Centre for Maternal and Child Enquiries

MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTANT

RECRUITMENT PACK

  1. RECRUITMENT INFORMATION

a. Background

b. Job Description

c. Person Specification

d. Appointment Process

2. Financial Statements for thePeriod Ended30th June 2009

3. Business Plan 2009-12

4. APPLICATION FORM

BACKGROUND

  1. Organisational background about CMACE

The Centre for Maternal and Child Enquiries (CMACE) started work on 1 July 2009. Whilst it is a new charity with ambitious plans for the future, it has inherited work programmes with a long and distinguished pedigree.

Its immediate predecessor was the Confidential Enquiry into Maternal and Child Health (CEMACH) which was set up in April 2003. During this period, CEMACH was an operational unit of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG).

Turnover is approximately £2m with an overall staff of 35. The organisation continues to be highly reliant on one main contract, for approx £1.4m, with the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA). This has been agreed up until March 31, 2011. The postholder will be expected to support work required to assist in securing the renewal of this contract as well as the efforts being made to widen the organisation’s funding base.

2. The work of CMACE

CMACE carries out research and clinical audit in the fields on maternal and child health. It inherited ongoing surveys from its predecessor bodies, the Confidential Enquiry into Maternal and Child Health (CEMACH), the Confidential Enquiry into Maternal Deaths (CEMD) and the Confidential Enquiry into Stillbirths and Deaths in Infancy (CESDI). Its remit was extended in 2003 to include children to the age of 18.

The approaches and methodologies CMACEuses to achieve its objectives include, for example, confidential enquiries, research projects, clinical audits and epidemiological and organisational surveys. Supporting these approaches, CMACE has considerable underpinning skills in the design of research projects, dataset development, database design, data collection and analysis.

CMACEalso designs and deliversan active nationwide conference and interactive workshop programme to promote the findings of its work and the practical implementation of its recommendations.

3. Use of Funding

In return for the funding provided by the NPSA, CMACE intends to carry out six concurrent strands of work.

These include the two ongoing programmes, i.e. the triennial maternal death enquiry report and the annual perinatal mortality surveillance report.

The remaining four strands of work will all be project based enquiries, i.e. two projects on maternity outcomes for mothers and babies and two projects on children. The current maternity projects are on obesity in pregnancy and intrapartum morbidity and mortality. As regards children, an enquiry on head injury care is currently underway and topic selection for the second child health enquiry is underway.

Approximately half the resource provided by the NPSA is committed to the two ongoing work programmes described above and the other half is committed to work on the four projects.

Other fundingcomes from many sources. These have included research projects funded by the NSPCC and by the pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk. There have also been locally commissioned clinical audits/confidential enquiries and a number of Local Safeguarding Children Boards have contracted with us to provide child death data collection services. The organisation’s aim is to increase the funding received from other sources than the NPSA in order to increase CMACE’s overall impact in improving outcomes for mothers, babies and children.

4. Governance

The memorandum and articles of association were signed by the founding members of the company. These were:

-RoyalCollege of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists

-Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health

-RoyalCollege of Midwives

-RoyalCollege of Anaesthetists

-RoyalCollege of General Practitioners

-Faculty of Public Health of the RoyalCollege of Physicians

-RoyalCollege of Pathologists

-RoyalCollege of Psychiatrists

The articles stipulate eight trustees on the board. These include the Chair, four healthcare professionals, two non-clinical professionals and a lay member

5. Internal Structure

The organisation is managed by its Chief Executive and Senior Management Team (SMT) who are responsible for operational management. The SMT has skills in a range of areas including clinical practice and research methodologies. The SMT attends meetings of the Board. The Head of Resources, who is the line manager for the Management Accountant post,is a member of the SMT.

The Baker Street office houses the central team and a regional team covering London and the South East. There are three other regional offices in England and sub-contracts with a number of other bodies which assist in data collection and local enquiry activity. There are affiliated offices in Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland and the Republic of Ireland.

6. Finance and Central Services

Finance and central services are provided by a small team which includes the Management Accountant and is headed by the Head of Resources. The team is relatively new and has been established to support the organisation as an independent entity and meet its legal obligations.

CMACE uses the Exchequer accounting system and is in the process of developing its use of this system to improve and progress its financial reporting particularly in the area of project costing.

The Management Accountant role within the team is to support the overall operation of the finance function in particular budgeting, costing and monthly financial reporting. The role is for two days a week and is for a duration of 9 – 12 months maternity cover.

7. Further information

Further information about CMACE can be obtained by accessing the website For further information about the role, please contactin the first instance Mary Humphreyson 020 7486 1191 or by email to or Laura Heys

JOB DESCRIPTION

Post: / Management Accountant
Salary: / c £28kpro rata
Grade: / Grade 6
Time commitment: / 2 days per week based on a 35 hour week, i.e. 14 hours per week
Location: / The postholder will be based at central office.
The Central Office is at Lower Ground Floor, Chiltern Court, 188 Baker St, LondonNW1 5SD
Line Accountability: / Head of Resources
Staff in Finance and Central Services Team / Head of Resources (0.6 wte), Office Manager (1.0 wte), Management Accountant (0.6 wte) and Accounts Assistant (0.4 wte).

Purpose of Role

To provide a budgeting, costing and financial management reporting service to CMACE.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

  1. Preparation of monthly management accounts statements showing actual income and expenditure against budget for review by the SMT and the board
  2. Preparation of cost accounts for projects and contracts, including the NPSA contract, showing actual expenditure against estimated expenditure specific to that project or contract
  3. Preparation of annual budgets
  4. Preparation of cost schedules when tendering for new work
  5. Preparation of cost schedules in business cases
  6. Management of the finance function in the absence of the Head of Resources
  7. Supervision and support for the accounts assistant as necessary
  8. Other duties as required to fulfil the purpose of the role.

Individual Personal Plan (IPP)

CMACE runs an IPP system in which objectives for the year are agreed with the line manager and performance is monitored against the agreed plan.

Family-friendly employment policies

CMACEaims to be a family-friendly employer. CMACE runs a flexible hours scheme which offers, subject to certain basic requirements, a significant measure of choice in respect of hours of work.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential / Desirable
Qualifications /
  • Part CCAB accountancy qualification or full accounting technician qualification
  • 2 “A” levels or equivalent
/
  • Full CCAB recognised accountancy qualification
  • Honours degree

Experience /
  • Experience of budgeting and costing
  • Experience of preparing monthly management accounts
  • Financial systems: Good knowledge of accounting software packages and their use
/
  • Within a similar organisation, i.e. charity or medium sized enterprise.
  • Experience of providing data to supporting tenders and business cases
  • Experience of developing and improving management reporting
  • Experience of the Exchequer financial system
  • Management – some line management responsibility for finance staff
  • Knowledge of other finance functions such as financial accounting, audit, bank reconciliation, treasury and exchequer.

Personal Qualities /
  • Computer literate
  • Numerate
  • Able to set and keep to strict deadlines for financial reporting
  • Able to relate to staff of many backgrounds in a friendly but busy open-plan office.
/
  • Good experience of using Excel
  • Report writing in lay terms about financial data

APPOINTMENT PROCESS

1. The interview panel will be formed by:

  • Laura Heys, Head of Resources
  • Carolyn Cottrell, Management Accountant

2. The timetable for the appointment process is as follows:

-advertised 16thJune 2010

-closing date 2nd July 2010

-interviews week commencing 12th July

3. Although no formal presentation will be required as part of the interview process, candidates will be invited to give their views about any significant issues they believe may arise from the financial statements for the period ended 30th June 2009 included in the information pack.

4. Applications can be made by completing the application form contained in the information pack and returning it to Mary Humphreys, CMACE Office Manager, Chiltern Court, Lower Ground Floor, 188 Baker St, LondonNW1 5SD or by email to