Chief Finance Officer

NHS; London Borough of Harrow; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust seeks a Chief Finance Officer to shape its financial future, ensuring sustainability while enhancing clinical care. This pivotal role requires a strategic finance leader to drive investment, oversee commercial strategies, and foster an inclusive workplace culture.

Qualifications

• Significant post-qualification experience at Board or sub-board level in a large, complex organisation.
• Deep understanding of NHS finance frameworks and capital investment processes.
• Experience of delivering large-scale estate transformation or major commercial initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Accountable for the stewardship of the Trust's financial resources.
• Lead major investment programmes and oversee commercial strategy.
• Drive value, efficiency, and innovation in financial planning.

Skills

Interpersonal and influencing skills

Analytical and critical thinking skills

Leadership through influence

Education

Fully qualified accountant (CIPFA, ACA, ACCA, CIMA)

MBA or relevant postgraduate qualification

Tools

Excel

Financial modelling tools

Job description

Go back Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust

Chief Finance Officer

The closing date is 27 June 2025

As we advance our ambitious strategy, we seek a Chief Finance Officer (CFO) to shape the financial future of RNOH. This pivotal role requires an experienced finance leader with strategic vision, commercial acumen, and a commitment to ensuring long-term financial sustainability while supporting world-class clinical care.

As CFO, you will lead financial stewardship, commercial strategy—including the growth of private patient services—and executive oversight of our estate redevelopment portfolio, ensuring our facilities are fit for the future. Your leadership will drive major investment programmes, leverage commercial opportunities, and enhance efficiency and innovation across the Trust. Beyond financial leadership, you will foster a culture of continuous improvement, championing equality, diversity, and inclusion to create a workplace where all staff feel valued and empowered.

We are seeking a candidate with an outstanding track record of success at or close to Board level in the NHS or wider public sectors. You will have the energy, focus, and ambition to lead our financial strategy and be part of a high-performing Executive team. You will possess first-class financial leadership and influencing skills with the ability to forge effective working relationships across a wide set of internal and external stakeholders. This provides a fantastic opportunity to build a career in a high-performing organisation with an ambitious strategic plan.

Main duties of the job

The Chief Finance Officer (CFO) is an executive director of the Trust Board and a key member of the Trust's Executive team. They are accountable for the stewardship of the Trust's financial resources, ensuring long-term financial sustainability while enabling the delivery of high-quality clinical care and strategic objectives. This role extends beyond traditional finance leadership to include executive responsibility for the Trust's commercial strategy—particularly the development and expansion of private patient services—and executive oversight of the estates portfolio, with a focus on delivering an ambitious estates redevelopment programme.

The CFO will play a pivotal role in shaping the Trust's future by leading major investment programmes, leveraging commercial opportunities to generate income that supports NHS care, and ensuring the estate is fit for 21st-century healthcare. The post holder will be instrumental in driving value, efficiency, and innovation, while upholding the Trust's strategic direction and values.

Interview date is 11th July 2025.

About us

The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust (RNOH) is the UK's leading specialist orthopaedic hospital, renowned for providing world-leading healthcare to adults and children with complex neuromusculoskeletal (MSK) conditions.

As we advance our ambitious strategy, we seek a Chief Finance Officer (CFO) to shape the financial future of RNOH. This pivotal role requires an experienced finance leader with strategic vision, commercial acumen, and a commitment to ensuring long-term financial sustainability while supporting world-class clinical care.

We also provide RNOH Private Care, delivering exceptional orthopaedic surgery and personalised treatment tailored to the unique needs of our patients. All profits from RNOH Private Care go straight back into strengthening our NHS services.

Job responsibilities

The Chief Finance Officer (CFO) is an executive director of the Trust Board and a key member of the Trust's Executive team. They are accountable for the stewardship of the Trust's financial resources, ensuring long-term financial sustainability while enabling the delivery of high-quality clinical care and strategic objectives. This role extends beyond traditional finance leadership to include executive responsibility for the Trust's commercial strategy—particularly the development and expansion of private patient services—and executive oversight of the estates portfolio, with a focus on delivering an ambitious estates redevelopment programme.

The CFO will play a pivotal role in shaping the Trust's future by leading major investment programmes, leveraging commercial opportunities to generate income that supports NHS care, and ensuring the estate is fit for 21st-century healthcare. The post holder will be instrumental in driving value, efficiency, and innovation, while upholding the Trust's strategic direction and values.

Please see attached job description and person specification for this role.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• Fully qualified accountant (e.g., CIPFA, ACA, ACCA, CIMA) with significant post-qualification experience at Board or sub-board level in a large, complex organisation, preferably in the NHS or public sector.
• Deep understanding of NHS finance frameworks, business planning, contracting, and capital investment processes.
• Experience of system-level influencing (e.g., ICB, NHSE, regional capital forums).
• MBA or relevant postgraduate qualification. Experience in both NHS and commercial/private sectors.

Experience

• Exceptional interpersonal and influencing skills, with a proven ability to communicate complex financial and strategic information clearly to a wide range of audiences including Board members, clinical teams, regulators, and external partners. Able to lead through influence and collaboration.
• Advanced analytical and critical thinking skills. Ability to assess financial and non-financial risks, lead investment appraisals, and make sound judgments in ambiguous situations.
• Highly proficient in Excel and financial modelling tools. Familiar with digital systems for financial and estates management.
• Experience of applying financial and commercial analysis to strategic decision-making.
• Experience of delivering large-scale estate transformation or major commercial initiatives.
• Involvement in policy development at system or national level.
• Experience in developing business cases for R&D investment or health-tech innovation.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975, and 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.

Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust

Depending on experience, based on experience and linked to the VSM Framework pay range