Senior management accountant

Band 7 · Management accountant · 495 job evaluation points

Senior management accountants lead the financial management of a large directorate or major digital programme, including complex forecasting, costing, and business cases.

Responsibilities

Lead budget setting and forecasting for a large directorate or major digital programme.
Model scenarios, such as funding changes, delivery delays, and the shift from capital to cloud subscription costs.
Lead the financial case for significant investments, including whole-life costs, benefits, and value for money.
Build service and product costing, such as the full cost of running a digital service.
Present financial performance and risks to senior managers and programme boards.
Manage a small team of accountants and trainees.

Skills

Skill	Expected level	What this level means
Management accountingThis reference	Practitioner (3)	You can: manage the monthly reporting cycle for a directorate or programme build cost models, such as the full cost of a digital service or the unit cost of a transaction analyse spending trends and advise managers on actions to stay within budget challenge budget holders constructively on their forecasts
Financial planning and forecastingThis reference	Practitioner (3)	You can: lead budget setting and forecasting for a directorate or large programme model scenarios and sensitivities, such as inflation, delays, or changes in funding build multi-year forecasts for digital programmes, including the running costs that follow investment present forecasts and risks to senior managers
Business cases and investment appraisalThis reference	Practitioner (3)	You can: lead the financial case for complex digital investments, such as a new clinical system or a move to cloud appraise options using net present value, sensitivity analysis, and risk adjustment check that benefits are realistic, measurable, and owned track spending and benefits after approval
Public sector financeThis reference	Practitioner (3)	You can: advise managers on funding rules, including ring-fenced and time-limited funding manage capital and revenue limits for a programme or directorate prepare returns and evidence for funders and spending controls
Financial management for digital, data and technologyUK GDaD PCF	Working (2)	Senior leadership skill: the UK GDaD PCF defines it with one statement, not by level. You can: Examples of leadership using this skill: own, manage and optimise budgets across digital, data and technology secure appropriate investment to deliver organisational strategy and priorities negotiate investments in shared technologies across the organisation and across government prioritising competing demands for investment in people, infrastructure and innovation across digital, data and technology to maximise value identifying risk to critical services and influencing stakeholders to increase investment to ensure they are maintained balancing short-term tactical gains with longer-term strategies to ensure value now and in the future
Creating value for moneyUK GDaD PCF	Working (2)	You can: estimate the value of each item on your roadmap compare effort to value when deciding priorities decide when it's appropriate to reuse something, and when it's not decide how and when to escalate risk in achieving value discuss estimates with stakeholders to validate understanding analyse the benefit of investment against anticipated outcomes
Stakeholder relationship managementUK GDaD PCF	Practitioner (3)	You can: work with the team to develop and maintain an understanding of stakeholders work with the team to develop and implement stakeholder communications strategies identify and resolve issues, influence stakeholders and manage relationships effectively build long-term strategic relationships and communicate clearly and regularly with stakeholders
People managementThis reference	Working (2)	You can: supervise day-to-day work and give feedback take part in recruitment and induction hold regular one-to-one conversations
Understanding health and care servicesThis reference	Working (2)	You can: explain the clinical and care workflows your work supports use common health care terms correctly with clinical and care colleagues recognise when a change could affect patient care and raise it

Typical qualifications and experience

A recognised accountancy qualification, with substantial post-qualification experience, or equivalent.

Band 7 outline

Knowledge: Highly developed specialist knowledge, typically to master's level or equivalent experience.
Autonomy: Works to organisational policy; decides how results are achieved; is the expert others consult.
Scope: Several products or services, or a specialist function.
Leadership: Leads a team or a professional practice area.
Accountability: Delivery of a service or specialist function, and its budget if held.

Job evaluation (illustrative)

Factor	Level	Level summary	Points
Communication and relationship skills	5	Gives highly complex or contentious information needing developed persuasion and negotiation, presents to large groups, or communicates where there are significant barriers to acceptance.	45
Knowledge, training, and experience	6	Specialist knowledge across the range of the specialism (postgraduate diploma level or equivalent).	156
Analytical and judgemental skills	4	Judgements on complex facts or situations needing analysis, interpretation, and comparison of options.	42
Planning and organisational skills	4	Plans a broad range of complex activities or strategies, adjusting them as needed.	42
Physical skills	3	Developed skills needing speed or accuracy, such as advanced keyboard use.	27
Responsibility for patient and client care	1	Helps patients, clients, or relatives during incidental contact.	4
Responsibility for policy and service development	3	Implements policies for own area and proposes changes that affect other areas.	21
Responsibility for financial and physical resources	4	Holds or sets the budget for a department or service, or buys or maintains its assets.	32
Responsibility for people	3	Manages a group of staff day to day, teaches core or specialist training, or gives core HR advice.	21
Responsibility for information resources	5	Designs and develops major information systems, or runs information systems for several services as the main duty.	34
Responsibility for research and development	2	Regularly does research, development, trials, or equipment and system testing as part of the job.	12
Freedom to act	4	Results are defined, but the job holder decides how to achieve them, within broad policy.	32
Physical effort	1	Sitting, standing, and walking, with little physical effort.	3
Mental effort	3	Frequent concentration on unpredictable work, or occasional prolonged concentration.	12
Emotional effort	1	Rare exposure, or occasional indirect exposure, to distressing circumstances.	5
Working conditions	2	Occasional unpleasant conditions, frequent travel or outdoor work, or near-continuous screen use on most days.	7
Total (Band 7: 466 to 539)			495

Financial resources is level 4 because the job sets the budget for a directorate or programme with its budget holders.