What is your current role in the S&SHIS?

Finance & Business Support Manager

What do you do in your role?

This role is a combination of managing the financial side of the S&SHIS in terms of our contracts with our Partners & Customers, I have to work closely with Finance & Service Leads throughout the year to monitor the budgets and set them ready for the next financial year. There are many different aspects to this role, from creating quotes, to invoicing, ensuring our annual contracts are renewed, managing the PSN & Passthrough costings for our Partners. The other side of my role is the administration side of the business, which is to support the wider S&SHIS. This covers sickness, meeting management, on-call & overtime, staff personal files, training, recruitment and much more. The role is very varied from day to day and allows me to engage with a wide range of people, from internal S&SHIS staff to our 3rd party suppliers.

Have you always worked in this role?

No, this is my 5th role in the S&SHIS, and I have been in my current role just over 1 year.

What other roles and departments have you worked in during your career?

I started out in 2011 in the Application Support team (which now sits within MPFT) as a B3, during my time with this team I progressed into the next role, however a couple years later after the S&SHIS merged I made a sideways move over onto the Service Desk as a 1st Line Technician. From here I then moved into the team I am with now as the Deputy Finance & Business Support Manager, 3 years later after my manager at the time retired I moved into my current role.

What motivated you to move roles?

As much as I enjoyed working on the Service Desk and have always had an interest in IT from my school days. I began my AAT (finance) qualifications at Stafford College on an evening as I wanted to explore different options. I did this for 2 years and obtained my AAT level 2 & 3. At this time the Deputy role was advertised and this is what motivated me to apply as it sat nicely with my qualification to which I had built up a keen interest in. After 3 years of working very closely with my manager and still interested in the finance side of the S&SHIS, after her retirement I moved into my current role.

What support helped you to make this change?

My manager at the time who read over my application and internal colleagues who knew I was undertaking my AAT qualifications, motivated me to apply for the deputy role.

What do you value about progressing your career in S&SHIS?

The opportunities and training. Throughout my 10 years with the S&SHIS it has really helped me in my career and I have always felt my managers have listened and helped me to progress.

What would be your best piece of advice to others seeking a career in the S&SHIS?

If you have an interest, follow up on it! and make it known to colleagues and managers as this may open doors for you. The S&SHIS is very varied and offers a lot of career opportunities and routes for people to progress. If the possibility of shadowing allows try it, you never know what doors it may open.