Associate Director for Financial Improvement | Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Posting date:	04 March 2026
Salary:	Not specified
Additional salary information:	£76,965 - £88,682 per annum
Hours:	Full time
Closing date:	03 April 2026
Location:	Crewe, CW1 4QJ
Company:	Mid Cheshire Hospitals
Job type:	Permanent
Job reference:	7837794/412-CORP-7837794

Summary

As a highly visible leader and member of the Trust’s Senior Leadership Team (SLT), the Associate Director of Financial Improvement will oversee the development, delivery and reporting of the organisation’s Cost Improvement Programme (CIP), providing the necessary assurance to the Chief Finance Officer (CFO) and the rest of the Executive Team through the Executive assurance governance structure.

The Associate Director of Financial Improvement will lead the DMO team to identify and develop a robust portfolio of financial efficiency and improvement schemes that deliver the Trust’s mandated Cost Improvement Programme (CIP) target each year. The role will support all Trust divisions and corporate services to transform service delivery and realise recurrent financial savings. In addition this role will oversee the Trusts RPA programme and delivery, and lead on the Trusts Costing strategy.

Responsibility for the monitoring and reporting of the Cost Improvement Programme and its component projects and schemes, working collaboratively with partners and engaging a wide range of internal and external stakeholders across from a range of public, voluntary and community sectors.

To support the Divisions and the Trust in identifying projects and programmes of work that will deliver CIP targets, providing an integral part of the organisation’s SLT to drive agreed priorities and support the operational change required across all partners to deliver the Cost Improvement Programme.

Lead on the Trust use and deployment of Patient Level Information & Costing System (PLICS) , national cost collection returns and use of national financial benchmarking.

Oversight of the Trust’s RPA – including the management of the contract, pipeline work and delivery of agree projects.

Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust provides comprehensive hospital and community services for East Cheshire (population 399K) and West Cheshire and Chester (population 357K). Our services include planned and unplanned/emergency care, cardiac and critical care, child health, maternity, and intermediate care across Leighton Hospital in Crewe, Victoria Infirmary in Northwich, and Elmhurst Intermediate Care Centre in Winsford.

Through our community arm, Central Cheshire Integrated Care Partnership, we deliver extensive services in 26 medical centres and schools in collaboration with Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS FT and the South Cheshire and Vale Royal GP Alliance. With 500 beds and around 5,500 staff, we are one of the area’s largest employers.



Since the formation of Integrated Care Systems in July 2022, the Trust has become a key partner in Cheshire East & Cheshire West and Chester and in two provider collaboratives, aligning our strategic goals with the Cheshire & Merseyside Integrated Care System.

As part of the national New Hospital Programme, we’re reimagining Leighton Hospital to create a new health and care neighbourhood, transforming healthcare delivery for a Healthier Future. Learn more on ourHealthier Futures website.

At Mid Cheshire, our mission is to inspire hope and provide unparalleled care for the people and communities of Cheshire, helping them to enjoy life to the fullest.



The Associate Director of Financial Improvement is responsible for leading, co-ordinating and managing the end-to-end delivery of the Trust’s CIP programme. This includes oversight of all Divisional CIP programmes, cross-divisional, and Trust-wide initiatives and their delivery performance. The role ensures full alignment to Trust, ICS, and national priorities, and is responsible for identifying, developing and delivering sufficient programmes and projects to meet annual CIP targets of approximately £30m across Divisions and Trust-wide schemes.


1. Tolead the identification and development of key programmes of work that build improvement capability and drive cultural change across the organisation. This will support sustained Trust-wide improvement through the embedding a culture of continuous financial improvement and understanding, forming part of the business-as-usual approach to ‘financial sustainability’. The role will work closely with the leads from teams such as Continuous Improvement and Transformation to establish a fully aligned, integrated performance improvement function across the Trust
2. Tolead the identification of priority workstreams, investigation areas, projects and programmes that deliver measurable financial improvements. This will involve detailed analysis of the Trust’s full range of data sets, from granular patient level information through to Trust-wide performance data, and the development of robust evidence bases to support the articulation and prioritisation of opportunities with senior Trust leaders.
3. Tolead and maintain robust, effective and transparent governance and reporting systems for the CIP programme. Providing clear assurance to the Trust Board and Executive Team on delivery, risks, mitigations and overall programme performance, and ensuring appropriate escalation and corrective action where delivery is off track.
4. To provide clear and timely escalation to the Chief Finance Officer (CFO) and other relevant Executive Team members and SROs on material risks or issues impacting CIP delivery, Exercise professional judgement to ensure appropriate action is taken to protect the Trusts financial position.
5. Tointerpret and utilise highly complex performance, operational and financial information to produce high quality reports and regular briefings for the Executive Team, providing clear assurance on progress, risks and delivery of the Trust’s CIP programme. To apply analytics and business intelligence to identify and quantify opportunities for improved financial efficiency, and productivity, supporting service teams to drive operational excellence and deliver sustainable financial improvement across their areas.
6. Provide specialist leadership and expert input into highly complex financial improvement schemes, projects and programmes, acting as a senior member of relevant Service Improvement project teams, and when required, holding overall responsibility for project delivery. This will include ensuring full compliance with Trust strategic and operational policies and objectives, and taking accountability for completion, quality assurance and formal sign off all relevant Quality Impact Assessments (QIA’s) and associated governance documentation.
7. Toact as a specialist Trust wide resource, supporting Clinical Divisions to develop effective CIP programmes and strengthen continuous improvement capability in financial improvement and productivity.
8. To all CIP related financial risks, including those within the Board Assurance Framework (BAF) and assigned to the CFO, are current and aligned to DMO intelligence and the CIP delivery performance.
9. To lead, on behalf of the CFO, the development and delivery of the annual, and Medium-Term CIP plans ensuring they are robust, credible and aligned to local system priorities and national requirements and the Trust ‘s strategic objectives and provide a clear and sustainable route to financial recovery.
10. Tolead the Trust’s RPA capability on behalf of the CFO, providing oversight of contractual arrangements, pipeline development and delivery of agreed automation projects. This will include ensuring RPA initiatives are strategically aligned, effectively governed and deliver tangible efficiency and financial benefits, while supporting service teams to embed automation as part of wider continuous improvement and transformation activity.
11. Touse strong interpersonal and influencing skills to communicate sensitive, complex, and potentially contentious information in a clear, diplomatic and credible manner to a wide range of internal and external stakeholders. Using specialist knowledge and professional judgement, to regularly present and explain the implications of nation al policy and guidance to diverse internal stakeholders, including both clinical and non-clinical colleagues. Supporting constructive challenge, shared understanding and the development of common strategic vision in an environment where perspectives and priorities may differ.
12. To provide senior analytical oversight of NHS England Productivity Opportunity Packs, assessing their applicability to the Trust and identifying high‑value opportunities for CIP development. To translate national productivity intelligence into tailored divisional opportunity packs that guide focus on cost reduction, productivity improvement and the delivery of cash‑out financial benefits.
13. Toundertake any other duties and tasks relevant to the role in line.




This advert closes on Wednesday 18 Mar 2026