Chief Financial Officer

RYE WINCHELSEA & DISTRICT MEMORIAL HOSPITAL LTD

Rye, Winchelsea and District Memorial Hospital Ltd is a charity that traces its history back to 1921 when the original Community Hospital was built after the First World War. In 1984 the Hospital was closed by the NHS after the opening of the Conquest District General Hospital in St Leonards. A new Hospital was built and opened in 1994 after intense campaigning and fund raising in the local community. The NHS has returned as a committed tenant of the charity to provide Intermediate Care. Through acquisition and ground leasing a 7,500 patient GP practice was built and opened in 2010, a 55 unit extra care facility was refurbished and modernised in 2015 and a 5500 sq ft Wellbeing Centre built by the Charity in 2020. The final development of a 60 bed Care Home is anticipated in the near future. In all this provides an exceptional range of facilities within the Charity’s freehold (known as the Memorial Care Centre) for the benefit of Rye and the Rural Rother community.

The Hospital and its Charity have a strong bond with the community and it now has the resources to broaden its outreach program and deliver a wide range of community health and wellbeing services, identified through its needs analysis. It seeks a Chief Financial Officer to strengthen the quality of its administrative framework and bring new skills to enhance the services so necessary in the community at a time when public services have become so depleted.

Desired Characteristics

The Charity is entering an exciting period of development and requires a Chief Financial Officer who will be responsible for all financial matters, strongly supported by the Board of Trustees who have a wide range of professional skills. This is a rare opportunity to make a significant impact on the healthcare services and community development in a rural setting.

The ideal candidate will be a fully qualified accountant who is experienced at a senior level, is highly organised and has excellent attention to detail.

The candidate should be able to demonstrate a record of leading the process of financial management and reporting, have experience of communicating financial matters to a Board, be familiar with working collaboratively and capable of developing strong working relationships both internally and externally. Experience of involvement with charities is a significant advantage.

Key Tasks And Responsibilities Will Include:

• Regular financial processes
• Oversee all aspects of the Charity’s regular financial processes, controlling internal procedures and the delivery of short term reporting requirements.
• Financial Planning & Strategy
• Work with the CEO, and the members of the Board, to develop the Charity’s strategic plans.
• In particular, contribute to the financial evaluation of strategic discussions, and then the delivery of the plans in pursuit of the Charity’s objectives.
• Contribute to the development, implementation and updating of finance-related policies, systems and internal controls.
• Finance Management
• Scrutiny of expenditure plans in relation to capital projects and of ongoing P&L expenses.
• Oversee the Charity’s investments and other financial resources.
• Manage the deployment of the Charity’s reserves.
• Help the Trustees to understand the Charity’s financial performance and discharge their associated responsibilities.
• Accounting & Reporting
• Contribute, as appropriate, to the preparation of the statutory financial accounts and other organisational financial reporting.
• Assist with the production of the Charity Annual Report & Accounts.
• Oversee annual budget preparation and then its management during the course of the year.
• Fundraising
• Help to research and develop plans for fundraising with grant-making organisations.
• Assist with the completion of applications for funds where appropriate.
• Risk Management & Governance
• Maintain and monitor the organisational risk register.
• Provide advice on new projects and organisational risks, and oversee all financial elements of agreements and contracts entered into.
• Ensure compliance with all appropriate governance requirements, and the production and maintenance of necessary documentation.