About this role
Job summary
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is seeking an exceptional Deputy Chief Finance Officer to help lead one of the largest, most complex and most ambitious acute teaching hospital trusts in the country. This is a significant senior leadership role, offering the opportunity to shape financial strategy, operational finance performance, productivity, procurement and commercial development across a nationally important organisation with a budget of circa £1.6bn at the heart of the Cambridge Biomedical Campus.
Working directly to the Chief Finance Officer, you will provide visible, credible and influential leadership across the Trust's finance function and wider senior leadership community. You will deputise for the CFO, advise executive and Board-level colleagues, and work closely with clinical, operational and corporate leaders to ensure finance is at the heart of decisions that support excellent patient care, long-term sustainability and best use of NHS resources.
This is a role for an outstanding finance leader who combines technical expertise with strategic judgement, commercial acumen and the ability to lead through influence in a complex, high-profile NHS environment.
Main duties of the job
As Deputy Chief Finance Officer, you will lead key components of the Trust's finance portfolio, including financial performance, reporting, forecasting, governance, productivity, procurement and commercial development. You will support the development and delivery of the Trust's short, medium and long-term financial strategy and provide senior financial leadership across operational, strategic and transformation priorities.
You will provide senior financial oversight of the newly formed Accountable Care Groups (ACG), with professional responsibility (alongside the Chief Finance Officer), for the ACG finance leads. You will also play a central role in strengthening financial control, supporting productivity and efficiency programmes, and ensuring that financial stewardship is embedded in operational decision-making.
You will work collaboratively with executive colleagues, clinical leaders, operational teams, NHS England, Integrated Care Boards, universities, research organisations and commercial partners. You will represent the CFO portfolio internally and externally, and will help build a high-performing, inclusive and influential finance leadership community.
About us
Our Trust
Cambridge University Hospitals (CUH) NHS Foundation Trust comprises Addenbrooke's Hospital and the Rosie Hospital in Cambridge. With over 13,000 staff and over 1100 beds the priorities of the Trust focus on a quality service which is all about people - patients, staff and partners. Recognised as providing 'outstanding' care to our patients and rated 'Good' overall by the Care Quality Commissioner, is testament to the skill and dedication of the people who work here. CUH's values - Together - Safe, Kind, Excellent - are at the heart of patient care, defining the way all staff work and behave. The Trust provides accessible high-quality healthcare for the local people of Cambridge, together with specialist services, dealing with rare or complex conditions for a regional, national and international population.
CUH is committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive community - a place where we can all be ourselves. We value our differences and fully advocate and support an inclusive working environment where every individual can fulfil their potential. We want to ensure our people are truly representative of all the communities that we serve. We welcome applications for all positions in the organisation irrespective of people's age, disability, ethnicity, race, nationality, gender identity, sex, sexual orientation, religion or belief, marriage and civil partnership status, or pregnancy and maternity status or social economic background.
Job description Job responsibilities
Please see the attached Applicant Information Pack (combined Job Description and Person Specification) for key duties and responsibilities.
Due to Home Office immigration rules, a full time permanent vacancy cannot be filled by individuals on a Student visa. Therefore, please be advised that if you are a Student visa holder, we will not be able to offer you a full time permanent contract unless you have:
- applied for a Graduate visa
- or you will have successfully completed your course and have applied for a Graduate visa before the anticipated start date of your employment
This vacancy will close at midnight on 10th August 2026.
Interview dates will be communicated to successful applicants.
Benefits to you
At Cambridge University Hospitals, we want to do all we can to support good working days. We offer development opportunities and a wide range of benefits, including on-site leisure facilities, shopping concourse and day nurseries. Our good work programme currently includes providing reduced cost Stagecoach bus travel to and from Cambridge University Hospital site. Park and Ride bus journeys between Babraham Road and Trumpington sites are free, as is the route to and from Cambridge train station and our hospitals. We also subsidise the cost of parking on site for eligible staff.
On CUH campus, hot food is available 24/7 and at a reduced cost for colleagues. Recently we launched the first of our staff pod break spaces. Located in the Deakin Centre, we have a purpose-created colleague-only caf, with free tea and coffee, a break space and private outside area for colleagues to rest, refuel and recharge. Just one of the ways we are working hard to support good working days at CUH.
CUH is committed to assisting employees in achieving a good work-life balance irrespective of role or personal circumstances. Flexible arrangements may include, but are not limited to, part-time working, job-share, term-time working and flexible start and finish times.
Please note if you would like to discuss the required hours of this role further, you should approach the contact given. In some cases, alternative working hours will be considered.
We welcome applications from the Armed Forces.
Person Specification
Qualifications Essential
Qualified accountant with a recognised body (e.g. ACA, ACCA, CIMA, CIPFA etc) Educated to Masters level or equivalent senior leadership experience Evidence of significant continuing professional development
Desirable
Postgraduate qualification in finance, business, leadership or related discipline Formal senior leadership qualification
Experience Essential
Significant senior finance leadership experience within a large, complex NHS organisation or equivalent environment Experience operating at Board, executive or very senior levels Track record of leading financial strategy, planning and performance improvement Experience of leading annual and medium-term financial planning and negotiating significant contracts with NHS commissioners or comparable funding bodies Experience leading major productivity, efficiency or transformation programmes Experience of working across organisational boundaries and influencing through matrix structures Experience of setting organisation-wide financial standards and securing consistent practice across devolved teams or business units Experience of leading procurement, commercial or strategic development activity Experience of developing senior leaders and building high-performing teams
Desirable
Experience within an NHS Trust or Foundation Trust Experience working with academic health science organisations, research institutions or commercial partners Experience of developing or leading commercial opportunities, income generation, strategic partnerships or business development within healthcare, public sector or similarly complex organisations
Knowledge Essential
Extensive knowledge of NHS finance, governance and regulatory frameworks Strong understanding of productivity methodologies, benefits realisation and cost improvement approaches Understanding of procurement legislation and strategic sourcing principles Knowledge of commercial development, partnership working and income generation within healthcare Understanding of NHS system working and integrated care arrangements
Desirable
Knowledge of research commercialisation, innovation funding or industry partnership models
Skills Essential
Outstanding strategic leadership and influencing skills Ability to communicate highly complex and sensitive information effectively Highly developed communication and engagement skills, with the ability to build understanding, alignment and commitment across clinical, operational, workforce and corporate stakeholders Strong commercial acumen and analytical capability Ability to lead through influence rather than direct authority Strong negotiation, partnership-building and stakeholder management skills Ability to manage competing priorities in a complex environment Excellent judgement and decision-making capability
Desirable
Experience representing organisations externally at regional or national level
Additional Requirements Essential
Commitment to NHS values and public service principles Demonstrable commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion High levels of personal resilience and professional credibility Ability to travel between Trust sites and external locations as required
Desirable
National professional leadership or advisory experience
Disclosure and Barring Service Check This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.
Certificate of Sponsorship Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).
From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).
Employer details Employer name Cambridge University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Address Addenbrookes Hospital-Division Corporate
Hills Road
Cambridge
CB2 0QQ
United Kingdom
Employer's website https://www.cuh.nhs.uk (Opens in a new tab)