Finance Manager

The Finance Manager will provide a comprehensive, accurate, and timely financial management service to DMC Healthcare, supporting the organisation’s delivery of NHS community services and outsourced/insourced secondary care contracts. The postholder will be responsible for budget setting, monthly management accounts, cash flow management, financial reporting, forecasting, variance analysis, and supporting operational managers with financial decision‑making within an agreed governance framework. The role will also manage a small finance team and help ensure that DMC Healthcare maintains and operates within strong financial controls, contract‑level reporting, that provides value‑for‑money across its healthcare services. This is a hands‑on finance role requiring strong technical accounting skills, commercial awareness, NHS‑sector understanding, and the ability to work closely and hold to account the operational, clinical, and senior management teams.

Key Responsibilities

• The successful candidate will bring strong technical accounting and financial management expertise, with the ability to produce clear, accurate, and timely financial reports that support effective decision‑making across the organisation.
• They will have excellent analytical skills, strong attention to detail, and the ability to identify financial risks, explain variances, and recommend practical corrective actions.
• The role requires a confident and constructive communicator who can work effectively with clinical, operational, and senior management teams.
• The Finance Manager will be commercially aware and able to balance financial performance with service quality and the delivery of high‑quality, patient‑focused care.
• They will provide clear and practical financial advice, build trust with managers, and support transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement ensuring that there is a tight governance process encompassing the above.
• The successful candidate will be proactive, hands‑on, and solutions‑focused, with strong organisational skills and the ability to manage competing deadlines in a changing and growing organisation.
• They will be able to work independently while also contributing as a collaborative team member, and will have the capability to manage, motivate, and develop a small team.
• A high level of integrity, discretion, and professionalism will be essential.

Financial management and reporting

• Prepare accurate and timely monthly management accounts for DMC Healthcare, including income and expenditure reports, balance sheet reconciliations, cash flow analysis, variance commentary, and performance against budget.
• Produce clear, practical financial reports for senior management, service leads, budget holders, and the Board as required.
• Monitor financial performance across community, outpatient, diagnostic, insourced, and outsourced secondary care contracts, identifying risks, trends, cost pressures, and opportunities for improvement.
• Provide meaningful variance analysis, explaining differences between actuals, budgets, forecasts, and contract assumptions.
• Maintain robust financial reporting timetables and ensure deadlines are met for internal reporting, commissioner reporting, and external stakeholder requirements.
• Support month‑end and year‑end close processes, ensuring journals, accruals, prepayments, deferred income, contract income, and reconciliations are completed accurately.
• Work with senior managers to ensure DMC operates within the agreed governance framework.

Budget setting, forecasting, and business planning

• Lead the annual budget‑setting process for relevant departments, services, and contracts, working with operational and clinical leads to ensure budgets are realistic, evidence‑based, and aligned to activity plans.
• Prepare rolling forecasts and reforecasts, highlighting financial risks, income assumptions, cost pressures, workforce trends, and expected contract performance.
• Support the development of financial plans for NHS contracts, new services, contract extensions, mobilisation, demobilisation, and service redesign.
• Work with managers to understand activity, workforce, estates, clinical supplies, subcontractor costs, and overhead assumptions.
• Provide financial input into business cases, tenders, pricing models, investment proposals, and service development plans.
• Identify opportunities for cost improvement, productivity gains, income protection, and better use of resources without compromising quality of patient care.

Cash flow and working capital management

• Prepare and maintain short‑term and medium‑term cash flow forecasts.
• Monitor cash balances, expected receipts, supplier payments, payroll commitments, VAT, tax, and other key working capital movements.
• Work with the finance team to ensure timely invoicing, credit control, debt management, and resolution of commissioner or customer payment queries.
• Support the management of aged debt, accrued income, deferred income, and contract income recognition.
• Ensure payment runs are appropriately controlled, authorised, and aligned with cash flow requirements.
• Escalate cash flow risks promptly to senior finance leadership.

NHS contract and commissioner finance support

• Support financial management of NHS contracts, including community services, elective care, diagnostic pathways, insourcing, outsourcing, and other commissioned services.
• Assist with contract finance schedules, activity‑based income reporting, contract reconciliations, and commissioner queries.
• Work with operational teams to understand service activity, performance metrics, utilisation, and the financial impact of under‑or over‑performance.
• Support financial reporting to NHS commissioners, Trust partners, Integrated Care Boards, and other healthcare partners where required.
• Contribute to pricing, costing, and profitability reviews for NHS and healthcare contracts.
• Ensure financial information supports contract compliance, service performance monitoring, and commercial decision‑making.

Budget‑holder support and business partnering

• Act as a finance business partner to service managers, operational leads, and senior managers.
• Provide advice and challenge to budget holders on financial performance, expenditure controls, staffing costs, contract profitability, and resource allocation.
• Meet regularly with budget holders to review financial performance, explain variances, agree corrective actions, and support informed decision‑making.
• Translate financial information into clear, practical insights for non‑finance colleagues.
• Promote financial awareness and accountability across the organisation.
• Provide training and guidance to managers on budgets, forecasts, financial processes, purchase ordering, invoicing, and financial controls.

Team management and leadership

• Manage, support, and develop a small finance team, ensuring clear objectives, regular supervision, appropriate training, and high standards of accuracy and professionalism.
• Oversee day‑to‑day finance operations, including purchase ledger, sales ledger, reconciliations, credit control, payment processing, and financial administration.
• Allocate work effectively across the team and ensure deadlines are met.
• Review work prepared by junior finance staff, providing feedback and technical guidance.
• Support a culture of continuous improvement, collaboration, accountability, and customer service within the finance function.

Financial controls, governance, and compliance

• Maintain and improve financial controls, policies, and procedures across DMC Healthcare.
• Ensure compliance with internal authorisation limits, procurement processes, payment controls, and financial governance requirements.
• Support audit preparation and respond to audit queries, including statutory audit, internal audit, commissioner reviews, and due diligence exercises.
• Maintain accurate records and ensure appropriate evidence is retained for financial transactions, contract income, expenditure, and reconciliations.
• Support the Finance Director / Head of Finance in managing financial risk, fraud prevention, and control improvements.
• Ensure finance processes comply with relevant accounting standards, tax requirements, data protection obligations, and company policies.

Systems, processes, and continuous improvement

• Use finance systems effectively to produce accurate reporting and improve efficiency.
• Develop and maintain reporting templates, dashboards, reconciliations, and analysis tools.
• Identify opportunities to streamline month‑end, budgeting, invoicing, purchase‑to‑pay, and reporting processes.
• Work with operational teams to improve data quality, activity reporting, and the link between operational performance and financial results.
• Support implementation or improvement of finance systems, reporting tools, and digital processes where required.

General responsibilities

• Comply with DMC Healthcare policies and procedures, including those relating to confidentiality, information governance, safeguarding, equality and diversity, health and safety, and financial governance.
• Maintain a strong understanding of DMC Healthcare’s NHS service delivery model and the financial requirements of operating as an independent healthcare provider.
• Work flexibly to meet the needs of the organisation, including supporting ad‑hoc projects, tenders, contract reviews, audits, and senior management requests.
• Promote DMC Healthcare’s values and contribute to the delivery of safe, effective, high‑quality patient services.

Skills, Knowledge & Expertise

Essential

• Educated to degree level
• Part‑qualified or fully qualified accountant or qualified by significant relevant experience.
• Relevant accounting qualification or active study towards ACCA, CIMA, ACA, CIPFA, or equivalent.
• Strong general education, including numeracy and literacy.
• Experience preparing monthly management accounts, budgets, forecasts, and variance analysis.
• Experience managing cash flow, working capital, invoicing, credit control, or payment processes.
• Experience supporting budget holders and explaining financial information to non‑finance colleagues.
• Experience managing or supervising finance staff.
• Strong experience with Excel, finance systems, reconciliations, and financial reporting.
• Experience working to month‑end and year‑end deadlines.
• Experience improving finance processes and internal controls.

Desirable

• Fully qualified accountant.
• Evidence of continuing professional development.
• Experience of NHS finance, healthcare finance, commissioner reporting, or contract finance.
• Experience in the NHS, independent healthcare sector, community services, diagnostics, outpatient services, or insourced/outsourced clinical services.
• Experience of NHS contracts, commissioner reporting, activity‑based income, or healthcare service costing.
• Experience supporting tenders, business cases, mobilisation of new services, or contract profitability reviews.
• Experience working in a multi‑site or fast‑moving healthcare environment.

Job Benefits

• 25 days of annual leave, in addition to bank holidays (increasing with length of service)
• Access to NHS Discount Scheme
• A collaborative and inclusive team culture across clinical and technical functions