Applications have closed
Are you ready to shape the future of health and care services in Scotland?
We are seeking an exceptional leader to take on the high-profile role of Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for Health and Social Care. This is a critical position at the heart of government, where your strategic insight and financial expertise will directly influence the vision, planning, and delivery of health and care services in Scotland.
Job description
Responsibilities
Reporting directly to the Director General and Chief Executive of NHS Scotland, you will:
- Lead on the development and delivery of revenue and capital budgets, as well as finance plans, whilst providing advice to the Accountable Officer and Scottish Ministers in relation to both.
- Establish and oversee a sound effective framework of financial governance, control, risk management and mitigation.
- Manage and actively promote collaborative and single system working to ensure best value and optimal use of resources.
- Provide necessary advice, support and challenge to Health and Social Care Directorates (HSCD), NHS Boards and Integration Authorities.
- Work with HSCD, NHS and Integration Authorities, to develop sustainable and balanced financial plans.
- Develop constructive relationships with Chief Executives, Directors of Finance, Chief Officers, and Chief Financial Officers, which promotes transparency, and supportive challenge and with the Director General and Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care.
- Develop strong and trusting relationships within DG HSC and across Scottish Government, particularly with the SG Chief Finance Officer and Scottish Exchequer.
- Be a member of the Health and Social Care Management Board, and also an active member and participant in both the Exchequer, and Infrastructure Investment Boards.
- Have budgetary responsibilities in relation to the Health and Sport Portfolio which has an annual revenue budget of over £21 billion and annual capital budget of c£1b.
- Have oversight and financial management of allocation of funding and spend by HSCD Directorates and 22 NHS Boards, including both revenue and capital budgets
- Lead the Health and Social Care Finance Directorate which has c78 FTE and an annual budget of c£6m.
Key Priority Areas
As Chief Financial Officer, you will be responsible for financial planning, delivery and reform for the HSCD. This will include:
- Having oversight and management of the revenue and capital budgets and funding, whilst also playing a leading role in establishing, planning and delivering the actions required to manage our financial (capital and revenue) outturn, supporting and advising the Portfolio Accountable Officer and Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care (HSC) Directorate and NHS Scotland. This will be achieved via, working closely with HSC Directors, particularly the Chief Operating Officer and the NHS Boards.
- Providing leadership to NHS Directors of Finance and building a supportive and constructive relationship with NHS Board Chief Executives. This will include providing direction and advice to NHS Boards in relation to financial planning monitoring their performance, taking appropriate action where performance is not in line with agreed plans and providing regular reports and advice to the Director General & Chief Executive of NHS Scotland in relation to NHS Board financial performance.
- Having an oversight and responsibility for the capital programme for health and social care, ensuring that there is effective whole system planning, continuous risk assessment, and development of local and national investment plans aligned to the mitigation of key risks and priorities.
- Putting in place arrangements to support the Scottish Government year end accounts process and approval of the NHS sub consolidation certificate.
You will have a personal responsibility with regard to finance, efficiency and best value derived from the budget responsibility delegated from the DG Health and Social Care for the Directorate of Health Finance. You will ensure:
- The highest standards of financial management are met and deliver value for money from Scottish Government fund.
- Compliance with governance and control requirements as outlined in detail within the Scottish Public Finance Manual – Scottish Public Finance Manual
- You will utilise a wide range of financial information to underpin sound decision making and the full implications of Managing Public Money are considered within your area of budget responsibility.
As part of the leadership cohort in Health and Social Care Directorates, you will work to deliver improvements in support of the wider strategic priorities of the DG family via:
- Effective reporting and tracking of budget and expenditure against Portfolio priorities and of NHS Board performance against their financial plans.
- Applying a balanced approach to dealing with financial risk and championing opportunities for innovation, reform and improvement.
- Working across Directorates to define priorities for spend and intervening pro actively to redirect resourcing, including identifying opportunities to deliver activity at a DG level.
- Undertaking detailed reviews of business plans, support DG and ministerial priorities, including reviews of Portfolio Operating Costs (POC) budgets.
- Working with the Chief Operating Officer to ensure alignment of NHS Board delivery and financial planning and reporting.
You will play a full role as part of the senior leadership cohort of health and Social Care Directorates, and across Scottish Government. The size of resourcing afforded to the DG family will make you a key figure in engaging and addressing the broader challenges and opportunities presented across government, including supporting the Permanent Secretary.
You will undertake specific actions to drive, build and nurture advancements in equality by actively role modelling inclusive behaviours across your Directorate and more widely across Scottish Government, championing an inclusive culture. The actions will include:
- Building relationships through race allyship and mutual mentoring – understanding barriers in the workplace from individuals that are impacted by them and supporting individuals career development.
- Policy approach – enabling and providing support for your Directorate and wider Portfolio to publish high quality equality statement for the budget. You will champion an inclusive approach to the budget process by ensuring that budget decisions take into account the need to address health inequalities and the barriers faced by people with protected characteristics. You will ensure the Equality Budget Statement for health and Social Care is integrated and considered as part of the wider budget process.
You will be responsible for developing and maintaining a medium-term financial framework, and medium to long term capital investment strategy, by providing advice to the DG and Chief Executive of NHS Scotland and Ministers and securing NHS Board engagement and support from wider SG officials. In particular:
- Develop an effective working relationship with Audit Scotland and support their programme of work including the NHS Scotland overview report and responding on behalf of the HSC Directorate to Audit Scotland recommendations as they apply to Health and Social Care Finance.
- Ensure the priorities identified in the 15-box grid, (including future iterations) are embedded in all NHS Boards with clear action plans and regular report of progress.
- Ensure that the Finance Delivery Unit provides support to NHS Boards to achieve financial balance and provides advice to National Planning and Performance Oversight Group (NPOG) on areas of concern.
Person specification
Success Profile
It is essential that you can provide evidence in your application of the professional experience, qualifications and skills required for this role. In addition, candidates applying for roles with the government, agencies and public bodies in Scotland are assessed in line with the Success Profiles framework that is used across the Civil Service. This means that as well as evidencing the qualifications and experience you will also be expected to evidence the behaviours at the level required for this Senior Civil Service role.
Qualifications:
You must be a qualified accountant and a member of either the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) or of one of the five accountancy institute members of the Consultative Committee of Accountancy Bodies:
- Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA)
- Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW)
- Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS)
- Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ireland (ICAI)
- Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA)
Experience:
- Financially astute with extensive knowledge of UK accounting standards, an understanding of the requirements and expectations for effective Board level financial reporting, monitoring, and governance frameworks, and experience of managing budgets of at least £500 million whilst leading multiple functions in a complex organisational setting.
Behaviours: Level 6
- Leadership
- Developing self and others
- Managing a quality service
- Delivering at pace
- Communicating and influencing
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £111,916, Scottish Government contributes £32,422 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
- Learning and development tailored to your role
- An environment with flexible working options
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
- A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
C1FO