Assistant Financial Controller

NHS; Southampton; On-site; GBP 64,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

A regional healthcare provider in Southampton is seeking an experienced Assistant Financial Controller to manage financial reporting and lead a team of professionals. The successful candidate will be CCAB or CIMA qualified with significant experience in preparing statutory accounts, ensuring high-quality financial governance, and supporting transformative initiatives. This role plays a vital part in the financial operations of the organization, contributing to excellent healthcare services while promoting an inclusive workplace culture.

Qualifications

• Significant post qualification experience in a senior finance role specializing in statutory annual accounts.
• Experience managing teams and promoting an inclusive culture.
• Familiarity with NHS finance systems and reporting.

Responsibilities

• Manage the preparation of annual accounts and statutory returns.
• Responsible for accurate financial reporting for Trust Board committees.
• Implement financial strategy aligned with Trust objectives.

Skills

Financial management

Team leadership

Interpersonal skills

Problem-solving

Education

CCAB or CIMA qualification

Tools

NHS finance systems

Job description

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Assistant Financial Controller

The closing date is 28 December 2025

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust are looking for an Assistant Financial Controller to join our team.

The successful candidate is expected to be a CCAB or CIMA qualified accountant with significant experience who will manage the preparation of the annual accounts for the Trust and support the associated audit to achieve a clean audit opinion. You will work alongside the Financial Controller and Senior Finance leadership team in delivering robust financial systems, accounting, financial planning and reporting across the Trust.

This role is essential to the creation and ongoing success of the Centre of Excellence by creating the operational framework for supporting the standardisation financial processes, working collaboratively with colleagues in developing procedures with the use of AI technologies and ensuring high quality support to clinical and corporate services.

The post holder will lead a large sized team approx. 35 wte and play a key role in enhancing financial governance, supporting statutory reporting, and driving continuous improvement within all aspects of work. You will provide leadership for the good governance of and technical advice, relating all aspects of capital and lease planning and accounting within the Trust, with ICB and national colleagues. Working closely with the senior officers within Estates and Technology to support the delivery of strategic and transformational objectives.

Main duties of the job

Proactively manage and support the principal financial accountants in achieving their role responsibilities.

The postholder will be CCAB/CIMA qualified with evidence of continuing professional development that demonstrates the management for the delivery of annual accounts prepared on an IFRS basis. They must have the ability to collaborate with finance and non finance colleagues alike, lead with compassion whilst adding value to the achievements of the team.

Annual Accounts and Report - Manage the production of annual accounts, statutory returns alongside the financial controller.

Reporting - Responsible for timely and accurate internal and external financial reporting for the Trust Board committees, internal governance reporting requirements, ICB and NHSE.

Financial Strategy - Implement the financial strategy aligned with Trust objectives.

Financial Controls - Develop and enhance financial controls, reporting compliance and providing assurances for internal and external stakeholders.

About us

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust provides joined-up mental and physical healthcare for around two million people across our communities. With over 13,000 staff working in the community and local hospitals, we deliver care at every stage of life, helping people live their best and healthiest lives.

Our mental health services include community-based support and early intervention in psychosis (EIP) for both adults and young people, alongside a network of specialist inpatient wards covering forensic, learning disability, eating disorder and older person's care.

We deliver extensive physical health services too, from urgent community response teams helping frail and older patients remain safely at home, to hospitals at home teams providing acute-level care in familiar surroundings. Our neurological services offer rehabilitation and treatment for conditions including Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's Disease, Motor Neurone Disease, Head Injury, Cerebral Palsy and Stroke. Across Hampshire, our community hospitals provide inpatient rehabilitation as a step down from acute care, and our dedicated teams also staff Treetops Sexual Assault Referral Centre in Portsmouth, offering expert, compassionate support.

Everything we do is underpinned by our CARE values of compassion, accountability, respect and excellence.

The finance department recently won HFMA's Finance Team of the Year award for 2025.

Job responsibilities

Further information about the Trust and this role can be found on the Job Description and Person Specification document attached. It is important to us that we ensure our recruitment processes are accessible and inclusive to everyone - if as a potential candidate you are concerned a person specification may prevent or restrict your application for employment as a result of unintentional barriers on the grounds of your sex, race, age, sexual orientation, religion/belief or disability please initially contact the Trust's Recruitment team - detailed in the advert. The Trust will seek to resolve this issue wherever possible.

We are happy to talk Flexible Working - all requests for flexible working options can be discussed as part of the interview process.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Evidence of continuing professional development

Experience

• Significant post qualification experience in a senior finance role specialising in the preparation and audit of statutory annual accounts on an IFRS basis.
• Familiarity with NHS finance systems and reporting
• Experience managing teams and promoting inclusive culture
• Post qualification experience working at a senior level, with a professional reputation built on track record of career development through delivery.
• Experience of developing plans, forecasts and supporting delivery of financial targets.
• Experience in transformation programmes or cross sector finance
• Experience of working within a health or clinical organisation or system.

Additional Criteria

• Passionate about providing high quality, person‑centred services, constantly in touch with the organisations position, is committed to respecting, valuing, and developing people and services and promotes this ethos as part of the Trust culture

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.

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

£64,455 to £74,896 a yearBased on full time hours