Compare roles in health

You can work your way up into financial management through supervisory roles. There are opportunities to enter as a graduate, through the finance specialism of the NHS Graduate Management Training Scheme, or with financial management experience from other sectors. Depending on your background and level of entry into financial management, you can work towards professional accountancy qualifications, such as CIPFA, ACCA or CIMA.

Your career in financial management within the NHS would typically start at Agenda for Change band 5 – for example as a team manager. Finance section managers would typically be on band 6, department managers on band 7 and principal finance managers on band 8a. Senior director level posts would be paid on the Very Senior Managers pay system. Staff in the NHS will usually work a standard 37.5 hours per week and in financial management, these would be during typical office hours, Monday to Friday. Terms and conditions of service can vary for employers outside the NHS.

To work in financial management, you’ll typically need good business skills, a high level of numeracy, communication skills, leadership skills, organisational skills, a willingness to work with others and respect their views, a good level computer literacy, negotiating skills, the ability to challenge the way things are and find better alternatives, honesty and fairness in dealing with other people and a commitment to the ideals of quality and fairness in delivering healthcare.

With further training and/or experience, you may be able to develop your career further into more senior roles in financial management up to director level.