Senior Finance Business Partner

Job overview

Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust is seeking an ambitious, strategic and values‑driven Senior Finance Business Partner
. This senior leadership role is suited to a highly motivated finance professional who can influence decision‑making, improve financial performance and deliver value for money.

Working closely with Directors, senior operational leaders and clinicians, you will provide expert financial leadership, analysis and business partnering support to Corporate Services and Trust‑wide programmes.

Reporting to the Associate Director of Financial Management, you will be responsible for leading financial planning, budgeting, forecasting and reporting for your portfolio, ensuring robust financial information, insightful analysis and effective financial governance to support the delivery of the Trust's strategic priorities. You will also lead on productivity and value‑for‑money initiatives, using benchmarking and performance data to identify improvement opportunities and support financial sustainability.

As a trusted adviser and critical friend, you will provide constructive challenge, support service transformation and productivity improvements, and lead the financial appraisal of business cases and investment proposals. You will also act as deputy to the Associate Director of Financial Management as required and provide leadership and development support to junior finance colleagues.

• Provide a comprehensive, proactive and high‑quality financial management and business partnering service to Corporate Services and Trust‑wide initiatives.
• Lead annual planning, budget setting, forecasting and month‑end reporting for your portfolio.
• Produce clear, accurate financial and performance reporting, highlighting risks, opportunities and actions.
• Act as a trusted adviser to Directors and senior managers, providing expert financial advice and constructive challenge to support informed decision‑making.
• Lead financial appraisal and modelling for business cases, ensuring they are affordable, financially robust and demonstrate value for money.
• Support the identification, development, delivery and monitoring of Cost Improvement Programmes, ensuring benefits are measurable and sustainable.
• Drive productivity and value‑for‑money initiatives through benchmarking, analysis of financial, activity and workforce data, and service improvement programmes.
• Support Trust‑wide planning, transformation and financial recovery programmes by providing expert financial analysis, modelling and business partnering support.
• Provide leadership and development support to finance staff.
• Deputise for the Associate Director of Financial Management as required.

Essential criteria

• Consultative Committee Accountancy Bodies (CCAB) or Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) – fully qualified.
• Evidence of continued professional development.

Desirable criteria

• A further qualification in management or a Master's degree.

Essential criteria

• Experience of annual planning, budget setting cycles, cost improvement plans and the NHS financial framework.
• Experience of deputising for a senior finance lead, including leading meetings and delivering outputs to strict deadlines.
• Experience of presenting highly complex financial and non‑financial information to non‑financial colleagues including Senior Managers and Executives.
• Experience of analysing highly complex financial and activity information and evaluating the impact on business performance.
• Experience of completing financial appraisals for business cases and providing effective business partnering support to services.
• Extensive specialist knowledge of accounting standards and principles and the ability to interpret, apply and explain them in non‑routine situations to senior managers and clinicians.
• Experience of leading, motivating, managing and developing a team.
• Ability to lead discussions at senior team meetings and make effective contributions to the strategic decision‑making process.

We are seeking to enrich the diversity of our Trust to better reflect the demographic needs of the populations we serve and to enhance the skills of our workforce. We actively encourage applicants with under‑represented personal characteristics to apply for this role; all applicants will be considered fairly against the job description.

Regrettably, due to UK Home Office requirements we cannot offer sponsorship for all our job roles.

Applicants must have the right to work in the UK for the duration of the role.

Women in our Trust are under‑represented in some senior grades. We encourage women to apply for posts at 8A and above.