Associate Director of Finance – Financial Accounts and Investments job at London Full Time

We are seeking an experienced and forward‑thinking Associate Director of Finance – Financial Accounts and Investments to play a key strategic role within the Trust’s Finance Directorate and support delivery in an increasingly complex financial environment.

Reporting to a Deputy Director of Finance, you will provide day‑to‑day leadership across a diverse portfolio including Financial Accounts, Financial Management, Strategic Finance and Planning, Productivity and Efficiency, Costing and Procurement. You will bring highly specialised financial expertise, strong technical knowledge and a forward‑looking perspective to support both operational delivery and long‑term planning.

The role requires advanced understanding of International Financial Reporting Standards, NHS and Department of Health and Social Care guidance, and relevant legislation. You will interpret changes in national policy, assess their financial impact, and help shape Trust policies and financial frameworks accordingly.

The role of Associate Director of Finance is a key strategic position to enable Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust to respond appropriately to a dynamic and complex financial environment. The post holder will report to a Deputy Finance Director and have corporate responsibility for and provide day-to-day leadership for a portfolio of departments from Financial Management, Strategic Finance and Planning, Productivity and Efficiency, Costing, Procurement, and Financial Accounts. The role provides highly specialised, forward-looking and externally focused technical financial analysis and planning. To this end, the post holder must show very high levels of financial expertise and technical training, with specialist knowledge of International Financial Reporting Standards, NHS Improvement and Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) guidance and a wide range of legislation.

The post holder is expected to work as part of a cohesive finance team and, when necessary, to take lead responsibility for Trust-based issues outside of their immediate sphere of responsibility. They will be expected to present, and advise on, highly complex and sensitive financial and business information/issues to large groups, such as the whole Finance function as well as clinical and non-clinical colleagues from outside of Finance.

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:

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

Widening access (anchor institution) and employability

Improving the experience of staff with disability

Improving the EDI literacy and confidence of trust staff through training and development

Making equalities mainstream

Colleagues across the department work flexibly and we encourage all employees to consider how best to work to suit your individual needs. Amongst other options we welcome applications from colleagues considering the possibility of reduced hours, flexible start and finish times and a hybrid working approach

Key Result Areas & Performance:
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The Associate Director of Finance will take responsibility for all financial reporting, decision making and analysis; as well as the development of effective financial control environment and the compilation of monthly management returns and end of year accounts for statutory and/or regulatory purposes. The post holder is required to provide expert, high level strategic support in many areas, and as such will have a wide-ranging remit.

It is expected that the main work areas will include:
Analysing and interpreting technical financial reporting standards, new statutory legislation and technical guidance and providing advice to the Trust on the impact of these.

Accountable for setting and implementing trust-wide accounting policy based on standards and legislation.

Provide financial advice to colleagues across the Trust.

Lead on budget setting across the trust, including considering several methods and engaging stakeholders in the process.

Presenting highly complex financial and business information to a variety of stakeholder groups.

Acting as financial lead for Statutory External and Internal Reporting including the production of the Statutory Annual Report and Accounts, Financial returns to NHS England/Improvement and DHSC, and monthly Finance Committee and Board Reports.

Active management of the financial position of the organisation, particularly thorough the Finance Business Patterning and Productivity and Efficiency teams

Medium and long-term strategic financial planning and modelling including providing technical accounting advice to support significant developments and business cases and assessing the impact of these plans Trust-wide.

Ensuring Trust Standing Financial Instructions and Trust-wide financial policies and procedures are developed, implemented and maintained to minimise Trust risk.

Overall responsibility for the management (including budget management) of the finance department within the portfolio of the Associate Director of Finance

Develop and provide leadership to the Business Partnering function

Identification, measurement and management of impact of risk, and minimising exposure to risk. Accountable for producing risk-based Trust-wide financial controls in line with best practice and ensuring compliance with these controls.

The post holder is accountable for the oversight of the Counter Fraud Service

Oversight of the development of databases and financial systems to be implemented within Finance, or interface with Finance systems ensuring the integrity of the Trust’s computerised financial ledger system is maintained and appropriate information can be reported.

Strategic Business Planning and Risk Management

Implementation and delivery of a financial strategy for the Trust within the context of the Trust’s strategic direction and taking account of national resources and policy.

Provide leadership to the Trust’s Improving Use of Resources programme

Development and maintenance of systems to identify forward-looking financial risks to the organisation, and to effectively quantify and communicate these risks to the CFO and board and mitigate against them. This would include:

Performing sensitivity analysis and modelling the impact of Strategic Capital Plan,

Finance Lease proposals and analysis of off/on balance leases and

Changes in assumptions and financial risks and appraising various different finance options including the impact of IFRS.

Completion of the 1–5-year NHSI plan, using highly complex analytic and modelling techniques which are adequately risk assessed, looking at the financial position, including capital, cash flow, balance sheet, the Trust’s financial KPIs and risk ratings under NHS Improvement’s SOF framework.

Providing Strategic Financial Modelling and development of significant capital financial business cases across the organisation as well as managing the transitions when bringing on significant projects or mergers.

Performance management of External Contracts with various suppliers

Negotiation of Working Capital Facility Terms and banking relationships and monitoring of these ensuring compliance with Strategic Plans of the Trust and reducing Trust Risk Exposure.

Makes judgements regarding allocation of resources and is able to persuasively articulate the point of view to the wider organisation

Policy Development and Implementation

Development, implementation and maintenance of efficient and effective policies and procedures within Finance and Trust-wide to ensure accurate and reliable information and records are maintained and ensuring established Finance procedures are in place and are adhered to throughout the Trust and that Trust policies are adhered to by Finance staff.

Along with other senior colleagues, acting as lead for the Finance Directorate on the development and implementation of local and/or national projects as may be required, and develop policies and procedures ensuring that they comply with relevant financial guidance and legal requirements, and having regard to the Trust’s financial interests. Put in place processes to ensure compliance with financial content of policies.

Ensuring that the Trust’s Standing Financial Procedures are developed and maintained to minimise financial risk to the Trust and ensure that standing orders and standing financial instructions are complied with in the Trust.

Payroll and Pensions

Overall responsibly for these areas and will ensure that high standards of accuracy, efficiency and effectiveness are maintained through review and management of senior managers, staff and reporting.

Finance lead and contact with regard to outsourced Payroll Contractor and responsible for contract negotiations, compliance and key performance indicators management.

Providing specialist advice and guidance and acting as Finance and Payroll lead with respect to Payroll/HR projects e.g. Pensions Auto-enrolment.

Statutory External and Internal Reporting

Financial lead for the production of the statutory accounts in line with Trust accounting policies and project manage the year-end accounting process. Liaise with external auditors on technical issues and ensure that information and comprehensive working papers are available as required.

Interpreting and applying requirements of International Financial Reporting Standards and the Annual Reporting Manual issued by NHS Improvement together with supplementary guidance and timetables issued by the DHSC.

Analysing highly complex problems and summarising clearly and persuasively to large, often senior, groups.

Providing financial reports, including analysis and interpretation, for the Finance and Performance Committee and Audit and Risk Committee meetings including actual and forecast Income and Expenditure, Cash Flow, Balance Sheet performance, Capital Expenditure reports and variances, aged debtor and creditor summaries, Improving Use of Resources programme against target and Key Financial Ratios.

People Management and Performance

Lead, coach and manage the performance of the team in line with good people management practices. Ensuring excellence is recognised and underperformance is addressed.

Participate in regular performance appraisal meetings and ensure each member of the team has a clear set of objectives and development plans.

Ensure the team is compliant with all statutory, mandatory training together with any professional training requirements, ensuring they are up to date and fully compliant.

Manage team absences including sickness in line with Trust policy ensuring the appropriate return to work meetings occur, e-roster is updated and productivity is at keep to the highest possible level.

Identify and fill any vacancies that arise within the team in line with the Trust’s recruitment policy and process.

Identify talent and support the internal talent management process in order attract and retain and succession plan for your people.