About the job

Job summary

Are you looking for an opportunity to develop your career within a corporate setting at the heart of the Scottish Government (SG)? Are you adaptable and responsive to change?

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Financial Management and Reporting team as a Finance Manager and play a key role in delivering the SG’s flagship activities, directly supporting key financial reporting as well as the new corporate shared services system.

The SG’s Finance function supports policy directorates together with a wide range of public bodies and their stakeholders to ensure the delivery of value for money outcomes. 

The team sits within the Financial Management Directorate, which provides robust advice to Ministers and senior officers across the public sector to support effective decision making with regards the allocation and management of resources.

We deliver a range of financial management, compliance, and strategic roles to ensure that the SG’s reputation for competent government, prudent fiscal management and value for money is maintained and enhanced, helping the organisation to manage and govern over £50 billion of public spending, and deliver a wide range of compliance and reporting requirements.

You will be leading the continuous improvement of the team as it evolves to maximise the benefits of the new shared services system, which is planned to go live later in 2024. 

The nature of the work is such that a key requirement of the role is a flexible and adaptable approach to managing tasks and programmes of work, with an ability to adapt quickly to change, in partnership with colleagues across the Team, Division, Directorate and wider Scottish Government community.

You will be responsible for the budget monitoring of certain areas within the Scottish Government and produce monthly finance reports which enable senior officials to make informed decisions based on timely and high-quality financial information.  Communication and effective stakeholder relationships are an essential aspect of the role, as Finance Teams are the link between business areas and the wider Corporate Reporting Division.

You will lead a Finance Team, supported by B2 Assistant Finance Managers, and will report to a C1 Senior Finance Manager.

You’ll be joining an innovative, forward-looking division with a vision to apply global best practice, and a commitment to support all staff grow their professional knowledge, skills, and experience.

Job description

• Ensuring the timely and accurate completion of budget monitoring and reporting exercises and provide management with robust information and explanations to assist them in making informed decisions.

• Provision of high quality monthly financial reports to senior officials, influencing and challenging budget-holders, assisting them to make informed decisions.

• Supporting the provision of regular, high quality financial information and analysis, developing and using knowledge and expertise of local business and policy issues to challenge business returns and provide expert advice to resolve the root cause of issues.

• Leading the Finance Team through change, overseeing its work to ensure successful delivery of monthly and ad-hoc financial exercises, while also providing support and guidance and driving forward efficiencies from the new system. 

• Providing financial advice and assistance to stakeholders and build and maintain effective working relationships with business areas.

• Ensuring the completion and quality assurance of areas’ input for the annual accounts in accordance with the corporate timetable. Ensuring that working papers provide a full audit trail and are retained and easily accessible during the audit process.

• Engaging with colleagues across the Financial Management Directorate, business areas, and bodies to work effectively together to deliver corporate financial exercises.

Person specification

Qualifications

The successful candidate must be fully CCAB qualified (or equivalent) with up-to-date CPD.

Essential Criteria

1. Experience of working within a financial reporting team environment with strong financial management experience and the ability to generate, identify and interrogate financial data to support decision making and ensure appropriate accountability and use of funds.

2. Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, with a proven ability to explain financial information clearly and concisely, influencing key stakeholders at different levels within an organisation and maintaining strong working relationships.

3. Enhanced analytical skills using a variety of tools including Excel to develop informed options, make evidence-based recommendations and support informed decisions.

4. Robust people management and interpersonal skills. Must be credible with staff, creating conditions to build confident and effective teams that empower, value, develop and motivate people.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £45,449, Scottish Government contributes £12,271 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

Sift and Interview dates TBC. Please apply using the link provided.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.