Assistant Director of Operational FinanceNHS

Job summary

Assistant Director of Operational Finance (Band 8d)

Join us in shaping the future of the NHS

Would you like to join a team that is working todeliver sustainable improvements that benefit patients, staff and the wider health and care system?

We are seeking three experienced finance leaders to join our newly established Finance and Planning Directorate, working in North East and Yorkshire region.

You will be joining a new Oversight and Productivity team that has four Assistant Director of Operational Finance roles. Each will be aligned to one of the four Integrated Care Systems within the region.

NHS England regions are moving into a new role with enhanced focus on strategy, performance, improvement and oversight.

This role is an opportunity to work at the heart of the NHS supporting senior leaders across the region to achieve financial sustainability and transformation. This is critical to delivery of national NHS priorities, patient care, and wider health and care reform.

The role will require high-profile working with NHS providers and Integrated Care Boards within the region, and with national teams. It offers a breadth of experience rarely found within a single post at this level, working on a wide range of strategic and operational financial issues. This provides opportunity to influence local systems, support major transformation programmes, and contribute to regional and national priorities.

Main duties of the job

Working across a complex and diverse portfolio, you will build strong relationships with senior leaders across NHS England and local systems. You will be responsible for financial oversight and improvement activity, providing expert financial advice, and helping organisations navigate some of the most challenging issues facing healthcare today.

This role offers a unique opportunity to influence financial strategy and operational delivery across multiple organisations, working with senior leaders in varied disciplines to deliver sustainable improvements that benefit patients, staff and the wider health and care system.

You will join a supportive, experienced and high-performing regional finance team in tackling some of the most significant financial, operational and strategic challenges facing the NHS. The role provides exceptional exposure to system leadership, financial recovery, capital planning and business cases, regulatory oversight, productivity, transformation and improvement.

The breadth of experience offered by this role provides excellent preparation for finance professionals seeking to progress towards Deputy Director of Finance, Director of Finance and other senior NHS finance leadership positions.

Job description

Responsibilities of the role

The postholder will be a senior member of the Regional Finance leadership team, and will:

• Develop relationships with NHS providers and systems, providing support, challenge and oversight to help them deliver sustainable financial and operational performance.
• Deliver expert financial advice to local and regional leaders, supporting decision-making across a broad range of complex and high-profile issues.
• Be responsible for financial planning, performance management and reporting across revenue, capital and cash, ensuring compliance with national policy and financial frameworks.
• Support organisations to develop and deliver robust financial recovery plans, productivity programmes and cost improvement initiatives.
• Work collaboratively with senior operational, clinical and finance colleagues to develop solutions that improve delivery, value for money and outcomes
• Deliver NHS England's financial assurance and regulatory responsibilities, providing appropriate oversight, challenge and intervention where required.
• Identify, manage and mitigate financial risks, ensuring timely escalation and intervention where required.
• Act as a key link between national, regional and local teams, ensuring consistent implementation of financial policy, guidance and priorities.
• Represent NHS England at senior meetings, board-level discussions and external stakeholder forums.
• Be responsible for significant regional and national programmes that support service transformation, financial sustainability and improved value for money.
• Support the development, review and delivery of major capital programmes and business cases.
• Work across NHS England to identify and share learning, best practice and effective approaches

Full details are provided in the Job Description

About us

NHS England has a wide range of statutory functions, responsibilities and regulatory powers. These are focused on supporting the wider NHS to deliver high quality care, as well as doing those things that are best done once for the whole NHS.

Our staff bring expertise across clinical, operational, commissioning, technology, data science, cyber security, software engineering, education, and commercial specialisms -- enabling us to design and deliver high-quality NHS services.

In March 2025, the Government announced that NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care will increasingly merge functions, ultimately leading to NHS England being fully integrated into the department.

If you currently work within the NHS and if successful at interview, we will initiate an Inter Authority Transfer (IAT) via the Electronic Staff Record (ESR).This retrieves key data from your current or previous NHS employer to support onboarding, including competency status, Continuous Service Dates (CSD), and annual leave entitlement. You may opt out at any stage of the process.

Colleagues with a contractual office base are expected to spend, on average, at least 40% of their time working in our offices.

We cannot offer visa sponsorship for any vacancies.