Band 8d Head of Finance - Royal Free Site

Band 8d Head of Finance – Royal Free Site

Job summary
Royal Free is recruiting for a Head of Finance role to support the Royal Free Business Unit. This position is ideal for an ambitious and dynamic candidate seeking a challenging role that offers exposure to working in a large acute trust with a continually evolving group model. The finance department is currently undergoing a transformation to build a best-in-class Group Finance function focused on operational financial targets and exceeding stakeholder expectations.

The Royal Free London group recently expanded following the merger with North Middlesex Hospital NHST. It now comprises four acute hospitals: Royal Free Hospital, Barnet Hospital, Chase Farm Hospital, and North Middlesex. The Barnet Business Unit operates within the Royal Free group with its own leadership teams managing delivery, quality, risk, and performance. Royal Free Hospital is a large hospital with over 600 beds, an operating expenditure budget exceeding £700m, and over 5,000 WTEs. It provides a wide range of acute and specialist services across key clinical priorities such as cancer, cardiovascular, and organ failure & transplantation.

Main duties of the job

1. Develop productive partnerships with other function leads to drive profitability and ROI, creating short and medium-term financial plans aligned with group strategy.
2. Maintain a professional reporting line to the Director of Financial Performance, collaborating closely with divisional and business unit management using professional judgment.
3. Drive improvements in financial productivity within divisions by leading on efficiency plans and providing advice and challenge.
4. Support directors, managers, and clinicians in understanding financial information relevant to their budgets, building their financial awareness.
5. Support commercial propositions and oversee financial management of key contracts, advising leadership on opportunities and risks.

About us

The Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK\’s largest and most innovative trusts, caring for over 1.6 million patients across three main hospitals. We offer unrivalled career opportunities, flexible working arrangements, and comprehensive training to support your career growth. For more information, visit our careers page .

Job description

Responsibilities

The post-holder will support the Director of Financial Performance and executive team in shaping the strategic, operational, and financial development of the business unit. They will ensure plans are in place and executed to meet strategic objectives, focusing on short to medium-term goals.

Leading the business partnering team, the post-holder will act as a key interface between group finance, other functions, and the business unit finance team. They will foster a high-performance culture, oversee the annual planning and budgeting cycle, and ensure robust financial controls.

Given the financial challenges faced, the individual must be confident, influential, and capable of working with senior leaders to deliver the ambitious Financial Improvement Plan (FIP).

Person Specification

Values

• Demonstrable ability to meet the Trust Values

Qualifications

• Professional qualification in accountancy (CIMA, ACA, CIPFA, ACCA)
• Experience advising senior management in a finance role
• Up-to-date technical accounting expertise through ongoing training or experience

Experience

• Business partnering with senior managers
• Using complex financial models for risk assessment and decision-making
• Leading on large business cases and supporting understanding of assumptions and risks
• Handling large, complex data sets to inform strategy
• Presenting financial information to non-finance managers
• Understanding Payment by Results regime
• Strong leadership, influencing, and communication skills
• Ability to work autonomously and as part of a leadership team
• Analytical problem-solving skills
• Excellent organisational and prioritisation abilities
• Proficiency in systems like Excel, PowerPoint, Word

Personal Qualities

• Customer-focused and self-motivated
• Proactive, positive, resilient
• Leadership and inspirational skills
• Team player with a \’can-do\’ attitude
• Highly organised, adaptable to change
• Diplomatic and persuasive interpersonal skills

Additional Information

This role is subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service check and requires current UK professional registration. Applicants needing sponsorship are welcome; further details are available on our website.

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