Occupations and Terms of Reference › Finance manager
Universal terms of reference · POS-156 · version 1.0 · status: draft · next review 2027-10-27
Finance manager
To run the day-to-day finance function, so that money is recorded accurately, paid on time, and controlled in line with the budget and the law.
Each part of this page links to the related trainings, competencies and policies. The links are the same for every facility, so an organisation can see at a glance what a role requires and what it is trained in.
Job description
Job summary. You run finance operations. You manage accounts, payments, payroll, budgets and monthly closing, and make sure controls work and reports are accurate and on time.
Reports to: Chief financial officer.
Leads or supervises: Accountants, accounts payable and receivable clerks, payroll and budget analyst.
What you do on a typical day
- Review payments and cash position each day.
- Oversee month-end closing and reconciliations.
- Check payroll before each run.
- Support budget holders with variances.
- Prepare the monthly finance pack for the CFO.
Working conditions and demands
- Deadlines at month end and audit time.
- Handles confidential pay and patient payment data.
- Must keep controls working under pressure.
What good looks like
- Month-end closes on time.
- Payments are accurate and made on terms.
- Reconciliations are complete.
Place in the organogram
Reporting line, from the top: see the organogram on the Occupations page. The lines above and below this role are listed in section 3.
1. Golden rules
These rules apply in every setting.
- Public money and patient payments are handled with integrity and recorded fully.
- Staff are treated fairly, consistently and with respect.
- Confidential information about people and finances is protected at all times.
- Controls exist to prevent error and fraud, and are followed by everyone.
- Concerns about money or conduct are raised and investigated without reprisal.
- Decisions are recorded so that anyone can see why they were made.
- Every role has a clear procedure, and deviations are reported and corrected.
- Support teams are judged by how well they help clinical services deliver safe care.
2. Identification
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Position code | POS-156 |
| ISCO-08 | 1211 (skill level 4) |
| ESCO | to map |
| Department | Finance |
| Facility types | Hospital, Ambulatory, Transport, Medevac, Fitness, Aesthetic |
3. Reporting line and working relationships
Reports to: POS-007. Supervises: POS-157, POS-158, POS-159, POS-160, POS-161.
| Works with | Nature of the relationship |
|---|---|
| Chief financial officer | Sets financial policy; finance manager runs the function. |
| Procurement manager | Purchase orders and payments. |
| Internal auditor | Control testing. |
4. Key accountabilities
| Domain | Accountability | Evidence of delivery | Checked | Linked competencies | Linked trainings | Linked policies | Standards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month-end | Leads month-end closing and the monthly finance pack. | Pack issued by working day 10 | Monthly | C-01 | T-06 | – | 1 |
| Payments and controls | Makes sure payments are accurate, approved and within controls. | Payment exceptions reviewed weekly | Weekly | C-02 | T-06 | POL-WHISTLE | 1 |
| Payroll | Makes sure payroll is accurate and compliant. | Payroll checked before every run | Monthly | C-03 | T-06 | POL-DATA | 1 |
| Team | Leads and develops the finance team fairly. | Team appraisals completed on time | Annually | C-04 | T-08 | POL-EQUAL | 2 |
5. Decision rights
| The post holder decides | Consults or escalates |
|---|---|
| Payment approvals within delegated limits | Suspected fraud or irregularity (CFO and internal auditor) |
| Month-end adjustments within policy | Cash shortfalls affecting payments (CFO) |
6. Qualifications and experience
| ID | Qualification | Mandatory | Validity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q-01 | Professional accounting qualification (ACCA, CPA, CIMA or national equivalent) or working towards it | No | Lifetime |
| Q-02 | Degree in accounting, finance or economics | Yes | Lifetime |
| ID | Experience | Minimum years | Mandatory |
|---|---|---|---|
| E-01 | Finance or accounting experience, including month-end and reporting | 5 | Yes |
7. Training requirements
Recommended common practice. Each facility adapts the list to its national law. Essential items apply in every setting; recommended items apply where resources allow.
| ID | Training | Tier | When | Validity | Linked policies | Linked competencies |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T-01 | Facility induction | essential | at_entry | Once | POL-WHISTLE · POL-EQUAL · POL-DATA | – |
| T-02 | Safeguarding adults | essential | periodic | Every 3 year(s) | POL-SAFEG | – |
| T-03 | Safeguarding children | essential | periodic | Every 3 year(s) | POL-SAFEG | – |
| T-04 | Data protection and confidentiality | essential | annual | Every 1 year(s) | POL-DATA | – |
| T-05 | Incident reporting and open disclosure | essential | periodic | Every 2 year(s) | POL-INC | – |
| T-06 | Governance, accountability and assurance | recommended | periodic | Every 3 year(s) | – | C-01 · C-02 · C-03 |
| T-07 | Emergency and major incident command | essential | annual | Every 1 year(s) | POL-INC | – |
| T-08 | Speaking up, inclusion and equality leadership | essential | periodic | Every 2 year(s) | POL-WHISTLE · POL-EQUAL | C-04 |
8. Health, fitness and language
| ID | Requirement | Frequency | Tier | Minimum in low-resource settings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| H-03 | Fitness-to-work assessment at entry and after serious illness or injury | Every 12 months | recommended | Fitness check at entry |
| Language | Level | Mandatory |
|---|---|---|
| Official language of the country of practice | professional | Yes |
| English | working | Yes |
9. Competencies by level
| ID | Competency | Foundation | Practitioner | Expert | Assessed by | Revalidate | Linked trainings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C-01 | Accounts and month-end closing | Records transactions accurately | Closes a monthly ledger | Designs close processes for the organisation | Close review | Every 12 months | T-06 |
| C-02 | Financial controls and reconciliations | Performs reconciliations | Designs control checks | Sets control standards | Control audit | Every 12 months | T-06 |
| C-03 | Payroll compliance | Checks pay data | Runs payroll checks | Designs payroll controls | Payroll audit | Every 12 months | T-06 |
| C-04 | Leading finance staff | Works in a team | Leads a finance team | Develops finance staff | 360 feedback | Every 24 months | T-08 |
10. Performance evaluation
- Probation: 6 months, with a sign-off review (recommended value).
- Appraisal: every 12 months against the competencies and indicators below.
| ID | Indicator | Target | Data source | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PI-01 | Month-end closed on time | 100% | close calendar | Monthly |
| PI-02 | Reconciliations complete | 100% | reconciliation log | Monthly |
| PI-03 | Supplier payments on terms | set by facility | payables data | Monthly |
| PI-04 | Payroll errors | 0 | payroll checks | Monthly |
11. Career ladder and promotion
| Level | Role | Minimum experience to move on | Qualifications | Competency minimums | Trainings required | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Executive | Finance manager | 5 years (recommended) | Q-02 | C-01 expert, C-02 practitioner | T-06 | Executive appointment and performance review |
12. Policies the post holder follows
Each policy is a standard template that the facility adopts and adapts. Templates are maintained centrally, so every facility works from the same version.
POL-SAFEG · Safeguarding adults and children
Purpose: Protect patients from abuse, neglect and harm, and make sure every concern is recognised and acted on.
Scope: All staff, volunteers and contractors.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff, volunteers and contractors.
Key rules:
- Recognise signs of abuse and neglect and record them factually.
- Report every concern to the designated safeguarding lead the same shift.
- Do not investigate alone.
- Share information only as the safeguarding procedure allows.
POL-DATA · Data protection and confidentiality
Purpose: Keep patient and staff information private, secure and used only for care and legal purposes.
Scope: All staff who access records or systems.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff who access records or systems.
Key rules:
- Access only the records needed for your work.
- Keep records secure; do not leave screens or paper unattended.
- Do not share information without a lawful basis.
- Report any breach to the data protection officer within 24 hours.
Linked trainings: T-10 · Review every 12 months · Template 0.1 (draft)
POL-WHISTLE · Speaking up (whistleblowing)
Purpose: Let staff raise patient safety or conduct concerns without fear of reprisal.
Scope: All staff.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff.
Key rules:
- Raise a concern with your line manager or the named speaking-up officer.
- If that route fails, escalate to the board or the national regulator.
- Retaliation against anyone who speaks up is a disciplinary offence.
- Concerns are recorded, investigated and the outcome given to the person raising them.
Linked trainings: T-01 · Review every 12 months · Template 0.1 (draft)
POL-EQUAL · Equality, diversity and inclusion
Purpose: Give every patient and colleague fair access, respectful treatment and reasonable adjustments.
Scope: All staff and patients.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff and patients.
Key rules:
- Treat every person with dignity regardless of background.
- Make reasonable adjustments, including interpreters, for language and disability.
- Report discrimination through the speaking-up route.
- Monitor access and outcomes by group.
Linked trainings: T-01 · Review every 24 months · Template 0.1 (draft)
POL-INC · Incident reporting and open disclosure
Purpose: Report and learn from incidents and near misses, and tell patients honestly when things go wrong.
Scope: All staff.
Key rules:
Scope: All staff.
Key rules:
- Report every incident and near miss the same shift.
- Give the patient and family an honest account and an apology where appropriate (open disclosure).
- Take immediate action to protect others.
- Learn: contribute to the review and follow the agreed actions.
13. Standards that name this role
14. Record history
| Date | Change | Approved by |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-27 | Draft record, batch 1 of the position build | Awaiting approval |