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Job summary

Main area
Finance
Grade
Executives / VSM: Executives / VSM
Contract
Permanent
Hours
Full time - 37.5 hours per week
Job ref
310-MCORP-7331280
Employer
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust
Employer type
NHS
Site
Elizabeth House
Town
Cambridge
Salary
£100,000 - £200,000 per annum pro rata
Salary period
Yearly
Closing
24/07/2025 23:59
Interview date
14/08/2025

Employer heading

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust logo

Chief Finance Officer

Executives / VSM: Executives / VSM

Job overview

Cambridgeshire & Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT), rated “Good” by the CQC, provides a wide range of mental health, community & learning disability services across hospital and community settings, and has been accredited as a Teaching Partner of the University of Cambridge. 

With a turnover of £275 million and a workforce of 4,900 staff serving nearly 1 million people, CPFT is a major regional employer and a key partner in the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Integrated Care System (ICS). 

We are committed to delivering compassionate, high-quality care, improving community wellbeing, and driving innovation through leading-edge research in mental and physical health—all underpinned by our PRIDE values. 

We are seeking a Chief Financial Officer (CFO) to join our Executive Team  where they will become a voting member of the CPFT Board. This is an influential role leading the Trust’s financial strategy, governance, and risk oversight. As a key partner in the ICS, you will work closely with Board colleagues to shape CPFT’s future. 

We’re looking for a strategic, inclusive leader with a strong track record in performance and governance, who brings compassion, collaboration and a drive for change. While prior board experience isn’t essential, you should be confident operating at a strategic level and building effective partnerships.

To register your interest in this post and to receive an application pack please email [email protected] 

CFO Additional Information

Main duties of the job

The role of CFO is responsible for developing and implementing the Trust’s financial strategy, overseeing all aspects of financial management including budgeting, planning, reporting and risk oversight. 

The CFO ensures robust financial governance through the establishment of sound policies and procedures, enabling effective decision-making and accountability. Working closely with Board colleagues and external partners—particularly within the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Integrated Care System (ICS)—the CFO plays a vital role in supporting integrated care and long-term sustainability.

Additionally, the postholder is expected to foster a culture of accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement across the finance function and the wider organisation.

Working for our organisation

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust is a health and social care organisation dedicated to providing high-quality care with compassion to improve the health and wellbeing of the people we care for, as well as supporting and empowering them to lead a fulfilling life.

Our clinical teams deliver many NHS services, not only via inpatient and primary care settings, but also within the community. These services include children's, adult and older people's mental health, forensic and specialist mental health, learning disabilities, primary care and liaison psychiatry, substance misuse, social care, research and development.

To achieve our goal, we look to recruit high-calibre candidates who share our vision and values. As an equal opportunities employer, we encourage applications from all sectors of the community, particularly from under-represented groups including people with long term conditions and members of our ethnic minority and LGBTQ+ communities.

Please be advised we reserve the right to close adverts earlier than the closing date should we receive sufficient applications.

Regrettably, we cannot offer sponsorship for all our job roles. If you apply for a role that we cannot offer sponsorship for, unfortunately, your application form will be rejected from the process. 

For further information on CPFT, please visit our website at www.cpft.nhs.uk

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

For a  full list of responsibilities please refer to the attached job description and person specification

  • A professional accountancy qualification (e.g. CIPFA, CIMA, ACCA, ACA) and significant senior-level experience in financial leadership, ideally within a complex public sector or healthcare environment.
  • Demonstrated expertise in financial strategy, governance, and risk management.
  • Proven experience with a strong track record of driving financial performance.
  • Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain robust financial governance frameworks.
  • Experience working collaboratively at a strategic level, ideally within complex or multi-partner environments such as the NHS or public sector.
  • Prior board-level experience is desirable but not essential.
  • Strategic thinker with the ability to lead and develop financial strategy and risk management.
  • Inspirational and action-oriented leadership style.
  • Compassionate and inclusive, with the ability to motivate and empower teams.
  • Strong partnership and stakeholder engagement skills, with a commitment to collaborative working across organisational boundaries.
  • Clear communicator with the ability to influence and lead within a dynamic and evolving healthcare system.

Person specification

Education and Qualifications

Essential criteria
  • Degree or equivalent experience
  • A professional accountancy qualification (e.g. CIPFA, CIMA, ACCA, ACA)
  • Evidence of CPD
Desirable criteria
  • Master’s level Postgraduate qualification in management or other relevant area

Experience

Essential criteria
  • Evidence of significant experience of leading and influencing multi professional groups to deliver cross system change and or improvement
  • Proven track record of successful and sustained financial management in a large, complex, multi-site organisation operating in a regulated environment
  • Successful track record of working at or near board level/or equivalent.
  • Experience of delivering performance goals and targets within large complex organisation

Knowledge and Skills

Essential criteria
  • Up to date knowledge of NHS finance policy and practice
  • All aspects of financial management, strategic planning and performance management systems underpinning the activities of a complex multi-site organisation operating in a competitive environment
  • Ability to prepare plans for financial aspects of service provision to develop long term financial strategy
  • Understanding of the national and political context within which the NHS operates alongside the current and future challenges.
  • An excellent understanding of the financial and regulatory environment of the wider health sector, both public and private
Desirable criteria
  • Demonstrates understanding of NHS regulatory regime, including role of CQC and NHS England/Improvement
  • Demonstrates understanding of the NHS financial operating environment.

Other

Essential criteria
  • Exceptional leadership and communication skills.
  • Strong commercial and business acumen with ability to negotiate and lead major investment programmes.
  • Results focused with ability to performance manage and hold others to account.
  • Able to set financial strategy and implement policy that achieves safe, quality outcomes for service users

Employer certification / accreditation badges

NHS Pastoral Care Quality AwardNHS Employers Diversity and Inclusion PartnersVeteran AwareApprenticeships logoNo smoking policyAge positiveDisability confident leaderInvestors in PeopleDefence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) - BronzeImproving working livesCare quality commission - GoodMindful employer.  Being positive about mental health.We offer Wagestream - A financial wellbeing benefit which lets you access your pay as you earn it.NHS Rainbow badgePrince's Trust - Proud to support the Prince's trust - Youth can do itStep into healthMenopause Workplace PledgeArmed Forces Covenant

Applicant requirements

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
Steve Grange
Job title
Chief Executive Officer
Email address
[email protected]
Additional information

Our CEO, Steve Grange, is available for a discussion regarding the role. Please e-mail your request to [email protected], Senior Executive Assistant, who will then make the appropriate arrangements.

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