Associate Director of Finance | University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust

This is an exciting opportunity to lead a high-performing finance team, delivering excellent support across the organisation while driving continuous improvement. As a key member of the Finance Senior Management Team, you will provide strategic and operational financial leadership across the Medical Care Group portfolio, overseeing financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, reporting and compliance, while offering expert advice to executive leaders, senior managers and clinicians.

Recognising that every pound spent in the NHS is a patient care decision, you will champion Finance Business Partnering as a strategic service, working closely with operational and clinical leaders to support informed decision-making and drive transformation.

The role includes leading the annual budget-setting process, monitoring financial performance, identifying risks and opportunities, and ensuring the delivery of high-quality financial services. You will also develop and motivate the finance team, build strong organisational relationships, and promote best practice across all areas of financial management.

UHD is entering a significant period of change, with a £500m transformation programme set to reshape hospital services across Dorset, alongside ambitions for a more sustainable and digitally enabled future. This is a unique opportunity to influence the future of finance within the Trust, leading your team through a period of substantial transformation, innovation and opportunity.

• Lead strategic and operational financial management for the Medical Care Group at University Hospitals Dorset.
• Manage and coordinate the annual budget-setting process.
• Monitor financial performance, forecasting, risks, and opportunities.
• Provide expert financial advice and training to senior leaders and clinicians.
• Lead and develop finance teams, ensuring integrated and effective service delivery.
• Ensure compliance with statutory and regulatory financial reporting requirements.
• Deliver clear, accurate financial information to support decision-making and organisational performance.
• Provide financial leadership to support the Trust's strategic objectives.

For further insight into this role, please view the recruitment brochure. If you are applying via Trac please click here –Recruitment Brochure

If you are viewing via NHS Jobs, you can find the brochure under the ‘Supporting Links’ section.

Our closing date for applications is 12 midnight on Thursday 6thAugust 2026.

Shortlisting will take place from Friday 7thAugust 2026.

We will be contacting applicants from Friday 7thAugust 2026.

The interview selection process will take place on Friday 14thAugust 2026. Please ensure you are available on this date.

UHD are investing, developing and transforming Trust services in line with the New Hospital Programme. As part of this, some services may move site this year or next, either temporarily or permanently. Recruiting Managers will be happy to answer any service-specific questions at interview.

If a role or service relocates as part of a planned move, excess mileage will not be reimbursed. Travel from home to the new work base will be classed as a normal commute. Any other changes will be managed under Trust or national terms and conditions.

UHD has active networks including Women’s, BAME, Pride, EU, Pro Ability, and Armed Forces. We support Disability Confident and Armed Forces Covenant interview schemes.

AI tools may be used, but applications must honestly reflect your own skills and experience. Integrity is key to our recruitment process.

The Medical Care Group you will support could be considered an organisation in its own right. As one of UHD's largest and most operationally complex portfolios, it encompasses major specialties including cardiology, stroke, neurology, gastroenterology, older people's medicine, acute medicine and emergency care. You will provide financial leadership across a significant budget, managing complex risks while identifying and realising opportunities to enhance performance and value.

Drawing on your expertise in GIRFT, Model Hospital, PLICS and a range of other benchmarking tools, you will work closely with clinical and operational leaders to translate data and insights into meaningful action. Through robust analysis and effective business partnering, you will support services to deliver sustainable efficiencies, productivity improvements and high-quality patient care.

Everything you do will make a difference. Your contribution will directly support patient outcomes, staff experience and organisational performance. At University Hospitals Dorset, our finance leaders are more than technical experts—they are trusted strategic partners who work alongside clinicians and operational teams to drive improvement and deliver the best possible outcomes for patients. By ensuring resources are used effectively, identifying opportunities for investment and supporting evidence-based decision-making, our finance teams play a vital role in delivering safe, high-quality and sustainable healthcare.

Please refer to the Job Description attached to this advert for full details of the responsibilities and requirements of this role.

This advert closes on Thursday 6 Aug 2026