Skip to main content
Please wait, loading

Job summary

Main area
Finance
Grade
NHS AfC: Band 8b
Contract
Permanent: Band 8b or potential development opportunity at Band 8a
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week (Flexible working hours and hybrid working is available.)
Job ref
346-CORP-010-26-A
Employer
Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Flatts Lane Centre
Town
Middlesbrough
Salary
£64,455 - £74,896 per annum
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
16/03/2026 23:59

Employer heading

Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Trust logo

Head of Finance Strategy, Planning and Costing

NHS AfC: Band 8b

We are the Mental Health & Learning Disability NHS Trust for County Durham and Darlington, Teesside, North Yorkshire, York and Selby.

From education and prevention, to crisis and specialist care —our talented and compassionate teams work in partnership with our patients, communities and partners to help the people of our region feel safe, understood, believed in and cared for.

We nurture the recovery journey of anyone in need of our help. In Our Trust, everyone has a say in how they are supported and treated because we listen to every person in our care until they feel understood. Our patients, their families and carers work together with us towards better mental health.

We’re committed to new thinking that improves the wellbeing of our region. We connect with our communities and partners to get mental health care right, in areas that really need it.

We won’t rest until everyone in our region has the mental health care they need, to lead their best possible life.

Job overview

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Head of Finance Strategy, Planning and Costing to join our finance team at Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust.  We offer a fast paced, exciting and supportive working environment, working with our service and corporate leads to do the very best for our patients.

We are ambitious and want to continuously improve, whether that supports improved patient outcomes in providing high quality support to our Mental Health, Learning Disability and Autism services, value for money or colleague experience, and we want someone who shares that sense of ambition and energy to deliver the change. 

Although this post is advertised as an 8b post, we are willing to consider applications from people who do not yet meet the essential criteria for a Band 8b, but who would be interested in undertaking the post at a Band 8a initially, with a supportive plan for development within an agreed timeframe and progression to an 8b when fully qualified. As a result, we are interested in hearing from people within the final stage of a CCAB recognised qualification as well as those fully qualified.

You must have the Right to Work in the UK in order to be successfully appointed to this role. Please note, this role does not meet the required eligibility criteria for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker visa and therefore the Trust is unable to offer sponsorship for this particular role.

Main duties of the job

Working with the Director of Finance, the Associate Director of Finance - Financial Management and managing the Costing team, the Head of Finance Strategy, Planning and costing will develop and maintain the Trust’s Medium Term Financial Plan, produce robust costing information, and ensure wider engagement across the organisation.  You will also lead the development of the Trust’s rolling 3 year programme of Cash Releasing Efficiency Schemes and oversee and co-ordinate the core financial management activities for the CRES plans and/or projects to support delivery of the in-year financial position. You will support the delivery of key financial targets/regulatory requirements, and as part of a collective senior leadership team support the wider financial performance framework of the Trust by ensuring the development and use of our short and medium term financial plans.

Working for our organisation

The post holder will, as part of the Senior Finance Team, play a key role in promoting an organisational culture that actively promotes the Trust’s Vision and Values and positively engages staff, service users and other stakeholders in quality improvement and service transformation. This will include supporting the development and delivery of the Trust’s approach to continuous improvement and role modelling and further embedding in the organisation the Trust’s values. 

If you would like to join us on our journey, Richard Mellor, our Associate Director of Finance would welcome having a conversation with you. Should you wish to discuss the role with Richard, please contact him on [email protected] to arrange an appointment.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please refer to the attached job description and person specification for further detailed information to ensure that you meet the role criteria before applying.

Due to the nature of the role, it is essential that applicants are able to travel independently across the locality and have access to a suitable vehicle for business purposes. If necessary, adjustments can be considered in accordance with the Equality Act 2010.

 

Person specification

Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • CCAB qualified accountant, and current registration with professional body
  • Post Graduate qualification or equivalent evidence of continuing professional development
Desirable criteria
  • Quality Improvement techniques

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Post-qualification experience at a senior level in the NHS
  • Extensive experience of advising and working with senior managers and directors of a large, complex organisation
  • Proven experience of financial management within a large organisation
  • Knowledge of the NHS finance regime and developing medium- and long-term financial plans including cash releasing efficiency schemes (CRES)
  • Proven experience of delivering complex change programmes and supporting operational services to release financial efficiencies
  • Experience of leading financial planning, budget setting.
  • Can demonstrate successful business planning, objective setting and experience of performance management
  • Experience of presenting complex issues to wide & non-financial audiences
  • Experience of developing and co-ordinating performance management arrangements across the organisation
  • Previous experience of involvement in complex projects including the provision of strategic and business case planning advice across a range of options as well as detailed analysis of data and business case review
  • Experience of formulating medium term and long-term strategic plans
  • Evidence of line management experience, including managing and setting, objectives, goals and standards to ensure teams deliver to their maximum potential and supports ongoing development
  • Excellent project management skills and demonstrate achievements / outcomes
  • Key knowledge of NHS financial and management accounting policies
  • Able to demonstrate an advanced theoretical and practical knowledge of Accounting Standards and NHS finance
Desirable criteria
  • Experience of working in different NHS Trusts, finance regimes and finance disciplines
  • Experience of NHS financial regime
  • Experience of undertaking costing, or using costing information

Knowledge

Essential criteria
  • Through continuous personal development, to maintain advanced specialist knowledge of the latest developments within the NHS and accountancy fields.
  • Knowledge of financial and other statutory and performance duties placed upon NHS organisations
  • Knowledge of NHS Foundation Trust regime and reporting requirements, including risk ratings
  • Has specialist knowledge of the whole NHS context, national agenda and impact on Trusts and FTs
  • Has advanced theoretical and practical knowledge of all aspects of financial and accounting procedures, legislation and policies
Desirable criteria
  • Broad understanding of the current political climate and generate knowledge of trends in healthcare and likely impact on NHS Trusts

Skills

Essential criteria
  • Strong Excel spreadsheet skills
  • Can evidence innovative and strategic thinking ability
  • Can lead, motivate and inspire others
  • Has a strong ability to establish good working relations with internal and external stakeholders
  • Has strong analytic, numeric and critical reasoning skills and capable of effective problem-solving
  • Ability to translate strategic goals into effective and achievable plans and capable of monitoring their progress and outcomes
  • Strong IT & project management skills
  • Able to make sense of conflicting priorities and reach effective, speedy solutions
  • Advanced influencing, negotiating, persuasion, communication and presentation skills to individuals and large groups of people from both financial and non-financial backgrounds both internal and external to the Trust.
  • Evidence of dealing with highly complex, highly sensitive or contentious information affecting large groups of people
  • Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills and an ability to deal with contentious situations
  • Advanced presentational skill to individuals and large groups of people from a finance and non-financial background
  • Ability to assess risks, anticipate difficulties and successfully address them
  • Ability to handle detail within strategic plans and make informed decisions and judgements
  • Politically aware

Employer certification / accreditation badges

We are a Living Wage EmployerVeteran AwareApprenticeships logoNo smoking policyPositive about disabled peopleAge positiveImproving working livesArmed Forces Covenant (Silver Award)Mindful employer.  Being positive about mental health.Disability confident employerStep into healthArmed Forces CovenantBetter Health at Work Gold Award

Applicant requirements

You must have appropriate UK professional registration.

The postholder will have access to vulnerable people in the course of their normal duties and as such this post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Documents to download

Apply online now

Further details / informal visits contact

Name
Richard Mellor
Job title
Associate Director of Finance
Email address
[email protected]
Telephone number
07974 819378
Apply online nowAlert me to similar vacancies