Finance Manager

Job Description

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Key responsibilities

• Main Purpose of the Role
• To lead the day-to-day finance function of RMS, providing accurate and timely financial management information, strong financial control and full statutory compliance across all service lines. The finance manager will lead on annual planning, budgeting and forecasting to inform business development strategy. The role has a responsibility for management accounts. Finance Manager will lead the production of month-end reporting for RMS, this will include forecasting, planning and analysis of trends.
• The role will involve interpreting complex financial information, investigating variances, identifying risks and opportunities and presenting clear and timely advice to finance and non finance staff.
• Reporting to the Director, the Finance Manager will manage the Finance Officer and Finance Assistant, own the monthly reporting cycle, protect cash flow through accurate billing and effective credit control, and act as finance business partner to Operations and HR so that managers can make well-informed decisions on service delivery, pricing and growth.

Position in the Organisation

• Reports to: Director, who retains overall responsibility for financial strategy, the budgeting process, relationships with the Board and the external auditors.
• Manages: Finance Officer (weekly payroll, ledgers, reconciliations, first line finance queries) and Finance Assistant.
• Key internal relationships: CEO, Chief Operations Officer /Registered Manager, Deputy Registered Managers, RGN Case Managers, Field Care Supervisors, Care Coordinators, HR Manager and HR Officer, Clinical Quality and Compliance Manager.
• Key external relationships: local authority and NHS/ICB commissioners and their finance teams, self-funding clients and families, external accountants and auditors, bankers and lenders, HMRC, the payroll provider (if applicable), insurers, and Bells IT (IT support).

Key Duties and Responsibilities

Financial management and reporting

• Own the month-end close timetable and produce management accounts (income statement, balance sheet and cash flow) for the Director by the 15th of each month, with clear commentary on variances.
• Work with the Director to prepare annual budgets and rolling forecasts by service line (domiciliary, nurse-led packages, children’s homes, supported living) and by branch or cost centre and carry out financial risk assessments and risk mitigation strategies
• Maintain a rolling cash flow forecast (at least 13 weeks) and report on liquidity, headroom and any lender or covenant requirements.
• Analyse margin and contribution by package, contract and commissioner (charge rate against pay rate, travel time, agency use, unbilled hours) to identify under-funded or loss-making packages early.
• Produce monthly KPI reports and dashboards for the Director, Operations Director and Board, and contribute to board and investor packs.
• Review all balance sheet reconciliations (accruals, prepayments, deferred income, control accounts) and maintain the fixed asset register, including depreciation.
• Prepare year-end working papers and the trial balance, and support the preparation of statutory accounts with the external accountants and auditors.

Income, billing and credit control

• Oversee accurate and timely invoicing to local authorities, NHS/ICB commissioners (including continuing healthcare funding), direct payment recipients and self-funding clients.
• Ensure billing is reconciled to delivered care, using electronic call monitoring, rota and care planning data, including commissioners who pay on actual rather than planned time.
• Maintain a schedule of contracts, framework terms and agreed rates; ensure fee uplifts, annual rate reviews and contract variations are applied in billing from the correct date.
• Run revenue assurance: regularly reconcile hours delivered, hours billed and cash received, and investigate unbilled, disputed or rejected hours.
• Manage credit control, including aged debt review, escalation, liaison with commissioner finance teams, bad debt provisioning and reporting of debtor days.
• Provide cost and pricing information to support tenders, framework applications, fee negotiations and the costing of new care packages.

Payroll and workforce costs

• Oversee the weekly payroll and monthly process run by the Finance Officer (and any external payroll provider): review and sign off each run and reconcile payroll to the nominal ledger.
• Ensure pay practices comply with National Minimum Wage / National Living Wage rules, including the treatment of travel time, sleep-ins, on-call, training time, and holiday pay for workers with irregular hours.
• Keep payroll configuration up to date with annual changes to rates and thresholds (including NMW/NLW, employer National Insurance, statutory pay and pension contributions) and with the phased implementation of the Employment Rights Act.
• Ensure Real Time Information submissions, PAYE and NIC payments, pension auto-enrolment, statutory payments and year-end returns (P60, P11D) are accurate and on time.
• Work with the HR Manager on workforce costing, headcount forecasting and, where RMS sponsors overseas workers, the salary and going-rate data needed to meet sponsor licence duties.

Purchases, payments, cash and banking

• Oversee the purchase ledger, supplier statement reconciliations and payment runs, ensuring approval limits and coding rules are followed and cash flow is protected.
• Manage banking relationships, mandates, facilities, asset finance and vehicle or lease agreements; ensure all bank accounts are reconciled promptly.
• Maintain controls over expense claims, company cards and petty cash, including petty cash held at supported living and children’s home settings.

Tax, statutory and regulatory compliance

• Prepare and submit VAT returns (including partial exemption where applicable) and ensure VAT and PAYE/NIC are paid by their statutory deadlines.
• Work with the external accountants on corporation tax, and with the Director on Companies House filings and compliance with current filing and identity verification requirements.
• Maintain a finance compliance calendar of all statutory, regulatory and contractual deadlines.
• Prepare financial information for CQC, local authority contract monitoring, commissioner due diligence and financial resilience checks, tenders, and insurance renewals.
• Ensure finance records are held and shared in line with UK GDPR and the RMS data protection policy.

Internal control, risk and fraud prevention

• Maintain and regularly review the finance policies and procedures, including delegated authority limits, segregation of duties, procurement, credit control, expenses and petty cash.
• Ensure robust safeguards, records and audit trails wherever RMS holds or manages money on behalf of service users.
• Operate controls against payment diversion and mandate fraud, including independent verification of changes to supplier or client bank details and dual authorisation of payments.
• Maintain the finance risk register, support internal and external audits, and ensure audit recommendations are implemented.

Systems, automation and digital improvement

• Responsible and accountable for the accounting system (Xero, Sage), including the chart of accounts, cost centres and user access rights.
• Responsible and accountable data flow between care management, rostering and electronic call monitoring systems and the finance system, and drive automation of invoicing, reconciliations, approvals and expense capture.
• Develop reporting tools and dashboards (e.g. Excel or Power BI) so that managers have timely, self-service financial timely financial information to inform service development decisions
• Work with Bells IT to maintain security, back-ups and cyber-security controls for finance systems and data.

Leadership of the finance team

• Line manage the Finance Officer and Finance Assistant: set objectives, allocate work, hold regular one-to-ones, carry out appraisals and manage performance and attendance.
• Identify training and development needs, including support for professional study such as AAT, and create a culture of accuracy, meeting deadlines and continuous improvement.
• Document finance procedures, cross-train the team and plan cover for leave and absence.
• Deputise for the Director where delegated.

Business partnering and stakeholder engagement

• Hold regular finance review meetings with the Chief Operations Officer, Registered Managers and other budget holders, explaining performance, risks and opportunities in plain language.
• Act as the main finance contact for commissioners’ finance teams, auditors, accountants, banks, HMRC and the payroll provider.
• Support the CEO, Director and Board with financial modelling and investment cases for growth, new services and contract opportunities.

General

• Comply with all RMS policies, including safeguarding, confidentiality, data protection, equality and diversity, and health and safety.
• Carry out any other reasonable duties requested by the Finance Director or CEO that are consistent with the level of the role.
• Accountability and Authority
• Accountable to the Director for the accuracy, completeness and timeliness of all accounting records, reports and statutory returns.
• Accountable for the performance, development and conduct of the finance team.
• Authorised to approve payments and journals up to (£ 20,000K limit for supplier payments / outside of payroll to be set by the Director); items above this limit require Director approval.

We receive a high volume of applications and are therefore unable to respond to each application. We will only be contacting shortlisted applicants. Therefore, if you have not heard from us within 4 weeks of your application, please assume that you have been unsuccessful on this occasion.

We value the time and effort it takes to submit an application and therefore appreciate your consideration of our company.

Qualifications

• CCAB or equivalent with substantial demonstrable relevant experience Management or leadership qualification

Experience

• 5 years PQE Knowledge and experience of finance management and supervising or managing staff
• Delivering month-end close and management accounts to deadline
• Managing VAT, PAYE and payroll compliance
• Credit control and cash flow forecasting Finance experience in domiciliary, supported living, children’s or wider social care or healthcare
• Billing local authorities and NHS/ICBs, including continuing healthcare
• Preparing for and liaising with external audit
• Pricing tenders and framework applications

Knowledge

• UK GAAP / FRS 102, VAT and PAYE
• UK payroll rules, including National Minimum Wage and holiday pay
• Internal controls and fraud prevention Care sector funding models, fee uplifts and commissioner payment practices
• CQC and regulatory financial reporting expectations

Sponsor licence compliance

• Systems and skills Confident with cloud accounting software (e.g. Xero, Sage)
• Advanced Microsoft Excel
• Strong analytical and reporting skills Electronic call monitoring and rostering systems
• Power BI or similar reporting tools
• Experience of process automation

Communication skills

• Must be able to provide and receive highly complex, sensitive information, negotiate with external stakeholders and present complex and sensitive information. Negotiate on difficult and issues including performance and change

Analytical

• Problem solving skills and ability to respond to sudden unexpected demands
• Ability to analyse complex facts and situations and develop a range of options that will be used to inform business decisions
• Strategic thinking-ability to anticipate and resolve problems before they arise

Management skills

• Must be able to prioritise own work effectively and be able to direct activities of direct reports.
• Experience of managing and motivating a team and reviewing performance of the individuals

Personal attributes

• Strong leadership and people management skills
• Clear communicator who can explain financial information to non-finance colleagues
• Excellent attention to detail and ability to prioritise and meet deadlines
• Integrity, discretion and a commitment to RMS values and the safeguarding of vulnerable people
• Works well on own initiative and as part of a team Experience of leading change or system improvement
• Recognised accounting qualification (e.g., ACCA, CIMA, ACA) or equivalent experience.
• Proven experience in a Finance Manager or similar role, ideally within health, social care, or a regulated environment
• Excellent knowledge of financial regulations, statutory requirements, and best practice in the UK.
• Strong organisational and analytical skills with a keen eye for detail.
• Confident communicator, able to present financial information clearly to non-finance colleagues and management.
• Experience of preparing budgets, management accounts, and financial reports.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, especially Excel, and familiarity with accounting software.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively within a team.
• Commitment to maintaining confidentiality and high professional standards at all times.

Desirable

• Experience within the medical, nursing, or social care sector.
• Knowledge of payroll administration and pension schemes.
• Understanding of CQC requirements and compliance in a healthcare setting.
• Experience of managing audits and liaising with external stakeholders.

Rainbow Medical Services Limited is seeking a dedicated Finance Manager to join our passionate team supporting adults with complex care needs. This is a unique opportunity to play a pivotal role in ensuring our high-quality, bespoke care services remain sustainable and efficient. As Finance Manager, you will help drive our mission to deliver responsive, person-centred care, whilst enjoying a supportive workplace where your expertise truly makes a difference.