Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, (LGT), is a community-focused provider of local and acute care, delivering high-quality services to over one million people living across the London boroughs of Lewisham, Greenwich, and Bexley. We provide whole-life care and are here to support our communities to live healthier lives as well as taking care of them when they need us the most.
Employing almost 7,500 colleagues, affectionately known as Team LGT, we provide services at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Woolwich, University Hospital Lewisham, and at over a dozen community settings in Lewisham. We also provide some services at Queen Mary’s Hospital in Sidcup.
We have recently launched our new vision and values to mark the LGT10 – the tenth anniversary of our Trust forming in 2013. Our trust vision is to be exceptional. In the quality of our patient care; our support for colleagues; and in the difference we make through our partnerships and in our communities.
To achieve this we value Respect, Compassion, and Inclusion; Being accountable over staying comfortable; Listening over always knowing best; and Succeeding together over achieving alone.
Our hospitals and community sites provide a wide range of inpatient and outpatient services, as well as emergency and planned care. The Trust is rated as “good” or “outstanding” in over three-quarters of the services inspected by the Care Quality Commission.
Every year our work includes performing 10,000 procedures in our theatres; bringing seven and a half thousand new lives into the world; carrying out 570,000 visits to patients in their homes or communities and providing emergency care for more than 300,000 patients arriving in our busy Urgent and Emergency Departments.
LGT is a centre for the education and training of medical students enrolled with King’s College London’s GKT School of Medical Education. We are a training centre for nurses, midwives and allied health professionals. We are pioneering new roles that will support the changing needs of our patients and are one of the largest employers of physician associates in the country.
We are committed to working with our partners to deliver the best outcomes for our local communities. This means playing an active role in the South East London Integrated Care System (ICS), and in formal partnerships including the South East London Acute Provider Collaborative, provider partnerships with our local mental health trusts and borough-based boards of the ICS in Bexley, Greenwich and Lewisham.
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We are seeking an experienced and strategic Director of Operational Finance to provide senior financial leadership across the Trust and play a key role in shaping our financial performance and sustainability.
Working closely with the Director of Strategic Finance and Chief Financial Officer, you will lead the day‑to‑day delivery of operational finance, deputise at executive, Board and system level as required, and act as a trusted advisor to clinical and corporate leaders. You will oversee financial planning, budgeting, reporting, contracting and cost improvement, ensuring high‑quality financial insight supports decision‑making at every level.
This is a highly visible and influential role, offering the opportunity to lead a skilled finance team, work collaboratively across the NHS system, and contribute directly to the delivery of safe, sustainable and high‑quality patient services.
Main duties of the job
In conjunction with the Director of Strategic Finance, the purpose of the role is to
1. Be responsible for day to day running of competent and busy Directorate across the entirety of its responsibilities.
2. Deputise for the Chief Financial Officer in his/her absence as necessary within the Trust, including Board and Committee level, across the ICB, in the region or at National meetings
3. Take a lead in supporting: The Finance, Infrastructure and Transformation Committe Trust Management Executive
4. Recruit, manage and develop a team of staff who will provide a professional service to the Trust. This will involve managing professional and personal development needs.
5. Provision of ‘expert’ financial leadership, guidance quality assurance and project management in support of the Trust wide planning and strategy.
6. Lead the annual budget setting process, planning, organising and co-ordinating the work of the Finance Department and staff across all Directorates of the Trust.
7. Ensure that appropriate financial advice and support is provided to budget holders across the Trust – encompassing the design and delivery of training, the production of guidance materials and the degree and level of support provided by finance staff.
8. Provision of expert financial advice and scrutiny in support of the production of business cases. This will include advising the Chief Financial Officer and the Trust Board in respect of resource allocation and risk management.
Working for our organisation
Our people are our greatest asset. When we feel supported and happy at work, this positivity reaches those very people we are here for, the patients. Engaged employees perform at their best and our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) initiatives contribute to cultivate a culture of engagement. We have four staff networks, a corporate EDI Team and a suite of programmes and events which aim to insert the 5 aspirations:
9. Improving representation at senior levels of staff with disabilities, from black, Asian, and ethnic minorities background, identify as LGBTQ+ and women, through improved recruitment and leadership development
10. Widening access (anchor institution) and employability
11. Improving the experience of staff with disability
12. Improving the EDI literacy and confidence of trust staff through training and development
13. Making equalities mainstream
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
KEY RESULT AREAS
Strategic Responsibilities
14. Jointly Lead on the policy and framework for the production of the Trust’s strategic financial plans to ensure there is a sustainable financial base for the Trust. Ensure the strategy is formulated, understood by all stakeholders and is delivered utilising all available resources efficiently and effectively.
15. Responsibility for ensuring the strategy is developed, delivered to time, to quality standards and in cost effective manner, adjusting plans and resources as required.
16. Ensure appropriate systems and processes are in place to enable the implementation of the financial strategy plans in the Trust. Ensure that the planning processes and models are robust and that an appropriate structure exists for the participation of relevant managers and staff in the process. Develop and deliver guidance materials and training sessions for non finance staff so as to underpin the Trust’s financial strategy.
17. Assess and implement the impact on NHS policy changes on the delivery of the strategic financial and contracting plans.
18. Develop financial plans from complex data that will not be complete and require interpretation and high level of analytical skills to translate into meaningful information.
19. Lead the financial aspects of the NHS Long Term Plan for the ICS, including the production and population of the Trust’s Long Term Financial Model (LTFM).
20. Forge positive internal and external working relationships, in order to support effective management approaches to achieve trust objectives.
21. Provide financial leadership to the implementation of major change and transformation programmes to achieve desired benefits. The strategic financial implications of service transfers or redesigns and to manage the process of any funding transfers. This will involve the development of complex financial models to facilitate the manipulation of timely financial information to assist in the planning of service developments.
22. Lead negotiations with external bodies, both NHS and non NHS, the strategic financial implications of service transfers or redesigns and to manage the process of funding transfers.
23. Lead specific long-term plans and projects to improve the quality and efficiency of services in line with Commissioners’ strategic intentions and Trust requirements.
24. Develop and implement a strategic approach to the annual contracting round across the Trust.
25. Ensure internal and external financial reporting is of a high standard with accurate and timely reporting of financial results.
Operational Responsibilities
26. Lead a team of approximately 40 WTE with the support of the Associate Directors of Finance that report into the role. The role will provide strong leadership and maintain high levels of motivation and engagement.
27. Plan the various reporting timetables in liaison with the Board and other Directorates.
28. Lead on the production of timely financial information that meets the needs of the Trust Management Executive, Finance and Investment Committee and Trust Board. Ensure that reporting is incisive and identifies drivers and trends, plus remedial actions to respond to adverse trends. The use of a variety of presentational methods is expected and reporting information processes and outputs will be expected to be continuously improved.
29. Lead on the production of a robust, bottom up forecast on a regular basis, which is owned by the Clinical Directorates, where finances triangulate with activity and workforce forecasts.
30. Lead on the process of providing commentaries to financial plans and regular monitoring reports to Trust Management Executive, Finance, Infrastructure and Transformation Committee, Trust Board and Regulators.
31. Ensure that appropriate financial advice and challenge is available to Divisional and Directorate leadership teams, and that high levels of internal customer satisfaction are maintained.
32. Manage the annual planning process, ensuring the integration of strategic planning with business planning and coordination of business plans across all services and functions. Ensure that robust links are maintained between capacity planning, directorate plans and corporate objectives.
33. Co-ordinate the Trusts strategic financial planning, preparing details of service cost pressures, impact of inflationary changes to income and expenditure and evaluating strategic financial implications of any changes in commissioning arrangements.
34. Lead the annual budget setting process ensuring Directorates are enabled to develop their own budgets within the Trust’s financial strategy whilst producing an overall budget which assures delivery of the Trust’s financial duties and targets.
35. Ensure that the budgets are agreed and signed off by Clinical and Executive Directors, and that finance, workforce and activity information are aligned.
36. Be a visible champion of cost improvement programmes throughout the organisation, helping and enabling Directorates to produce and deliver local savings whiles contributing to shape Trust wide savings initiatives.
37. Work closely to support the PMO in producing clear and accurate reporting of budgeted, actual and forecast efficiency plans
38. Provide accurate information to the Clinical Directorates where costs exceed or are inferior to income. To ensure year on year improvement in the accuracy of the Trust’s costing information.
39. Lead the production of the Trust’s financial planning and performance reports including supporting the completion of all internal and external financial returns.
40. Monitor and assist in the development of Trust Recovery Plans by assessing and validating the financial implications of any service redesign proposals.
41. Provide senior leadership in relation to contracting and commissioning, working collaboratively with key partners and stakeholders. Manage the relationship with the host ICB investigating areas of concern and suggesting solutions.
42. Lead the negotiation and management of contracts with ICB and other commissioning bodies to include all aspects of cost, activity, quality and performance standards. Represent the Trust at contact review meetings.
43. Ensure negotiations are carried out within the timetable required by national and regional guidance.
44. Work closely with Directors of the Trust to ensure there are contracts in place covering all works and services provided by the Trust. Ensure the contracts are properly accounted for.
45. Ensure that the Trust has SLAs in place that accurately reflect agreements reached with Commissioners, and are consistent with DOH guidance, but are constructed in such a way as to maximise the financial opportunities for the Trust and at the same time minimise the financial risks.
46. Key link between the income, contracting and clinical directorates and ensure they are kept informed of commissioner requirements throughout the contract negotiations.
47. Facilitate directorate involvement in the contracts process to ensure clinical ownership of contract standards and targets. Ensure in particular that they have a sound knowledge of the structure of PbR and the relevance to their business proposals.
48. Ensure that contracts are effectively monitored and reviewed with performance issues being identified and addressed and relevant issues of concern raised with commissioners (including activity, waiting list targets, variable income). Ensure that information is provided to clinical directorates to manage performance against contracts and work with clinical managers to respond to issues/queries from commissioners on contract performance.
49. Ensure that contract values are recorded and invoiced monthly, and that performance adjustments are reported on a regular basis. Responsible for ensuring that Commissioners fund activity overperformance. Assess action required for late and non-payment and respond to Commissioners on these issues. Initiate action at an appropriate level.
50. Responsible for the comprehensive briefing of the Chief Finance Officer, other members of the Board, Senior Management and commissioning leads as necessary on the financial and contractual status of the Trust in relation to commissioning agreements.
Governance
51. Promote all matters of corporate governance (including development and improvement of arrangements) throughout the Trust.
52. Ensure the Directorate’s policies, procedures and Trust’s Standing Financial Instructions are strictly adhered to.
53. Contribute to the development of systems, control processes and risk management that ensure full compliance with internal and external governance and best practice requirements relating to financial management, contracting, commissioning, financial projects and costing processes.
Person specification
Essential criteria
54. MBA or masters level degree or equivalent based on several years senior financial management experience in a healthcare environment
55. CCAB/ CIMA Qualified
56. Evidence of continued professional development with a particular emphasis on healthcare commissioning or performance management
Experience
Essential criteria
57. Substantial experience at a senior level in managing a range of corporate services or disciplines within Acute Healthcare
58. Significant staff and budgetary management
59. Experience and expert knowledge of NHS contracting and commissioning systems in and NHS acute provider organisation
60. Extensive experience of collecting complex data from a number of sources, forming opinions, identifying options, making recommendations and presenting to diverse audiences
61. Solid experience of managing a programme of project work, including major organisational and/or service change
62. Experience of representing and negotiating on behalf of a Trust
Knowledge
Essential criteria
63. In depth knowledge of the NHS Commissioning regime, including PbR
64. Knowledge of clinical data systems
65. Sufficient knowledge of medical procedures as to be credible when dealing with clinicians
66. Able to analyse highly complex issues involving material drawn from various sources, sometimes conflicting
67. Outstanding communication skills – verbal, written and via the use of high level presentation tools
68. Adept at handling politically sensitive situations
69. Able to translate departmental objectives into coherent work plans and objectives for self and staff
70. Ability and knowledge to specify, at a high level, process improvements for further development by others
71. Ability to manage own workload and make informed decisions and judgements on the basis of experience and such facts as are available, working tight and often changing deadlines
72. Time management skills
Personal Qualites
Essential criteria
73. Open and participative leadership style
74. No problem with working under a lot of pressure
75. Clear decision maker based on good consultation
76. Excellent planner
77. Inspires staff though clarity of objectives, hard work and interest in their careers and personal development
78. Able to manage conflict in an open manner
We reserve the right to close the post before the stated closing date, please apply early. We do not contact applicants with the outcome of the shortlisting. If you have been shortlisted, you will receive an invite to an assessment day or interview.
As a local employer and anchor institution we work closely with our community to recruit locally and we welcome applications from the widest variety of people to ensure our workforce are reflective of the local communities which we serve. We encourage all suitable candidates to apply including if you are Black, Asian or other ethnic minorities, live with a disability (visible or not) or are LGBT+. We have a number of active staff networks including Disability, LGBT+, Multicultural Inclusion and Women’s staff networks to bring staff together and celebrate diversity across our whole workforce.
Please note: Information provided during recruitment and pre‑employment checks must be accurate. Misrepresentation may be investigated as fraud and could lead to withdrawal from the process, professional sanctions, or criminal action.
Please note: that sponsorship under the Skilled Worker route is subject to Trust allocation and UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) approval.
Applicant requirements
You must have appropriate UK professional registration.
The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.