Head of Finance
Job Description
Job summary
Please note: Interviews are to take place Week Commencing 20th July 2026
The Head of Finance provides the leadership to the finance team, ensuring and enabling the team to deliver sound financial management for the organisation as well supporting the Finance Director and the Directors in delivering the financial strategy for the organisation. This important role oversees the operational aspects of financial management such as banking, cashflow, financial ledgers, accounting processes, internal reporting, and costing.
This role is required to participate in the Tactical on-call rota. This is approximatly 1 in 8.
Main duties of the job
The Head of Finance will liaise with and work alongside executive and senior management team, corporate support services, commissioning bodies, Care Quality Commission and other service providers and local authorities.
About us
London Central & West Unscheduled Care Collaborative is a not-for-profit Social Enterprise, now in its 30th year of providing high-quality services across a range of primary and urgent care contracts 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to 5 million patients in North West, North Central and North East London. We pride ourselves on delivering safe, effective, responsive, caring, and well-led patient centred clinical services as recognised by our Good CQC rating in all areas of our organisation.
Job responsibilities
Role Responsibilities:
Financial Leadership and Strategy:
- Senior leadership role across the organisation and to the Finance team, providing a clear sense of purpose to the team.
- Line management of the Finance team.
- Provide financial insights and recommendations to enhance competitiveness and sustainability.
- Support key business decisions as a senior manager.
- Work closely with the Finance Director to develop, implement and keep under constant review the financial strategy for the organisation.
- Deputise for the Finance Director as appropriate.
- Undertakes specific leadership functions in collaboration with managers, clinicians, and back-office teams to support the financial implementation of new services, as well as changes to existing contracts.
Financial Planning, Reporting and Budget Control:
- Support the financial planning and annual budget setting process.
- Review reports, analyse projections of income and expenditure.
- Perform monthly variance analysis of budgets and engage with budget holders to ensure effective budget management.
- Oversee the sales ledgers, ensuring timely invoicing of clients and management of credit control.
- Oversee the supplier purchase ledger, including database management ensuring invoices are appropriately authorised before payment.
- Ensure that tight financial control is applied to the management of working capital and that capital expenditure is appropriately assessed prior to any financial commitment being made.
Financial and Management Accounting:
- Review monthly financial statements and management accounts for the business and escalate potential issues as they arise.
- Conduct monthly balance sheet reconciliations and review the ledger for data accuracy.
Operational Oversight:
- Manage day-to-day functions of the Finance team.
- Implement and enhance financial reporting systems and procedures.
- Ensure compliance with accounting standards in financial statements and Annual Reports.
- Support identification of cost improvement plans.
Contract and Income Optimisation:
- Oversee costing and modelling activities, including triangulation of activity, to optimise revenue and minimise costs in order to achieve organisational goals.
- Effectively track contract performance in terms of income and costs.
- Maximise contract income.
- Participate in revenue and business-building initiatives.
- Identify risks and financial aspects of new services and business cases.
- Participate in contract meetings to ensure LCW interests are maintained and financial risks identified, managed and escalated.
Compliance and Governance:
- Ensure compliance with accounting standards, SFIs and regulatory licenses.
- Act as key support during internal and external audits.
Procurement:
Ensure the organisation achieves best value by leading on specific exercises relating to the procurement of goods and services.
Engage and support managers by providing guidance on technical procurement matters to ensure SFIs are adhered to in order to support good governance.
Support the organisation in identifying opportunities through procurement routes to deliver savings, maximise income and deliver continued improvement through the use of its resources.
Person Specification
Qualifications
Essential
- CCAB qualified
Personal Qualities
Essential
- Creative, flexible and able to thrive in a fast-paced environment with a high level of commitment.
Values
Essential
- Exhibits behaviours in line with Organisation Values:
- Patient First
- Drive Change
- Together
- Belonging
- Community Focused
Skills & Abilities
Essential
- Strong analytical and decision-making abilities.
- Effective leadership and team management skills.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
- Ability to deputise for the Finance Director when necessary.
- Familiarity with forecasting models and financial software.
- Ability to process information accurately, methodically and efficiently.
- Ability to organise own work to meet tight deadlines and objectives
- Ability to work confidentiality, with tact and discretion
- Must be proactive and take responsibility for getting things done
Desirable
- Implementing new systems and change control.
- Ability to lead ad hoc projects including cost reduction initiatives.
Knowledge & Experience
Essential
- Experienced Accountant with over 5 years of Post qualification experience.
- Excellent knowledge of financial and management accounting processes.
- Proven experience in financial leadership.
- Experience in risk management and compliance with financial regulations.
- Experience in contract management/procurement
Desirable
- Knowledge of NHS Funding particularly within Primary Care.
- SAGE knowledge.
- Experience of running monthly payroll
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
LCW UCC
Address
St. Charles Hospital
Exmoor Street
London
W10 6DZ
United Kingdom
