Head of Finance & Contracts

The Head of Finance and Contracts will provide strategic and operational financial leadership across Aspiro Healthcares Derbyshire and Northamptonshire sites. The post-holder will be responsible for ensuring robust financial governance, accurate financial reporting, effective budgeting and forecasting and the long-term financial sustainability of the organisation.

This is a senior leadership role, working closely with the Partnership, Finance team and Senior Leadership team to support informed decision-making and efficient service delivery within a complex, multi-disciplinary healthcare environment.

Main duties of the job

• Strategic Financial Leadership
• NHS Income & Contract Management
• Leadership & Team Management
• Digital Transformation & Process Improvement

About us Aspiro Healthcare is a clinically led GP partnership, encompassing eight practices across Derbyshire and Northamptonshire, employing over 200 employees within a diverse multi-disciplinary team. Governed by a Board of GP Partners, the organisation operates at scale within a busy and complex Primary Care Environment. We are a long-established training practice, with a proud history of developing both clinical and non-clinical staff and a strong commitment to learning, quality and continuous improvement. In recent years, the group has undergone a significant period of transformation, including the merger of multiple GMS contracts, strengthening governance arrangements and enabling a more integrated and sustainable operating model. We are forward-thinking and ambitious, focused on delivering high-quality patient care while building long-term financial resilience in an evolving NHS setting.

Job responsibilities 1. Key Duties & Responsibilities

1.1 Strategic Financial Leadership

• Lead the development and delivery of the organisationsfinancial strategy.
• Support the Partners and Senior Leadership team with financial planning, business case and growth decisions.
• Provide clear financial insight to support service development and workforce planning.
• Support the GP Partners and Senior Leadership team in maintaining Financial and Operational stability.

1.2 Budgeting, Forecasting & Financial Control

• Lead the annual budget-setting process across all sites and services.
• Produce regular financial forecasts, identifying risks and opportunities.
• Ensure strong financial controls are in place and consistently applied.
• Monitor business performance against budgets, including:
• Income generation and collection
• Staffing and workforce costs
• Locum and agency spend
• Premises and estates costs

1.3 Management Accounts & Reporting

• Working alongside the practice accountants produce accurate and timely monthly management accounts.
• Provide meaningful financial reports to Partners, highlighting variances and trends.
• Ensure financial information is accessible and understandable to non-finance colleagues.

1.4 Payroll, Pay & Workforce Costs

• Oversee outsourced payroll providers to ensure accuracy, timelines and compliance with HMRC, pensions and statutory requirements.
• Ensure correct application of gross and net pay, deductions and pension contributions.
• Oversee business compliance with NHS pension scheme obligations including auto enrolment, monthly payroll contribution, periodic member contribution updates, salaried GP annual reporting obligations.
• Review and sign off payroll outputs, ensuring errors are identified and resolved promptly.
• Work closely with HR and Operations on:
• Pay structures and workforce cost management
• Locum and bank staff arrangements

1.5 NHS Income & Contract Management

Oversee financial management of all income streams, including:

• Core Contracts.
• Enhanced Services.
• Primary Care Network Income.
• External commercial contracts.
• Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme, Investment and Impact Fund, Quality and Outcomes Framework and other NHS funding.
• Take full responsibility for the financial and operational oversight of all organisational contracts, ensuring they deliver maximum financial efficiency and value.
• Lead on the management of the GMS contract, ensuring full utilisation, accurate claims and identification of opportunities to maximise financial gain.
• Work in partnership with the Head of Operations to ensure all contractual obligations are met and to optimise the financial return of commissioned services.
• Lead the organisations annual contractual negotiations with key stakeholders for both NHS and non NHS contracts, securing the most advantageous financial terms and ensuring alignment with organisational priorities.
• Provide advice to GP Partners and Senior Leadership team regarding contractual risks, financial opportunities and performance issues.
• Oversee ongoing regulatory and contractual compliance, ensuring all contracts meet NHS, statutory and assurance requirements.
• Monitor performance across all contracts, identifying financial risks, cost pressures and opportunities for renegotiation or service redesign.
• Maintain strong relationships with commissioners, suppliers and external partners, acting as the organisational lead for all contract related matters.
• Ensure income is accurately claimed, reconciled and reported.
• Monitor contract performance and financial risks.
• Ensure compliance with all relevant financial, regulatory and NHS requirements.
• Lead internal and external audits.
• Identify financial risks and develop mitigation plans.
• Maintain strong financial governance across the organisation.
• Lead, manage and develop the Finance team.
• Set clear standards for accuracy, timelines and professionalism.
• Ensure resilience within the finance function and support continuous improvement.
• Act as a key business partner to Operations, HR and clinical leadership teams.
• Support operational efficiency initiatives and service redesign.
• Provide constructive challenge and financial insight to support effective decision-making.

1.9Digital Transformation & Process Improvement

• Identify and implement financial software and technology solutions to streamline processes, improve accuracy and enhance reporting.
• Drive automation of routine tasks e.g., invoice processing, payroll checks to reduce manual workload and risk of error.
• Ensure the finance function leverages data analytics tools for better forecasting and decision-making.

2. Confidentiality

• The post-holder will have access to confidential financial, staff and patient-related information and must comply with all organisational policies relating to confidentiality, data protection and information governance. In the performance of the duties outlined in this job description, the post-holder may have access to confidential information relating to patients and their carers, practice staff and other healthcare workers.
• Information relating to patients, carers, colleagues, other healthcare workers or the business of the practice may only be divulged to authorised persons in accordance with Aspiro policies and procedures relating to confidentiality and the protection of personal and sensitive data.

3. Health & Safety

The post-holder will assist in promoting and maintaining their own and others health, safety and security as defined in the Aspiro Health & Safety policy, the Health & Safety manual and the Aspiro Infection Control policy and published procedures. This will include:

• Using personal security systems within the workplace according to Aspiro guidelines.
• Identifying the risks involved in work activities and undertaking such activities in a way that manages those risks.
• Making effective use of training to update knowledge and skills.
• Using appropriate infection control procedures, maintaining work areas in a tidy and safe way and free from hazards.
• Active reporting of health and safety hazards and infection hazards immediately when recognised.
• Keeping own work areas generally clean and overseeing Site Managers in the maintenance of general standards of cleanliness consistent with the scope of their role.
• Undertaking periodic infection control training - minimum annually.
• Reporting potential risks identified to the Aspiro Management.

4. Equality & Diversity

The post-holder will support the equality, diversity and rights of patients, carers and colleagues, to include:

• Acting in a way that recognises the importance of peoples rights, interpreting them in a way that is consistent with Aspiro procedures and policies and current legislation.
• Respecting the privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of patients, carers and colleagues.
• Behaving in a manner which is welcoming to and of the individual, is non-judgemental and respects their circumstances, feelings priorities and rights.

5. Job Description Reviews

This job description is intended to provide an outline of the key tasks and responsibilities only, the list is non-exhaustive. There may be other duties required of the post holder commensurate with their position. This description will be open to regular review and may be amended in the light of developing or changing services, or as part of an individual performance review process . click apply for full job details