Lead Planning, Costing and Productivity Accountant

Sumer Group; Broxmore Park; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A healthcare organization in the United Kingdom seeks a Lead Planning, Costing and Productivity Accountant to enhance cost intelligence and productivity across its hospitals. The role involves significant financial reporting responsibilities, engaging with stakeholders, and leading national cost submissions. Candidates should be CCAB/CIMA qualified with extensive experience in finance, including team management and IT skills, particularly in Power BI. The position supports hybrid work arrangements, fostering collaboration and personal growth across the finance teams.

Benefits

Flexible working

Professional development opportunities

Collaborative team environment

Qualifications

• CCAB/ CIMA qualified with significant post-qualification experience.
• Strong commitment to ongoing professional development.
• Proficient in advanced IT skills including Power BI and spreadsheets.

Responsibilities

• Process, analyse and summarise income and costs for Group use.
• Lead annual national cost collection and report insights.
• Engage with stakeholders on costing data for performance management.

Skills

Management accounting

Cost accounting

Financial planning

Team management

Advanced spreadsheet techniques

Graphical analysis

Public sector finance

Education

CCAB/ CIMA Qualified

Significant post-qualification experience in senior finance

Tools

Power BI

Computerised accounting systems

Job description

Lead Planning, Costing and Productivity Accountant

Our newly integrated Planning, Costing and Productivity teams across Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust (SFT), Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (GWH) and the Royal United Hospitals Bath (RUH) are evolving how we understand and use cost intelligence. Together, we’re looking to build a more powerful, group-wide approach to costing—one that strengthens decision‑making, improves productivity and ultimately enhances patient care. We are looking for passionate, forward‑looking individuals to shape our new group way of working. You can be based at any of our sites—Bath, Swindon or Salisbury—and we support flexible working. As our Lead Planning, Costing and Productivity Accountant, you will be at the heart of this mission. You’ll help to drive the evolution of patient‑level costing and service line reporting across the Group, lead the submission of the annual national cost collection, and support pioneering innovative tools that showcase cost, productivity and benchmarking insights in meaningful, actionable ways. The Group supports hybrid working, with two to three days per week on site.

Main Duties

The role has significant financial reporting responsibility. The purpose of the job is to process, analyse and summarise the total income and costs for the Group for use in national mandatory returns and for internal management and strategic decision making. The role covers costing, service line reporting and benchmarking. It is key for exploring opportunities for costing and productivity improvements and engaging with internal and external stakeholders on the findings. The postholder will be able to influence and aid senior managers, senior finance colleagues and clinicians in the use of costing data for performance management, business analysis, benchmarking and decision making.

About Us

This role will contribute to the improved use of data and tools in the finance team including the development and interpretation of Power BI visualisations and reports. The postholder will contribute to the development of new designed reporting showing key cost and productivity information and analysis. The role will contribute to developing new opportunities across the hospitals’ group and will strive for a joint working approach in processes and use of data. Join a forward‑thinking group of three hospital Trusts—Bath, Swindon and Salisbury—now working together to deliver care to the communities we serve. Across all sites, our finance teams are known for their warmth, collaboration and commitment to nurturing personal and professional growth. With every team already accredited at Level 1 with Future Focused Finance—and a shared ambition to reach Level 2 by 2026—this is a place where development genuinely matters. This role is perfect for someone who thrives on improvement, collaboration and impact. You will work proactively across all clinical and operational areas, partnering closely with group finance and informatics colleagues to shape how our services evolve. Join us and help build a smarter, more connected, more insightful future for patient care across the BSW Hospitals Group.

Essential Qualifications

• CCAB/ CIMA Qualified
• Significant post‑qualification experience in a senior finance post
• Evidence of strong commitment to active continuing professional development
• In‑depth experience of management accounting, cost accounting, financial planning and financial accounting techniques and principles as applicable to a large complex organisation
• Experience of computerised accounting systems
• Experience of managing a team of staff, including objective setting and training
• Excellent IT skills including advanced spreadsheet techniques, graphical analysis, PowerPoint and Word
• Experience of NHS or public sector finance

Desirable Qualifications

• NHS acute hospital finance
• HFMA Membership
• NHS costing experience, including the national cost collection
• Awareness of the current NHS agenda and challenges
• Use of dashboard reporting tools

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. Certificate of Sponsorship applications from job seekers who require current Skilled Worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab). From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab). UK Registration applicants must have current UK professional registration.