Director of Finance and Productivity: Sponsorship Available

Job summary

Shape the future of Cambridge University Hospitals

Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is creating a new Accountable Care Group (ACG) operating model, bringing clinical, operational and professional leadership closer together and creating greater accountability for the performance and development of our services.

We are seeking exceptional Directors of Finance and Productivity to join the senior leadership teams of our new ACGs. These are significant Band 9 leadership roles, each providing senior financial and productivity leadership across a major clinical portfolio with annual income and expenditure of approximately £500m.

As a full member of the ACG Senior Leadership Team, you will work alongside the ACG Managing Director and senior clinical, operational and professional leaders to shape strategy, determine priorities and make choices about how resources are deployed. You will have a central role in developing the ACG’s annual and medium-term plans, improving productivity, supporting service transformation and ensuring that financial sustainability and value are integral to decision-making.

This is much more than a traditional senior finance role. You will combine financial leadership with a deep understanding of clinical and operational performance, using data, insight and constructive challenge to help improve productivity and develop services.

Main duties of the job

Main duties of the job

As Director of Finance and Productivity, you will be the senior finance leader for your ACG and a full member of its Senior Leadership Team. You will provide strategic financial leadership, professional advice and constructive challenge, helping the ACG deliver high-quality services within its available resources.

You will lead the development and delivery of the ACG’s annual financial plan, budget and medium-term financial trajectory, ensuring that financial plans are aligned with activity, workforce, quality, operational, research, education and strategic priorities. Where performance is off track, you will play a leading role in developing and driving recovery action.

A major focus of the role will be productivity and financial improvement. You will set the strategic direction for the ACG’s productivity programme, working with clinical and operational leaders to identify opportunities to improve efficiency, reduce unwarranted variation, optimise income and deliver sustainable improvements.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• CCAB-qualified accountant, or evidence of equivalent professional expertise, with substantial post-qualification experience at senior level and compliance with the ethical requirements of the relevant professional body.
• Educated to Master’s level or able to demonstrate equivalent senior-level knowledge and experience.
• Evidence of significant continuing professional development relevant to senior financial, productivity and organisational leadership.

Desirable

• Formal leadership, management, improvement or programme management qualification, or equivalent experience.
• Additional specialist training in NHS costing, productivity, benefits realisation, value-based healthcare, improvement science, transformation, research finance or education finance.

Experience

Essential

• Extensive senior finance leadership experience within a large and complex NHS or comparable healthcare organisation, including delegated responsibility for the financial planning, performance, productivity, recovery and resource allocation of a substantial clinical or operational portfolio.
• Experience of providing senior financial advice and constructive challenge to a divisional, clinical group, care group or equivalent senior leadership team.
• Experience of leading and developing an embedded finance team supporting clinical and operational services, including management of senior finance staff, objective setting, appraisal, performance management, professional development and deployment of resources.
• Demonstrable experience of developing, leading and delivering financial improvement, productivity, efficiency or transformation programmes across multiple services.
• Experience of working directly with senior clinical, operational, nursing, workforce, research, education and corporate leaders to develop financial plans, business cases and productivity schemes.
• Experience of developing and appraising business cases, including assessment of affordability, value for money, income, expenditure, workforce, productivity, quality, research, education and risk.
• Experience of presenting financial and productivity information to senior management, executive or formal governance forums.
• Experience of advising senior leaders on financial recovery, investment, disinvestment, productivity or service change decisions where there are competing financial, operational, workforce, quality, research and education considerations.

Desirable

• Experience of operating at or close to Executive and Board level and of taking delegated accountability for the financial performance, recovery and resource allocation of a very large and complex clinical or operational portfolio.
• Experience in a large acute, specialist, research-active or teaching hospital environment.
• Experience of working within a devolved clinical group, divisional, care group or equivalent operating model.
• Experience of organisational change linked to new clinical group, divisional or care group structures.
• Experience of working with ICB, NHS England or regional finance and productivity teams.

Knowledge

Essential

• Strong understanding of NHS financial frameworks, annual planning, medium-term financial planning, financial governance and financial control.
• Strong understanding of the relationship between clinical activity, workforce, operational performance, quality, income, expenditure and productivity.
• Knowledge of financial improvement and productivity methodologies, including benefits identification, benefits tracking, delivery governance and reporting.
• Knowledge of budgetary control, management accounts, forecasting, income and expenditure analysis and financial risk management.
• Knowledge of business case development, investment appraisal, option appraisal and affordability assessment.
• Understanding of NHS governance requirements, including Standing Financial Instructions, Scheme of Delegation, audit requirements, budget-holder accountability and standards of business conduct.
• Understanding of how finance, quality, equality, workforce, operational, research and education considerations should be brought together when developing productivity and financial improvement plans.

Desirable

• Knowledge of NHS costing, PLICS, Model Health System, GIRFT or other NHS productivity tools and benchmarking datasets.
• Understanding of the operating model, governance and leadership arrangements within a large acute provider.
• Knowledge of improvement methods, programme management approaches or benefits realisation frameworks.
• Knowledge of capital planning, investment prioritisation and the financial appraisal of major capital or service development proposals.
• Understanding of financial considerations relating to research, innovation, education, teaching hospital partnerships or academic healthcare environments.

Skills

Essential

• Able to provide credible senior financial leadership, advice and constructive challenge in a complex and demanding environment.
• Strong analytical and numerical skills, with the ability to interpret financial, operational, workforce, activity, productivity, research and education information.
• Able to translate financial strategy, productivity requirements and recovery plans into practical delivery plans with clear ownership, milestones, benefits, risks, quality, research, education and governance arrangements.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, including the ability to explain financial information clearly to non-finance audiences.
• Highly developed leadership, influencing and negotiation skills, with the credibility and resilience to operate effectively with Executive Directors, senior clinicians, operational and academic leaders, resolve conflict, secure commitment to difficult decisions and hold senior colleagues to account for delivery.
• Able to constructively challenge assumptions, plans and performance while maintaining effective working relationships.
• Able to develop clear governance, reporting and assurance arrangements for financial improvement and productivity programmes.
• Able to exercise sound judgement where information is incomplete, there is uncertainty, or there are competing financial, operational, workforce, quality, research and education considerations.
• Able to lead, manage and develop a high-performing finance team, creating a supportive, inclusive and improvement-focused culture.
• Skilled in the use and interpretation of financial systems, spreadsheets, reporting tools, costing information, benchmarking data and analytical approaches relevant to senior NHS finance and productivity work.
• Able to manage competing priorities, deadlines and risks across multiple services and programmes.

Desirable

• Able to apply improvement, programme management or benefits realisation methods in a proportionate and practical way.
• Advanced skills in financial modelling, scenario analysis, dashboard development or productivity analytics.

Additional Requirements

Essential

• Demonstrates integrity, probity and commitment to public service values.
• Committed to the effective, efficient and responsible use of NHS resources for patient benefit, research, education and innovation where aligned with Trust priorities.
• Collaborative and able to work across organisational and professional boundaries.
• Inclusive and values-led in leadership style, with a commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.
• Confident and resilient, with the ability to remain calm and effective under pressure.
• Able to balance constructive challenge with support and partnership working.
• Politically astute and able to understand the wider NHS, system, academic and organisational context.
• Willingness and ability to work flexibly to meet service and organisational requirements.
• Ability to travel between Trust sites and attend external meetings as required.
• Able to maintain high standards of probity, stewardship and professional integrity in the management and use of public funds.
• The ability to understand and behave at all times, towards patients, visitors and colleagues according to the Trust values of safe, kind, excellent.

Desirable

• Established professional networks across NHS finance, productivity, improvement, research, innovation or education communities.

Closing Date: 15 November 2026