KMPN Head of Finance - Kent & Medway ICS

NHS; Maidstone, Ashford; Hybrid; GBP 91,000 - 106,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare organization in Maidstone is seeking a Head of Finance to lead financial strategies and governance across the Kent and Medway Pathology Network. The role includes managing financial challenges, engaging with stakeholders, and ensuring compliance with NHS standards. Ideal candidates will have CCAB/CIMA qualifications and significant strategic experience in complex financial environments. The position offers a salary range of £91,342 to £105,337 and encourages flexible working arrangements.

Benefits

At least 27 days of annual leave

Membership in the NHS Pension Scheme

Blue Light card eligibility

Qualifications

• Experience at strategic level in the NHS or equivalent complex environment.
• Proven ability to lead teams and manage complex contractual negotiations.
• Understanding of NHS financial regime and governance.

Responsibilities

• Accountable for financial governance across the network.
• Lead financial strategies in line with KMPN objectives.
• Represent the network in finance meetings.

Skills

Strategic financial oversight

Contract negotiation

Risk management

Stakeholder engagement

Change management

Budget setting

Project management

IT skills

Education

CCAB/CIMA qualification

Job description

KMPN Head of Finance - Kent & Medway IC

Please note this role is currently only being advertised to staff members who are currently working within the Kent and Medway IC.

The KMPN Head of Finance is a key member of the network Senior Leadership Team and will work with colleagues, senior leaders and Board members across KMPN, its partner organisations and beyond to provide financial, procurement and contracting leadership for the network; develop and lead financial strategies in support of the overall strategy and direction of KMPN and its partner organisations; and ensure financial risk and financial governance are managed effectively across the network.

Main duties of the job

Accountability

Accountable for the financial/ contracting / commercial functions within the network and ensuring financial governance

Strategy and Leadership

Provide financial, procurement and contracting leadership for the network.

Develop and lead financial strategies in support of the overall strategy and direction of KMPN and its partner organisations.

Represent the network at Chief Finance Officers meetings and Trust finance meetings as required

Work across Kent and Medway IC to ensure alignment of revenue and capital planning supports the KMPN needs and priorities

Work closely with the KMPN Senior Management Team to determine any capital requirements and ensure that these are included in IC plans.

Lead on the financial aspects of the development of the next phase of the joint venture when it is expected that all pathology budgets will transfer into the joint venture.

Be a member of the KMPN Senior Leadership Team, Joint Committee and Finance and Investment Committee

Demonstration and Promotion of the values and leadership qualities of the network

About us

Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust ranks among the top 10 NHS Trusts nationwide and was named the second-best Trust to work for in the South East in the 2023 and 2024 NHS Staff Survey.

We are a large acute hospital trust in south‑east England, providing general hospital services and specialist care to around 600,000 residents in West Kent and East Sussex. With a dedicated and diverse team of over 8,000 staff we are proud to offer specialised cancer services to over two million people through the Kent Oncology Centre.

Fordcombe Hospital, near Tunbridge Wells, became part of the Trust in October 2024. Specialising in planned care, it offers two operating theatres, 28 inpatient and day‑care beds, diagnostic services (X‑ray, MRI, CT, and endoscopy), and consultation/treatment rooms.

Looking for flexible working? We are a flexible working‑friendly organisation. Whether it's adjusting your hours or exploring other flexible arrangements, we want to work with you to find the best solution for you, our patients, and the Trust. Talk to us about how we can accommodate your working needs.

Click here to hear what our staff say.

Joining us includes a comprehensive benefits package:

• At least 27 days of annual leave plus public/bank holidays (pro‑rata for part‑time staff).
• Membership in the NHS Pension Scheme, with a 20.6% employer contribution and life assurance benefits
• Blue Light card eligibility
• and more, additional benefits can be found in the benefits documents below

Job responsibilities

We’ve provided all the details you need about this role in the job description and person specification. Please take a moment to review the criteria in the person specification and share specific examples in your application that demonstrate how you meet these requirements. Please also check your application for errors/omissions prior to submission.

All successful applicants will be required to complete our corporate trust induction once a start date had been agreed.

Working for Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust/NKPS you will be part of the Kent and Medway Pathology Network (South 8 Network - Kent and Medway Pathology Network is made up of seven laboratories across three pathology services in four acute Trusts.

Person Specification

Qualifications

• CCAB/CIMA qualified with relevant post qualification experience.
• Evidence of on‑going personal development

Experience/Knowledge

• Significant experience at strategic level in an NHS or equivalent, complex operating environment.
• Proven experience of working across boundaries; handling contract negotiations; risk management, conflict resolution and understanding of business strategy.
• Understanding of the Acute sector financial regime.
• Experience of working at a senior management level in a finance department including budget setting and financial oversight of multi‑million pound budgets.
• Understanding and proven experience of change management and business improvement processes.
• Commercially astute, able to manage the day to day business challenges while not losing sight of long‑term strategic goals.
• Experience of successfully leading staff to high performance, transforming ineffective behaviours into responsive and proactive processes.
• Experience of successfully gaining senior stakeholder engagement and/or using account management techniques to develop, communicate and execute business plans, business cases and contracts and to turn strategy into service.
• Proven experience of holding others to account through both managerial and contractual routes.
• Awareness of the challenges facing the NHS and issues affecting the local healthcare economy.
• Experienced in developing and delivering formal, complex business cases to non‑finance managers and directors. Experience of producing financial appraisals and contributing to business cases.
• Previous experience of developing pricing and costing models that help to deliver the partnerships' commercial and financial strategies.
• Knowledge of where to access appropriate legislation and its application within a large organisation
• Knowledge of technical contracting requirements, together with experience of understanding and interpreting relevant guidance in a complex organisation.
• Knowledge & understanding of the contract negotiations framework and impact on the business planning cycle.
• Understanding of NHS payment mechanisms and their impact
• Knowledge of corporate governance and approaches to contracting, commercial development and operational plans.
• Experience gained in the commercial sector, e.g., business development.
• Led budget setting in an NHS environment.
• Knowledge of Reference Costs and the NHS payment system.
• Previous experience of working at Board level.
• Experience of Lean methodologies and delivery.
• Experience in a Senior Strategic Development or Planning role in a complex environment sector.
• Proven experience of managing complex contractual negotiations and process demonstrating the impact on desired business objectives.
• Project management
• Knowledge of corporate governance and risk management approaches to contracting, commercial development and operational plans.

Skills

• Demonstrate examples of handling and interpreting highly complex, sensitive and contentious information, including presenting information about strategy to a wide range of internal and external stakeholders.
• Ability to work on own initiative and organise workload, allocating work as necessary, working to tight and often changing deadlines.
• Written & verbal communication skills, including the ability to provide and receive highly complex and contentious information which can be understood by different audiences
• Influence and negotiate in potentially hostile / antagonistic situations where expert opinion may differ.
• Ability to employ effective communication, negotiation and influencing skills to enable an effective change management with stakeholders at all levels (including senior management) who may hold differing and contentious views.
• Professional attitude with personal credibility, able to work at very senior levels both internally and externally
• Able to resolve conflict in a calm and professional manner.
• Ability to draw together a range of disparate and complex information in order to identify options and make decisions.
• Ability to develop and mine a network of contacts, import and assess suitability of new approaches to design new creative business models and introduce innovation into contractual arrangements and business models.
• IT skills including incorporating the input of financial data, creation and manipulation of spreadsheets.
• Ability to develop and mine a network of contacts, import and assess suitability of new approaches to design new creative business models and introduce innovation into contractual arrangements and business models.

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.

£91,342 to £105,337 a year per annum pro‑rata

Contract

Permanent

Working pattern

Part‑time, Flexible working, Home or remote working