SHOBA NAIR

The Senior Finance Officer (Finance Business Lead) manages the financial function of an assigned portfolio of Disciplines and Departments, including the coordination and analysis of financial and performance reports/dashboards of cost centre activity.

The position coordinates and analyses monthly, annual and adhoc corporate financial and performance reports that inform and ensure proper governance.

Management accounting:

• Manages the financial function of an assigned portfolio of Disciplines and Departments including the coordination and analysis of financial and performance reports/dashboards of cost centre activity.
• Collaborates with managers and/or Heads of Departments providing advice, information and guidance to assist them to make informed strategic/planning decisions on the effective financial management of their cost centres in an ABF environment.
• Co-ordinates and analyses monthly, annual and ad hoc corporate financial and performance reports that inform and ensure proper governance.
• Analyses and prepares financial and Full Time Equivalent (FTE) reports for the Service cost centres and undertakes corrective action aligned to strategic targets.
• Coordinates, extracts and provides information on budget, expenditure, FTE, activity, revenue and Activity Based Funding (ABF) performance as well as ad hoc requests using the contemporary business systems software.
• Utilises benchmarking and comparative information to identify areas of sub-optimal resource utilisation to monitor and report on variance from agreed strategies and outcomes.
• Provides informed input to the review of service and revenue projection modelling, and to the development and implementation of costing models for clinical programs.
• Ensures effective liaison with Departments/Health Services under the Service, Finance, Corporate and Clinical Services, Supply and Human Resources on matters affecting the Service, and that remedial action is taken on financial, procurement and resource anomalies.
• Monitors and negotiates with external agencies and other health services to ensure correct resource invoicing and journals.
• Facilitates the preparation of recoup documentation.
• Analyses performance for specified quantitative, qualitative measures and reporting.
• Contributes to the development, formulation and negotiation of budget processes in collaboration with the Finance Manager.
• Prepares business cases and analyses on proposals for new and/or improved services.
• Actively participates in the development and delivery of ABF plans and activities.

Stakeholder Collaboration:

• Proactively collaborates with key stakeholders.
• Develops operational alliances with internal stakeholders to build cohesive and collaborative working relationships within PathWest.
• Promotes a positive customer service focus for service delivery.

Other:

• Performs duties in accordance with organisational Policies and Procedures.
• Performs duties in accordance with relevant Work Health and Safety, and Equal Opportunity legislation.
• Conducts duties in a manner that is ethical and promotes a positive image of PathWest Laboratory Medicine WA.
• Participates in Performance Planning and Review.
• Performs other duties as directed.

Financial Management :

• Responsible for all external financial reporting requirements (including the ARC Board as required) to meet statutory and compliance obligations, including the preparation of the ARC Annual Report, monthly and annual financial statements, and Whole of Government reporting to the Department of Treasury.
• Analyses monthly financial statements against the budget and previous years to ensure that variances are accounted for, and detailed analysis of sales figures.
• Ensures accountability, accuracy, and integrity of financial transactions within the general ledger and responsible for ensuring the chart of accounts is relevant to the agency’s business needs.
• Ensures regular and ad hoc reconciliation processes are completed between the system and General Ledger for payroll, assets, purchasing and receivable figures.
• Investigates and implements e-commerce solutions to financial processing to bring about productivity improvements.
• Manage the maintenance of record systems to ensure appropriate storage, retrieval, access, and disposal of documentation in line with government policies and procedures.
• Manages insurance declarations, premiums, and certificates of currently to ensure proper accounting of insurance recovery.
• Supervises the accounts receivable, accounts payable, procurement, and asset management functions; and has oversight of payroll costing and reporting including assessing employee leave liability to ensure that valuation follows Australian accounting standards.
• Provides information to meet the requirements of the Office of the Auditor General to determine compliance with the Financial Management Act 2006.
• Liaises effectively and negotiates with the Department of Treasury and internal and external auditors.
• Ensures that stocktake reports for the financial year are accounted for in the balance sheet for both movement on biological assets and non-animal inventory.
• Assist with animal inventory reporting as required.
• Prepares yearly budgets including projection of employment costs according to workforce planning.
• Develops, documents and implements systems and supporting procedure manuals for effective accounting and financial control consistent with Treasurer’s Instructions.
• Ensures compliance with the Financial Management Act 2006, Treasurers’ Instructions and relevant regulations, and the Australian Accounting Standards.
• Ensures compliance with GST taxation requirements, including preparation and lodgement of BAS, PAYG, Payroll Tax and FBT returns.

General Management:

• Manages resources (human, financial and physical) of the Financial Management team including supervising and providing mentoring and training to staff
• Other duties as required

• Manage accounting records and registers for all Health Service special purpose accounts
• Prepare accounts for payment from special purpose accounts
• Ensure that funds held in special purpose accounts are managed in accordance with policies and relevant legislation
• Ensure that periodic management reports are prepared and distributed to all trust fund holders and persons responsible for special purpose accounts on a timely and accurate basis
• Review existing procedures and practices on an ongoing basis and recommend alternative processes to improve the management and reporting of trust accounts
• Liaise with persons responsible for special purpose accounts and trust holders regarding the level of funding for specific programmes
• Prepare funding agency and statutory body acquittals and report as appropriate and ensure compliance with performance agreements and relevant fund grant conditions
• Prepare annual budgets where appropriate and ensure processes are in place to monitor expenditure and revenues against budgets and significant variances are reported to persons responsible for special purpose accounts and to trustees
• Provide consultancy and advice to persons responsible for special purpose accounts and trustees, in relation to financial administration, internal control and budget management procedures
• Process all applications for additional special purpose accounts and trust accounts and address queries in relation to special purpose accounts and trust accounts
• Prepare tax returns and provide tax information for trust accounts
• Investment of relevant incorporated body funds to suit varying individual company cashflow and administrative requirements
• Ensure accurate reimbursement of funds from incorporated bodies on a timely basis
• Carry out special investigations as required by management
• Prepare Monthly Financial report on the Special Purpose accounts
• Compile periodic and ad-hoc financial statements for the hospital and its related bodies
• Assist in the preparation of the Hospitals’ management reports
• Assist in the reconciliation of all ledgers and systems of a financial nature including bank reconciliations, accounts payable batches and payroll
• Assist in the training of departmental and hospital staff in relevant areas of financial management as requested
• Actively participate in the Management Committees
• Determine and authorise access privileges and requirements for Oracle Financials system, ensure accurate User records and audits user access privileges on a regular basis, in accordance with relevant Hospital policy
• Act as Local Security officer for Oracle system maintenance for user access, locations and position hierarchies
• Arrange for finance for hospital staff travel to be sent to accounts payable and ensure that it is according to staff travel guidelines
• Other duties as required

• Ensuring the Management accounts are done accurately and complete on time
• Preparation of Monthly, Quarterly and Yearly Reviews including PowerPoint presentations
• Liaison with the Information Technology (IT) on differences between System and General Ledger figures
• In charge of a team and motivated, lead and planned their job descriptions and evaluations

• As an external auditor, tasks included checking the accounts of multinational companies
• Preparing flowcharts of the Organisation
• Ensuring the tax computation had been correctly done
• Random sampling of procedures
• Ensuring there were no fraudulent activities