Role: Head of Divisional Finance/Associate Director of Finance

Location: University Hospital Lewisham, SE13 6LH (will be required to work at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, SE18 4QH also).

Pay: Band 8D - 56ph

Hours: 9am 5pm, Mon Fri

Contract: ASAP start required Initially for 3 months with potential to be extended

Job Summary:

The role of Associate Director of Finance is a key strategic position to enable the Trust to respond appropriately to a dynamic and complex financial environment.The post holder will report to a Deputy Finance Director and have corporate responsibility for and provide day-to-day leadership for a portfolio of departments from Financial Management, Strategic Finance and Planning, Productivity and Efficiency, Costing, Procurement, and Financial Accounts. The role provides highly-specialised, forward-looking and externally-focused technical financial analysis and planning. To this end, the post holder must show very high levels of financial expertise and technical training, with specialist knowledge of International Financial Reporting Standards, NHS Improvement and Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) guidance and a wide range of legislation.

The post holder is expected to work as part of a cohesive finance team and, when necessary, to take lead responsibility for Trust-based issues outside of their immediate sphere of responsibility. They will be expected to present, and advise on, highly complex and sensitive financial and business information/issues to large groups, such as the whole Finance function as well as clinical and nonclinical colleagues from outside of Finance.

The post holder will be accountable for interpreting changes in government policy and assessing the financial impact of these changes on Trust Finances. They will propose and make changes to Trust policy as appropriate, ensuring that policies and procedures are developed and implemented in line with Trust requirements. The post holder will take forward the development of Business Partnering within the Trust to ensure that it underpins clinical and corporate objectives and provides divisions with the financial information and support they need to make informed decisions about their services.

The post holder has line management responsibility for staff across the finance function as detailed in the organisational structure. This takes into account all aspects of staff development, training, appraisals, 1:1s, support and coaching.

In providing specialist financial expertise and leadership to the business there is an almost constant requirement for the post holder to exercise intense concentration and sustained mental effort in order to analyse, understand, retain and convey information. There is a frequent need for the post holder to prioritise and re-prioritise workloads according to the demands of stakeholders and to meet financial deadlines.

Key Result Areas & Performance:

The Associate Director of Finance will take responsibility for all financial reporting, decision making and analysis; as well as the development of effective financial control environment and the compilation of monthly management returns and end of year accounts for statutory and/or regulatory purposes. The post holder is required to provide expert, high level strategic support in many areas, and as such will have a wide-ranging remit.

It is expected that the main work areas will include:

• Analysing and interpreting technical financial reporting standards, new statutory legislation and technical guidance and providing advice to the Trust on the impact of these.


• Accountable for setting and implementing trust-wide accounting policy based on standards and legislation.


• Provide financial advice to colleagues across the Trust.


• Lead on budget setting across the trust, including considering several methods and engaging stakeholders in the process.


• Presenting highly complex financial and business information to a variety of stakeholder groups.


• Acting as financial lead for Statutory External and Internal Reporting including the production of the Statutory Annual Report and Accounts, Financial returns to NHS England/Improvement and DHSC, and monthly Finance Committee and Board Reports.


• Active management of the financial position of the organisation, particularly thorough the Finance Business Patterning and Productivity and Efficiency teams.


• Medium and long-term strategic financial planning and modelling including providing technical accounting advice to support significant developments and business cases and assessing the impact of these plans Trust-wide.


• Ensuring Trust Standing Financial Instructions and Trust-wide Financial policies and procedures are developed, implemented and maintained to minimise Trust risk.


• Overall responsibility for the management (including budget management) of the finance department within the portfolio of the Associate Director of Finance.


• Develop and provide leadership to the Business Partnering function.


• Identification, measurement and management of impact of risk, and minimising exposure to risk. Accountable for producing risk-based Trust-wide financial controls in line with best practice and ensuring compliance with these controls.


• The post holder is accountable for the oversight of the Counter Fraud Service.


• Oversight of the development of databases and financial systems to be implemented within Finance, or interface with Finance systems ensuring the integrity of the Trust s computerised financial ledger system is maintained and appropriate information can be reported.

Additional responsibilities:

• Strategic Business Planning and Risk Management


• Policy Development and Implementation


• Payroll and Pensions


• Statutory External and Internal Reporting


• People Management and Performance

Full JD available upon request.