Joining #TeamNELFT means you’ll become part of a welcoming and supportive working environment. We’re CQC rated Good, and we want you to join us on the journey towards an Outstanding rating. NELFT has sites across North East London, Essex, Kent and Medway. We provide community and mental healthcare services to adults and children within these areas.
The Trust has award winning equality and diversity initiatives and staff health and wellbeing activities. We invest heavily in your development, because when you are valued and supported, we provide the best care to our patients. We are a Level 3 Disability Confident Leader, have been featured in the Working Families Top 10 Employers benchmark for five consecutive years, and we have achieved a Carers UK Level 1 Accreditation. Along with our staff networks and training opportunities, we work hard to embed a just and compassionate culture here at NELFT.
Find out more about NELFT careers and what makes our Trust a great place to work, in this video
Job overview
The post holder will be responsible for leading, motivating and managing the Financial services team whilst taking the lead on the trust's financial governance.
The individual will be required to work closely with finance and operational colleagues, project groups and other partner organisations, including other NHS organisations to ensure the provision of efficient and effective financial/activity information.
Main duties of the job
Responsible for leading the provision of financial support to the Trust, ensuring compliance with statutory obligations, professional accounting standards, internal control and the achievement of financial targets of the Trust.
The post holder will play a leading role to ensure the on-going financial viability of the Trust and advising on corrective measures to maintain a strong financial risk rating.
The Associate Director of Finance is a member of the Senior Finance Leadership Team, sharing responsibility for the financial and business governance and performance of the Trust, its strategic direction and for meeting the Trust’s objectives.
Leading the Financial services team, the post holder will also act, on occasion, as deputy for the Deputy Chief Finance officer on financial issues in his / her absence and will on occasions represent the Chief Financial Officer
As a senior finance professional the post holder will also support one or more of the Trust contracts, being responsible for leading the financial negotiations, monitoring and review.
1. To support Team Working, Managing & Leading
2. To support a Transformational approach
3. To support Governance and Managing Risk
4. In Managing Relationships
5. To support Financial Accounting
6. To support Management & Business Accounting
7. To support Commissioning & Contracting
8. To support Financial Systems
9. For Further detail please review the detailed job description
Working for our organisation
Our Values 2025 - 2030
Working with our colleagues, patients and carers we have coproduced three new values that we aim to embed within our culture here at NELFT.
They are:
We are kind.
We are respectful.
We work together with our communities.
These three values help us to strive to provide the best care by the best people.
Starting with NELFT
NELFT place a great deal of importance on new starters being properly welcomed and inducted into the Trust. All new starters will join the Trust on the first Monday of each month and will undertake a comprehensive induction of up to two weeks which will include mandatory training, systems training and the allocation of equipment. As part of the process new starters will have the opportunity to also meet the executive team, senior managers and attend a number of drop in sessions focussing in engagement, health and wellbeing and key processes. The induction will be held at our head office in Rainham, Essex.
Probationary Period
This post will be subject to a probationary period. Internal applicants are exempt from the probationary period (unless you are an internal applicant currently part way through a probationary period or currently a bank member of staff).
High Cost Area Supplement – Outer London
This post also attracts payment for High Cost Area Supplement of 15% of the basic salary (with a minimum of £4,714 to a maximum of £5,941 per annum (pro rata for part time).
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please see the attached job description and person specification for more information about this role and working at North East London NHS Foundation Trust. We encourage you to refer to this when completing your application.
We welcome your application even if you do not meet all the criteria listed in the person specification. Please apply as soon as possible as some posts close early to limit the number of applications.
Certificates of Sponsorship
Although we are a registered sponsor organisation, we are unable to offer sponsorship for all job roles. Please check your eligibility under the UKVI points-based system. When calculating the basic salary for sponsorship, HCAS (High-Cost Area Supplement) is not included to ensure fairness and consistency within our Trust.
Use of AI
Please see attached document regarding acceptable use of AI during the recruitment process.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
10. CCAB Fully qualified
11. Extensive experience of working in Management role
12. Significant experience in working in Public sector at a senior level
Experience
Essential criteria
13. Experience of preparing, writing and presenting reports including on a range of complex financial issues
14. Significant experience of staff management
15. Experience of negotiating and supporting contract and service level agreements
Knowledge
Essential criteria
16. Able to fully cost projects and services
17. Able to produce reports and present information to large groups in a clear and concise way and with confidence
18. Able to work with and influence senior managers and clinicians
19. Able to research future service and finance developments and assess their impact on an organisation
Benefits
We believe in bringing your authentic and best self to work, in order to deliver the best care to our patients. We are committed to supporting our employees holistically. Here is a snapshot of what is on offer at NELFT:
20. A long-standing and award-winning approach to equality and diversity with supportive networks for ethnic minority staff, staff with disabilities or long term/chronic conditions and LGBT staff.
21. A commitment to supporting colleagues to achieve a work life balance, through flexible working opportunities and our effortsto support our working parents and carers. This has resulted in us being recognised as a ‘Top 10 Family Friendly Employer’ from the Working Families Charity.
22. Proactive health and wellbeing support, including access to our employee assistance programme, staff psychological support, individual wellbeing conversations and a network of health and wellbeing ambassadors.
23. Detailed information about our wellbeing and benefits offer can be found in this link.
As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement whether that’s a job share, part time hours or another flexible pattern.