Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust

Head of Divisional Finance

The closing date is 06 January 2026

Job summary

Lewisham and Greenwich NHST Trusts (LGT) vision is to be exceptional and we are seeking an experienced accountant as Head of Divisional Finance to join our award winning Finance Team to help us realise this. Experienced in financial management.

The South East London Finance Academy is committed to fostering professional development and career growth for all with a particular aim of enhancing opportunities for under-represented groups and improving the diversity of our finance community.

This means, that as part of our Secondment Pledge, this permanent role is advertised with the flexibility of a potential secondment opportunity for the successful candidate. If you would like to explore this flexibility, please discuss with your current line manager and raise for discussion with the recruiting manager, this will not adversely affect your application in any way. Whilst all secondments will require agreement from both the host and receiving organisations, all organisations within SEL are committed to approaching this conversation positively.

If successful, and you would like to take up the secondment opportunity, you will need to complete the Secondment Request Form found here South East London: Secondment Request Form to aid discussion with your host and receiving organisations. On successful completion of the secondment, and in collaboration with your receiving organisation, you will have the opportunity to convert the secondment to a substantive appointment.

Main duties of the job

As an integral part of the divisional management team, you will play a critical role in shaping services within budget. We are seeking a dynamic Head of Divisional Finance to join our Senior Finance Team, leading the delivery of financial policy, performance, and value for money across our organisation. Working across all of our sites this pivotal role offers the opportunity to provide strategic vision, expert advice, and operational leadership, ensuring robust financial processes and controls that support modern, patient-focused services.

The post holder is a senior Finance professional within LGT and a member of the Senior Finance Team and are responsible for leading and delivering financial policy, performance and value for money requirements. The post holder will ensure the delivery of an efficient and effective business partner financial service.

The post holder will provide leadership, strategic and professional management combined with operational responsibility for the delivery of business partner financial services and advice working with the Associate Director of Finance (ADoF), executive directors and other senior managers in the development and delivery of robust financial processes and controls, to oversee the provision of a modernised, patient focused service across LGT by providing innovative, pro-active advice and support to the organisation on financial and service strategies and approaches.

About us

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:

  1. 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
  2. Widening access (anchor institution) and employability
  3. Improving the experience of staff with disability
  4. Improving the EDI literacy and confidence of trust staff through training and development
  5. Making equalities mainstream

Details

Date posted

23 December 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8c

Salary

£76,965 to £88,682 a year per annum plus HCAS

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Flexible working

Reference number

197-RF7706

Job locations

Catford Offices

Old Town Hall, Catford

London

SE6 4RU


Job description

Job responsibilities

Strategic Responsibilities

Provide commentaries to support the financial information provided.

Producing a rolling five-year financial plan for the directorate in conjunction with the Head of Income and Planning (HoIP).

Providing a lead role for the directorate on strategic business development, service expansion, improvement and process redesign techniques and developing and presenting ideas

Forge positive internal and external working relationships, in order to support effective management approaches to achieve trust objectives

Operational Responsibilities Financial Management

Deputise for the ADoF as required

Support the ADoF and HoIP in formulating and agreeing a robust annual planning and budget setting process

Manage the 1 * 8b Finance Business Partners (FBPs) and 1 * 8a Divisional Accountants (DAs)

Produce a robust, bottom-up financial forecast on a monthly basis, which is owned by the Clinical Directorates, where finances triangulate with activity, expenditure and workforce forecasts

Be a visible champion of IuRPs throughout the organisation, helping and enabling Directorates to produce and deliver local savings whiles contributing to shape Trust wide savings initiatives

Work closely to support the Improvement Delivery Team in producing clear and accurate reporting of budgeted, actual and forecast IuRPs

Work closely with the Head of Contracting (HoC) and HoIP on the financial evaluation of tenders for contracted out services by undertaking comprehensive financial analysis of the contractual documentation and make appropriate recommendations

Support the Trusts Reference Cost submission. Investigate differences between the Trusts costs and those of peers and the national average. Provide accurate information to the Costing Team

Support the development and roll out of Service Line Management to enable improvements in financial management and service delivery. And incorporate information to the Trust Management Executive, Finance and Performance Committee and Trust Board

Undertake the production of any ad-hoc information requests as appropriate.

Job description

Job responsibilities

Strategic Responsibilities

Provide commentaries to support the financial information provided.

Producing a rolling five-year financial plan for the directorate in conjunction with the Head of Income and Planning (HoIP).

Providing a lead role for the directorate on strategic business development, service expansion, improvement and process redesign techniques and developing and presenting ideas

Forge positive internal and external working relationships, in order to support effective management approaches to achieve trust objectives

Operational Responsibilities Financial Management

Deputise for the ADoF as required

Support the ADoF and HoIP in formulating and agreeing a robust annual planning and budget setting process

Manage the 1 * 8b Finance Business Partners (FBPs) and 1 * 8a Divisional Accountants (DAs)

Produce a robust, bottom-up financial forecast on a monthly basis, which is owned by the Clinical Directorates, where finances triangulate with activity, expenditure and workforce forecasts

Be a visible champion of IuRPs throughout the organisation, helping and enabling Directorates to produce and deliver local savings whiles contributing to shape Trust wide savings initiatives

Work closely to support the Improvement Delivery Team in producing clear and accurate reporting of budgeted, actual and forecast IuRPs

Work closely with the Head of Contracting (HoC) and HoIP on the financial evaluation of tenders for contracted out services by undertaking comprehensive financial analysis of the contractual documentation and make appropriate recommendations

Support the Trusts Reference Cost submission. Investigate differences between the Trusts costs and those of peers and the national average. Provide accurate information to the Costing Team

Support the development and roll out of Service Line Management to enable improvements in financial management and service delivery. And incorporate information to the Trust Management Executive, Finance and Performance Committee and Trust Board

Undertake the production of any ad-hoc information requests as appropriate.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • CCAB/ CIMA Qualified
  • Evidence of continued professional development

Desirable

  • Educated to Masters Level
  • Better Business Cases (Practitioner)

Experience

Essential

  • Experience in operating at a strategic level in a leadership role, working with multiple stakeholders, developing and fostering effective partnership approaches, acquired through training and practical experience
  • Leading financial performance management arrangements across a large complex organisation
  • Managing a finance team including recruitment, career development, performance and work evaluation
  • Substantial experience of working autonomously and independently with senior stakeholders to deliver project objectives
  • Led on transition or change management projects
  • Experience in interpreting national guidance and implementing locally

Knowledge

Essential

  • Knowledge of statutory accounts procedures and guidelines and experience of delivering these
  • Excellent IT skills including the use of complex spreadsheets and databases
  • Able to analyse highly complex issues involving material drawn from various sources, sometimes conflicting
  • Highly effective leadership, interpersonal, influencing and change management skills
  • Outstanding communication skills - verbal, written and via the use of high-level presentation tools and adept at handling politically sensitive situations
  • 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
  • Time management skills

Personal Qualities

Essential

  • Focused
  • No problem working under significant pressure
  • Highly organised
  • Inspires staff though clarity of objectives, hard work and interest in their careers and personal development
  • Relationship builder and approachable
  • Able to manage conflict in an open manner
  • Sociable and outgoing
Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

  • CCAB/ CIMA Qualified
  • Evidence of continued professional development

Desirable

  • Educated to Masters Level
  • Better Business Cases (Practitioner)

Experience

Essential

  • Experience in operating at a strategic level in a leadership role, working with multiple stakeholders, developing and fostering effective partnership approaches, acquired through training and practical experience
  • Leading financial performance management arrangements across a large complex organisation
  • Managing a finance team including recruitment, career development, performance and work evaluation
  • Substantial experience of working autonomously and independently with senior stakeholders to deliver project objectives
  • Led on transition or change management projects
  • Experience in interpreting national guidance and implementing locally

Knowledge

Essential

  • Knowledge of statutory accounts procedures and guidelines and experience of delivering these
  • Excellent IT skills including the use of complex spreadsheets and databases
  • Able to analyse highly complex issues involving material drawn from various sources, sometimes conflicting
  • Highly effective leadership, interpersonal, influencing and change management skills
  • Outstanding communication skills - verbal, written and via the use of high-level presentation tools and adept at handling politically sensitive situations
  • 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
  • Time management skills

Personal Qualities

Essential

  • Focused
  • No problem working under significant pressure
  • Highly organised
  • Inspires staff though clarity of objectives, hard work and interest in their careers and personal development
  • Relationship builder and approachable
  • Able to manage conflict in an open manner
  • Sociable and outgoing

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.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Additional information

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.

UK Registration

Applicants must have current UK professional registration. For further information please see NHS Careers website (opens in a new window).

Employer details

Employer name

Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust

Address

Catford Offices

Old Town Hall, Catford

London

SE6 4RU


Employer's website

https://www.lewishamandgreenwich.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer details

Employer name

Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust

Address

Catford Offices

Old Town Hall, Catford

London

SE6 4RU


Employer's website

https://www.lewishamandgreenwich.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)


Employer contact details

For questions about the job, contact:

Director of Finance

David Knevett

David.Knevett@nhs.net

07789488553

Details

Date posted

23 December 2025

Pay scheme

Agenda for change

Band

Band 8c

Salary

£76,965 to £88,682 a year per annum plus HCAS

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Full-time, Flexible working

Reference number

197-RF7706

Job locations

Catford Offices

Old Town Hall, Catford

London

SE6 4RU


Supporting documents

Privacy notice

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