Finance Business Partner

Finance Business Partner

To provide a comprehensive and high quality finance business partnering service to directorates. To promote innovation and improvement by providing expertise and analysis to inform good financial decision making and optimal use of resources. The Trust is one of the largest acute healthcare providers in the country. Our services include Emergency and Acute Assessment units, General Medical and Surgical Services, Cancer Care, Orthopaedics, Paediatrics, Dentistry, Ear Nose and Throat, Neurosciences and Renal services. We offer a full range of general hospital services to around 450,000 people in Plymouth, North and East Cornwall and South and West Devon. These include emergency and major trauma services, maternity services, paediatrics and a full range of diagnostic, medical and surgical sub-specialties.

Main Duties Of The Job

An exceptional opportunity has arisen for an ambitious, high calibre finance professional to join a respected and forward thinking Finance team at a pivotal time for the Trust. This is a genuinely influential role at the heart of decision making across Finance and Operations. You will help shape the Trust's future by providing insight that informs clinical and operational strategy, supports sustainable service delivery, and enables investment in patient focused care. Your work will span demand and capacity planning, service line viability, benchmarking performance, delivering transformational savings, and developing major capital and revenue business cases. We are seeking someone who thrives on complexity, brings curiosity and commercial insight, and can translate sophisticated financial analysis into clear, compelling advice for senior leaders and clinical colleagues. You will be a professionally qualified accountant with strong analytical skills, excellent communication, and the confidence to influence and challenge constructively. This role offers a genuine opportunity to grow. We are committed to developing future finance leaders and welcome applications from individuals who can demonstrate strong potential. Where appropriate, candidates may be supported in a development role at the band below, with a clear pathway into the substantive post.

For an informal discussion, please contact Steve Cavendish, Associate Director of Finance.

Job Responsibilities

• Utilising specialist knowledge of complex NHS/Trust accounting systems, processes, regulations, financial techniques and relevant legislation; NHS Tariff guidance and Contractual requirements, together with general commercial awareness, for individual Services to:
• Provide strategic and business planning advice to Directorate and Divisional Management teams;
• Encourage and influence Directorate Management Teams to ensure cost-effective decision making by management, using high developed persuasion, motivation and negotiation skills;
• Investigate highly complex financial queries on income and expenditure, carrying out regular complicated analytical reviews of the Service Line/Directorate financial position, predicting income, developing and using complex models and multiple inputs including activity projections and case mix issues;
• Interpret highly complex financial data and give advice on financial risks to ensure the budgets are achievable and owned by the Directorate Managers and Budget Holders.
• Assist and advise Directorate Management Teams in the execution of plans to achieve the performance targets set out in the Trusts Annual Plan, within the financial resources allocated to the Directorate for that purpose
• Oversee the accuracy and integrity of Service Line/Directorate financial information relating to Patient Level reporting and reference costs in particular;
• Identify business opportunities and threats arising out of market analyses and work with Directorate to identify financial impacts and mitigating actions
• Thoroughly review monthly contract monitoring reports with Directorates to ensure robust capture and coding of income. Work with Directorates and Accountants to develop robust activity and income forecasts based on changes to demand, RTT requirements and capacity constraints.
• Benchmark the Service Lines/Directorates against other similar hospitals using nationally recognised activity and management information and peer data (such as GIRFT and the Model Hospital) - identify areas for improvement and advise Directorate Management Teams and work closely with Directorate Management teams to effect such changes.
• Ensure best practice is developed and delivered at department and organisational level, challenging ways of working and motivating and influencing others.
• Provide financial support for revenue and capital business cases as appropriate describing the financial implications of the business case and investment appraisal techniques.

For further details please see attached JD&PS.