About this role
Job summary
Shape the future of Cambridge University Hospitals
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is creating a new Accountable Care Group (ACG) operating model, bringing clinical, operational and professional leadership closer together and creating greater accountability for the performance and development of our services.
We are seeking exceptional Directors of Finance and Productivity to join the senior leadership teams of our new ACGs. These are significant Band 9 leadership roles, each providing senior financial and productivity leadership across a major clinical portfolio with annual income and expenditure of approximately £500m.
As a full member of the ACG Senior Leadership Team, you will work alongside the ACG Managing Director and senior clinical, operational and professional leaders to shape strategy, determine priorities and make choices about how resources are deployed. You will have a central role in developing the ACG's annual and medium-term plans, improving productivity, supporting service transformation and ensuring that financial sustainability and value are integral to decision-making.
This is much more than a traditional senior finance role. You will combine financial leadership with a deep understanding of clinical and operational performance, using data, insight and constructive challenge to help improve productivity and develop services.
Main duties of the job
As Director of Finance and Productivity, you will be the senior finance leader for your ACG and a full member of its Senior Leadership Team. You will provide strategic financial leadership, professional advice and constructive challenge, helping the ACG deliver high-quality services within its available resources.
You will lead the development and delivery of the ACG's annual financial plan, budget and medium-term financial trajectory, ensuring that financial plans are aligned with activity, workforce, quality, operational, research, education and strategic priorities. Where performance is off track, you will play a leading role in developing and driving recovery action.
A major focus of the role will be productivity and financial improvement. You will set the strategic direction for the ACG's productivity programme, working with clinical and operational leaders to identify opportunities to improve efficiency, reduce unwarranted variation, optimise income and deliver sustainable improvements.
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.
This vacancy will close at midnight on the 15th November 2026.
Interviews are due to be held on the 27th November 2026.
All appointments with a start date on or after 1 October 2026 will be subject to a 12-week probationary period. This provides a structured and supportive period to help you settle into your role, with regular reviews and feedback.As there is a 12-week probationary period, successful candidates are expected to have the Right to Work for a period of at least 6 months from the proposed start date. Immigration and Right to Work status will be discussed with successful candidates at conditional offer. CUH will not offer sponsorship to candidates that have applied for a fee waiver.
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
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
- CCAB-qualified accountant, or evidence of equivalent professional expertise, with substantial post-qualification experience at senior level and compliance with the ethical requirements of the relevant professional body.
- Educated to Master's level or able to demonstrate equivalent senior-level knowledge and experience.
- Evidence of significant continuing professional development relevant to senior financial, productivity and organisational leadership.
Desirable
- Formal leadership, management, improvement or programme management qualification, or equivalent experience.
- Additional specialist training in NHS costing, productivity, benefits realisation, value-based healthcare, improvement science, transformation, research finance or education finance.
Experience
Essential
- Extensive senior finance leadership experience within a large and complex NHS or comparable healthcare organisation, including delegated responsibility for the financial planning, performance, productivity, recovery and resource allocation of a substantial clinical or operational portfolio.
- Experience of providing senior financial advice and constructive challenge to a divisional, clinical group, care group or equivalent senior leadership team.
- Experience of leading and developing an embedded finance team supporting clinical and operational services, including management of senior finance staff, objective setting, appraisal, performance management, professional development and deployment of resources.
- Demonstrable experience of developing, leading and delivering financial improvement, productivity, efficiency or transformation programmes across multiple services.
- Experience of working directly with senior clinical, operational, nursing, workforce, research, education and corporate leaders to develop financial plans, business cases and productivity schemes.
- Experience of developing and appraising business cases, including assessment of affordability, value for money, income, expenditure, workforce, productivity, quality, research, education and risk.
- Experience of presenting financial and productivity information to senior management, executive or formal governance forums.
- Experience of advising senior leaders on financial recovery, investment, disinvestment, productivity or service change decisions where there are competing financial, operational, workforce, quality, research and education considerations.
Desirable
- Experience of operating at or close to Executive and Board level and of taking delegated accountability for the financial performance, recovery and resource allocation of a very large and complex clinical or operational portfolio.
- Experience in a large acute, specialist, research-active or teaching hospital environment.
- Experience of working within a devolved clinical group, divisional, care group or equivalent operating model.
- Experience of organisational change linked to new clinical group, divisional or care group structures.
- Experience of working with ICB, NHS England or regional finance and productivity teams.
Knowledge
Essential
- Strong understanding of NHS financial frameworks, annual planning, medium-term financial planning, financial governance and financial control.
- Strong understanding of the relationship between clinical activity, workforce, operational performance, quality, income, expenditure and productivity.
- Knowledge of financial improvement and productivity methodologies, including benefits identification, benefits tracking, delivery governance and reporting.
- Knowledge of budgetary control, management accounts, forecasting, income and expenditure analysis and financial risk management.
- Knowledge of business case development, investment appraisal, option appraisal and affordability assessment.
- Understanding of NHS governance requirements, including Standing Financial Instructions, Scheme of Delegation, audit requirements, budget-holder accountability and standards of business conduct.
- Understanding of how finance, quality, equality, workforce, operational, research and education considerations should be brought together when developing productivity and financial improvement plans.
Desirable
- Knowledge of NHS costing, PLICS, Model Health System, GIRFT or other NHS productivity tools and benchmarking datasets.
- Understanding of the operating model, governance and leadership arrangements within a large acute provider.
- Knowledge of improvement methods, programme management approaches or benefits realisation frameworks.
- Knowledge of capital planning, investment prioritisation and the financial appraisal of major capital or service development proposals.
- Understanding of financial considerations relating to research, innovation, education, teaching hospital partnerships or academic healthcare environments.
Skills
Essential
- Able to provide credible senior financial leadership, advice and constructive challenge in a complex and demanding environment.
- Strong analytical and numerical skills, with the ability to interpret financial, operational, workforce, activity, productivity, research and education information.
- Able to translate financial strategy, productivity requirements and recovery plans into practical delivery plans with clear ownership, milestones, benefits, risks, quality, research, education and governance arrangements.
- Excellent communication and presentation skills, including the ability to explain financial information clearly to non-finance audiences.
- Highly developed leadership, influencing and negotiation skills, with the credibility and resilience to operate effectively with Executive Directors, senior clinicians, operational and academic leaders, resolve conflict, secure commitment to difficult decisions and hold senior colleagues to account for delivery.
- Able to constructively challenge assumptions, plans and performance while maintaining effective working relationships.
- Able to develop clear governance, reporting and assurance arrangements for financial improvement and productivity programmes.
- Able to exercise sound judgement where information is incomplete, there is uncertainty, or there are competing financial, operational, workforce, quality, research and education considerations.
- Able to lead, manage and develop a high-performing finance team, creating a supportive, inclusive and improvement-focused culture.
- Skilled in the use and interpretation of financial systems, spreadsheets, reporting tools, costing information, benchmarking data and analytical approaches relevant to senior NHS finance and productivity work.
- Able to manage competing priorities, deadlines and risks across multiple services and programmes.
Desirable
- Able to apply improvement, programme management or benefits realisation methods in a proportionate and practical way.
- Advanced skills in financial modelling, scenario analysis, dashboard development or productivity analytics.
Additional Requirements
Essential
- Demonstrates integrity, probity and commitment to public service values.
- Committed to the effective, efficient and responsible use of NHS resources for patient benefit, research, education and innovation where aligned with Trust priorities.
- Collaborative and able to work across organisational and professional boundaries.
- Inclusive and values-led in leadership style, with a commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.
- Confident and resilient, with the ability to remain calm and effective under pressure.
- Able to balance constructive challenge with support and partnership working.
- Politically astute and able to understand the wider NHS, system, academic and organisational context.
- Willingness and ability to work flexibly to meet service and organisational requirements.
- Ability to travel between Trust sites and attend external meetings as required.
- Able to maintain high standards of probity, stewardship and professional integrity in the management and use of public funds.
- The ability to understand and behave at all times, towards patients, visitors and colleagues according to the Trust values of safe, kind, excellent.
Desirable
- Established professional networks across NHS finance, productivity, improvement, research, innovation or education communities.
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)