Chief Finances and Resources Officer

Driven by our Trust values: Honesty, Empathy, Ambition, Respect; the Trust's vision is to provide high quality care to the diverse communities we serve to make their lives better.

We are passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. Our cultural diversity, long term conditions and disabilities, and LGBTQIA+ staff networks are a key part of this commitment, creating positive change and helping build an inclusive culture across the Trust.

Different ideas, experiences and backgrounds make us stronger and more creative and applications from all walks of life are welcomed - our processes ensure that all applicants are treated fairly at every stage of the recruitment process.

Options for flexible working are considered for all roles within CCS, including job share opportunities, compressed hours, annualised hours, tailored working patterns and more. If you are interested in flexible working, please talk to the recruiting manager for this vacancy.

Job overview

We are developing a new group model between two high performing community NHS Trusts - Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust and Norfolk Community Health and Care Trust. These arrangements will go live on 1^st April 2025 and as part of this change we are creating a new single executive team and looking to recruit our Group Chief Finance and Resources Officer.

You will be accountable for a combined turnover of £340 million and extensive sites across three Integrated Care Board geographies.

Main duties of the job

With significant experience as an executive finance leader in a large and complex organisation, you will have the ability to inspire our people, push the boundaries of innovation and deliver high quality outcomes.

Your experience is important to us, not the sector you have been working in. You will have highly developed leadership, negotiation and influencing skills, and the ability to motivate, challenge and engage individuals and teams. You will need to be a team player and good at building relationships both internally with our clinicians and broader staff and with all our partners in the NHS, Local Government and the private sector.

If you are intrigued and want to find out more, please do reach out to discuss the role, with Matthew Winn, our group Chief Executive via [email protected].

Candidates who successfully make it on to our long list will be invited to an online conversation with our Chief Executive and other relevant parties, mid February. Those candidates who then successfully make it on to our shortlist will be invited to virtual stakeholder panel discussions on 28^th February and face-to-face interviews on 4th March.

Closing date: 9^th February 2025

We very much look forward to hearing from you about this exciting role.

Working for our organisation

Rated ‘Outstanding’ by the Care Quality Commission, we are proud to provide high quality innovative services across most of the east of England that enable people to receive care closer to home and live healthier lives.

There’s one reason why our services are outstanding – and that’s our amazing staff who, for the seventh year running, rated us incredibly highly in the national staff survey.

If you share our passion for innovative and high-quality care delivery, then please submit your application and join us on our exciting journey as a leading-edge specialist community provider. All are welcome to apply and our promise to you is a culture which prioritises staff engagement and development.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Responsible for:

Accountable Officer for Finance

Finance

Estates and Facilities

Procurement

Commissioning and Contracting

Green Plan

Charitable Funds

Security Management

Health and Safety

Capital

External Audit

Counter Fraud and Bribery

Commercial developments

Job Purpose

The Chief Financial Officer will provide strategic leadership, assessment and evaluation and long-term planning of the Group’s resources, working with the CEO and other Board members to shape future financial direction. They are the Accountable Officer, responsible for financial statutory duties on behalf of the Chief Executive Officer.

They will contribute to the overall Group wide strategic development with specific responsibility for financial management, estates, contracting, performance and procurement expertise. They will advise the Chief Executive, the Board of Directors and the wider board members on all aspects of:

Estates strategy and management

Procurement and supplies

Financial strategy and risk

Investment appraisal

Capital management

Raising of debt and other finance

Covenant compliance

Cash flow management

Communications on all aspects of financial management

Commercial opportunities and risks

Financial systems development.

Contracting and Performance

Risk sharing with other NHS statutory organisations

Local Authorities or commercial organisations

The management and oversight of charitable funds

Key Duties and responsibilities

Corporate Leadership and Responsibilities

Work collaboratively with colleagues to drive delivery and improvement.

Actively contribute to the leadership of the Group, continually seeking to improve the safety, quality, sustainability and efficiency of services, to support the provision of excellent patient care.

Provide necessary, accurate and timely information to the Group Board to assist its decision making concerning the finances and relevant investment decisions across the organisation.

Comply with the Group’s standing financial instructions, standing orders, policies and the code of conduct for NHS managers.

Ensure the Group’s legal and statutory obligations are fulfilled in line with governance requirements within the resources available to organisation.

Create and maintain positive relationships with partners, commissioners and external stakeholders to promote the trust and its services, encourages collaboration where appropriate.

Participate in Executive On call.

Work with other director colleagues to develop the Group’s approach as a good employer, enhancing performance along with effective resource and skill utilisation. Take a lead role across the Group on specific issues/topics (as agreed with the Trust Board annually).

Develop commercial partnerships to support the delivery of the Group strategy and support the financial sustainability of the organisations in the Group.

Develop and maintain peer relationships and joint work with CFOs in NHS England, Integrated Care Boards, NHS Provider organisations and Local Authorities within the catchment areas of the Group.

Maintain own professional and personal development.

Financial Management

Be responsible for the development of a proactive and effective financial strategy for the Group which takes account of the wider local, regional and national financial position and achieves sustainable strategic growth.

Provide comprehensive financial services to the Group including production of budget proposals, effective budgetary control systems, the provision of accurate and timely information/advice and compilation of monthly management returns and end of year accounts for statutory and/or regulatory purposes.

Be accountable for the provision of a full financial management and planning service to budget holders within the Group, balancing risk and opportunities to deliver the Group strategy.

Ensure the delivery of an effective Financial Services and Treasury Management function, compliant with all extant guidance, regulations and audit requirements.

Oversee the development and delivery of a clinically safe Cost Improvement ethos and Programme.

Work closely with Board colleagues to grow and develop new income streams aligned to the strategic plan. To apply rigorous commercial discipline to assessing viability of investment proposals.

Put the appropriate processes and procedures in place to provide robust governance and assurance around financial management within the Group, utilising sound evaluation and evidence to support decision making. Ensure the effective management of financial risk in line with the Group’s Risk Management Policy.

Scan the wider NHS, Local Government, broader healthcare sector and the UK political context to take into account any wider impacts to support the develop or adjustment of long-term strategies, to maximise opportunities.

Ensure appropriate investment management techniques are used to assess new business opportunities/service developments. Ensure financial support for the development of business cases for capital expenditure and service changes and monitor subsequent tendering and expenditure against approved budgets.

Ensure an effective and coordinated approach to contractual negotiation with Commissioners and management of contractual obligations in year. To be the Board lead on contract negotiation, implementation, and the monitoring of contract performance.

Ensure the provision and adherence to effective Standing financial

Instructions and Standing Orders.

Oversee the development of activity-based costing and service line reporting to ensure that services can be benchmarked against comparable organisations (UK and internationally).

To appraise current and forecast outcomes of operational strategies and report on financial performance in a timely manner to the Group Board, all key stakeholders and regulators.. To effectively manage financial agreements with key stakeholders to ensure appropriate management recovery of costs.

Working with the Finance director, set the requirements to create, develop, lead and manage the finance team and play a central role in their professional performance and development. Promote a culture of compassionate leadership, innovation, continuous improvement, equality and inclusion within the teams for which they are responsible.

To maintain relationships with external professional advisors to ensure the absolute best advice is sourced relating to financial matters.

To manage relationships with external audit functions and, with the Chief Executive, play a leading role in liaison with any regulatory bodies. Undertake complex audits of activity/data to improve financial and accounting services.

Lead the procurement and contracting teams to maximise value from purchase contracts, working collaboratively with other NHS/public sector organisations to gain from buying at scale.

Management of the Estate, Facilities and Capital Expenditure

To work with partner organisations both internal and external to the NHS to ensure the most effective use of estate for service delivery.

Develop and implement an effective strategy for the efficient, utilisation, safe custody and protection of ownership of the Group’s fixed assets to ensure the group (and tenants) optimises its estate.

Oversee and ensure probity and appropriate financial controls in the management of capital projects.

Working with Estate leads, advise the Group Board of surplus assets and develop divestment and resultant reinvestment programmes, to support strategic aims.

Apply rigorous commercial disciplines and techniques in assessing viability of investment proposals.

Ensure the financial information in the asset register is accurately maintained and that Capital Charges data are updated as appropriate.

Ensure that all contracts are negotiated in accordance with governance requirements and monitored to achieve anticipated outcomes, ensuring all instances that performance delivery meets with agreed requirements.

Develop and manage the Group’s buildings to support the five-year objectives of the organisation and ensure the buildings support the goal of providing quality healthcare.

Directorate responsibilities

Lead and manage the directorate, ensuring exemplary leadership, development and achievement of the annual objectives for the directorate.

Be an authorised signatory at director level and be responsible for the budget for the directorate.

Support the delivery of directorate contributions to organisational cost improvement plans and efficiency challenges.

Be the executive lead for the management of charitable funds.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Educated to a master’s degree or equivalent post-graduate qualification or equivalent level of experience.
• Professional Accountancy qualifications
• Evidence of on-going personal and professional development

Experience

• Demonstrable experience as a finance leader in a large and complex organisation.
• Demonstrable experience of leading significant programmes of work, commercial/change initiatives and innovation,
• Experience of building and developing high performance teams.
• Experience in governance arrangements and procurement protocols.
• Proven track record in the development and delivery of financial strategies and projects, aligned with organisational priorities.

• Experience of working in healthcare e.g. NHS, national level, professional services, independent sector, think tanks.

Skills and Knowledge

• Highly developed leadership, negotiation and influencing skills, with the ability to motivate, challenge and engage individuals and teams.
• Ability to lead highly complex and sometimes contentious change and transformation at scale.
• Committed to promoting and maintaining openness, inclusiveness and the highest of professional standards.
• Effective at improving operational performance through fit for purpose processes and holding people account for delivery.
• Ability to analyse and interpret complex data to make reasoned and logical deductions and plans.

Personal attributes

• Ability to set out a clear strategic direction, inspire others and assume command, together with an ability to translate strategic objectives into deliverable operational plans.
• Credibility and confidence to contribute within a vibrant and diverse professional environment.
• A commitment to the ethical standards expected of public sector leaders in the UK
• Committed to the Group’s values and principles.

Certificate of Sponsorship

For roles that are eligible for sponsorship, applications from job seekers who require Skilled Worker Visa to work in the UK are welcome, and will be considered alongside all other applications. You are strongly advised to visit Check if you need a UK Visa website (Opens in a new tab), and familiarise yourself with what is required which should assist you in your understanding of the process

Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here. (Opens in a new tab)

UK Registration

For roles that require professional registration, applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new tab)

Our safe recruitment pre-employment checks are undertaken before an appointment is confirmed and may include a DBS check. Where the role requires you to drive, we'll ask you to validate your driving licence online via the DVLA.

In submitting an application, you authorise Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust to confirm any previous NHS service details via the Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) process should you be appointed.

ALL CORRESPONDENCE will be via the e-mail address on your application form. If you have not been invited to interview within 2 weeks of the closing date, you unfortunately haven’t been successful on this occasion, but keep an eye on our vacancies as a job that’s just right for you may appear!