Executive Director of Finance and Contracting

Welcome

Dear Candidate,

Thank you for your interest in joining NHS Cheshire and Merseyside as our next Executive Director of Finance & Contracting. This is a critical and career-defining role at a pivotal moment for our system and our communities. With a budget of over £7bn and a workforce of more than 80,000 colleagues across our NHS partners, we are one of the largest and most complex integrated care systems in the country.

The scale and complexity of our system brings both challenge and opportunity. NHS Cheshire and Merseyside is currently operating under enhanced oversight from NHS England, reflecting the significance of the financial challenge we face. However, this intervention also provides a clear mandate and fresh impetus for change. Coupled with the introduction of the Model ICB Blueprint and the NHS 10 Year Plan, we now have the clarity, stability and direction needed to move confidently into the future.

We are seeking a courageous, strategic and values-driven leader with a deep understanding of NHS finance, a commitment to collaboration, and the vision to transform how financial leadership drives population health and system sustainability. This is a rare opportunity to shape the future of one of England’s largest health systems and to make a lasting difference to the people of Cheshire and Merseyside.

The successful candidate will join a high-performing, committed leadership team with shared responsibility for delivering our system’s four core purposes: improving health outcomes, tackling inequalities, enhancing productivity and value for money, and supporting wider social and economic development.

If you are passionate about system-wide impact, and can balance governance and assurance with bold thinking and innovation, we would be delighted to hear from you.

Cathy Elliott
Chief Executive
NHS Cheshire and Merseyside

The role

Job title: Executive Director of Finance and Contracting

Salary: Very Senior Manager

Base: No 1 Lakeside, Warrington, 920 Centre Park, Warrington, WA1 1QY (with travel around Cheshire and Merseyside)

Reporting to: Chief Executive 

Contract: Full Time, Permanent

Apply now

As Executive Director of Finance and Contracting, you will be the strategic financial leader for one of the largest NHS systems in the country. You will hold responsibility for a budget exceeding £7bn and will be expected to deliver rapid cost reduction, improve system performance, and align financial planning with health equity and sustainability goals.

You will also lead planning and performance functions and hold strategic accountability for estates.

The Executive Director of Finance and Contracting will provide strategic leadership and oversight of finance, performance, planning and estates. They will drive the financial strategy of the ICB and wider system, ensuring compliance with statutory duties, accountability for value and supporting transformation at pace. The role requires sophisticated stakeholder engagement in the NHS and across health and care, clear strategic alignment and the capacity to lead a high-performing, values-driven finance function.

Key responsibilities

The Executive Director of Finance & Contracting will lead the design and implementation of the ICB’s financial strategy, ensuring it supports health equity, long-term sustainability and the broader objectives of the system. They will also lead on resource allocation, financial recovery, investment prioritisation, audit and assurance.

In addition, the postholder will oversee the system’s planning and performance functions and estates strategy. They will support the digital and analytics agenda by embedding financial intelligence tools and leading on value-based investment.

The Executive Director will work in partnership with provider collaboratives, Place-based partnerships, local authorities, primary care and the VCFSE sector to develop integrated financial frameworks that support shared outcomes and population-based commissioning.

Person specification

We are seeking a resilient and visionary NHS finance leader. Candidates will be CCAB-qualified and able to demonstrate extensive board-level experience in regulated, complex environments. They will have led successful financial recovery and transformation programmes, and bring strong political awareness, system-level influence and a commitment to inclusive leadership.

Candidates should also possess advanced analytical and communication skills, with a proven ability to foster collaboration across organisational boundaries.

What we’re looking for

We are seeking an exceptional finance leader with:

  • Extensive board-level experience in complex public sector and/or regulatory environments
  • A successful track record of NHS financial recovery or equivalent at a senior level
  • Experience of medium term financial planning for sustainability at a senior level
  • Strategic system or partnership leadership with a track record in effective stakeholder management
  • Experience and the ability to operate credibly at national, regional and system levels with senior leaders and elected officials
  • Commitment to health equity, innovation and sustainable transformation

You’ll be a qualified accountant with outstanding interpersonal and analytical skills. You’ll also demonstrate:

  • Resilience and calm in high-pressure settings
  • Deep understanding of NHS funding, policy and performance frameworks
  • Passion for inclusive leadership and workforce development
Full job description and person specification

Refer to the Expanded Job Description and Person Specification for full responsibilities, criteria and key relationships. The post requires full CCAB qualification and significant experience of leading financial strategy and transformation at system scale.

Governance and organisational context

The Executive Director of Finance and Contracting is accountable to the Chief Executive and professionally accountable to the NHS England North West Regional Finance Director. They lead a portfolio that currently includes the Director of Planning and Performance, Deputy Directors of Finance and Heads of Estates and Contracting.

The role is key to the functioning of the unitary board and has strategic influence across all areas of ICB governance including Audit, Investment and Performance Committees.

A current organisational structure chart is available on request or via the ICB website.

In line with national changes, NHS Cheshire and Merseyside is going through a comprehensive redesign of its operating model, however the statutory role of the Executive Director of Finance will continue to be a core role and is required for the current and future plans of NHS Cheshire and Merseyside.

Equality, diversity and inclusion

We are committed to advancing equality, diversity and inclusion. Our ICB EDI Strategy (2022–26) outlines how we uphold the Equality Act, eliminate discrimination, and foster inclusive health and care systems across our region. We particularly welcome applications from underrepresented groups in NHS leadership.

Recruitment timetable

Stage Date
Application closing date Monday 29 September 2025
Final panel interviews Monday 20 October 2025 - Warrington, Cheshire

How to apply

Please apply formally via the TRAC System by 9am on Monday 29 September 2025: [TBD]

Please contact Will Griffiths at Seymour John to discuss your interest: