of large volumes of data
Working for our organisation
- Work with a dedicated and specialist team on all aspects of Pension Scheme Finance
- Insight into wider Government and NHS finance
- Exposure to the accounting and financial assurance processes surrounding £30 billion in Scheme cash flows
- Permanent position with excellent opportunity for skills and knowledge development
- A wide range of employee benefits to suit everyone
When you work with us you can take advantage of our renowned pension scheme and generous annual leave allocation. On top of that, we have a range of benefits including our Car Lease scheme, Travel Season Ticket Loans and access to fantastic high street and online discounts.
We know it’s important for you to feel that you’re not only part of a great team, but part of a community. We strive to ensure that colleagues feel trusted, valued, and empowered. We are represented by a range of colleague networks, including Wellbeing and Inclusion, Lived Experience, Environment and Armed Forces, LGBTQ+ to name a few, who lead on events and initiatives open to all colleagues to get involved.
We are passionate about supporting our colleagues and nurturing and developing talent. When you work with us, we want you to grow, and we offer a range of opportunities such as apprenticeships, career pathways and job shadowing.
Our purpose is to be a catalyst for better health and our vision is to be delivery partner of choice for the NHS. Help us fulfil it, what are you waiting for?
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
In this role, you are accountable for:
1. Assisting the Pension Finance Manager and Accountants with their reporting and data requirements to facilitate all aspects of Pensions and Injury Benefit Finance requirements, especially utilising Integra and its associated reporting tools.
2. The management of the finance support staff on the team providing leadership and direction and inspiring excellent performance from team members. This will include recruitment, ORO process, continued staff development, Absence Management and training.
3. Organise the total workload of the team, ensuring all deliverables and deadlines are met in an accurate and timely manner.
4. Performing a range of financial and statistical analysis on a wide range of customer, member and financial data providing insight into the financial monitoring and forecasting requirements of the Scheme.
5. Developing financial and management information reports, for internal and external stakeholders.
6. Managing the Annual Contribution Exercise from the initial planning stage and IT solution, through to the summary reconciliation and satisfactorily resolving all queries.
7. Managing the annual certification and reconciliation process for Independent Providers and New Fair Deal Employers, and referring queries and a suitable sample to the Finance Manager for further assurance checks.
8. Performing initial validations and analysis of the results of the Scheme Valuations for review by the Scheme Accountant, and member level investigation by the finance support staff.
9. Controlling the production, delivery and reconciliation of the Scheme Admin Levy VAT notification exercise to all relevant employers and providing notification adjustments for prior years where applicable.
10. Assisting in the collation of relevant source data to ensure accurate forecasts can be established for monthly reporting.
11. Contributing to the design and creation of Management and Financial Information processes, utilising specific Scheme, IT and financial systems knowledge.
12. Working with a minimal amount of supervision, working autonomously to manage own work and make decisions in own work area and for the support team.
13. Effectively communicating with internal and external customers resolving technical and escalated queries by telephone, e-mail and correspondence. Customers being Pensions Service, NHS Employers and other external agencies and Departments.
14. Maintaining an awareness of the NHS Pension Scheme and Injury Benefit Scheme and associated regulations, including forthcoming events and changes.
15. Demonstrating a commitment to develop flexible matrix working such that the broad base of skills and experience of all staff are utilised to maximum benefit for the individual, team and organisation.
16. Identifying personal training needs and works with the Finance Manager to establish personal objectives, and for those of direct reporting staff. Contributes to own appraisal.
17. Undertaking other such duties as may be required commensurate with grade, training and experience. Also on occasion participates in organisation wide work groups appropriate to the post holders expertise and experience.
Person specification
Personal Qualities, Knowledge and Skills
Essential criteria
- Knowledge of relevant legislation and statutory requirements.
- Excellent organisational skills.
- Ability to perform analysis of data from multiple sources and systems.
Desirable criteria
- Knowledge of Government Accounting and funding, and Pension Scheme Accounting.
- Knowledge of the Finance Act/HMRC requirements
- Experience of the control of data transfer between systems and control processes.
- Methodical and pragmatic approach to planning and solution delivery.
- Assertive and persuasive in an influential rather than authoritarian manner.
Experience
Essential criteria
- Experience in a relevant financial position.
- Use of integrated finance systems, financial reconciliation, reporting and monitoring processes
Desirable criteria
- Relevant NHS/Public Sector/Pension Scheme experience.
- Line management experience.
- Relevant NHS/Public Sector experience
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- 5 GCSE’s including English Language and Mathematics (or equivalent)
- Fully qualified or studying towards full AAT, or NVQ level 4 (or equivalent) in supervisory/management discipline (or equivalent)
Desirable criteria
- CCAB Part Qualified, Finance/Business Diploma or equivalent.
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Jennifer Hickes
- Job title
- Assistant Pension Scheme Accountant / Analyst
- Email address
- jennifer.hickes@nhs.net
- Additional information
Further information about the role is available by contacting jennifer.hickes@nhs.net