About the job

Job summary

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Financial Accounts team and play a key role in delivering the Scottish Government’s flagship activities and directly support key financial reporting as well as the new corporate shared services system.

The team sits within the Financial Management Directorate, which is key in providing 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 Scottish Government’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.

We are expanding our current capacity and capabilities to ensure that we are set up for future success, and to maximise the benefits of the new Enterprise Resource Planning system that is planned to go live later in 2024.  As part of this, we have identified the requirement for a Financial Accountant to support the production of the consolidated annual accounts and provision of accounting and financial management advice to stakeholders.

The post-holder will be adaptable and responsive to change and contribute to the continuous improvement of the team. 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.

The post-holder will report to a C1 Senior Finance Manager, and there are also B2 Assistant Financial Accountants to support the team.

This is an excellent opportunity to develop your career within a corporate setting at the heart of the Scottish Government. 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

Responsibilities

• Ensuring that the financial reporting systems, including the Non-Current Asset Register, support the timely and correct completion of financial management reporting, ensuring all reconciliations and other key controls are up to date.

• Provision of accounting and financial management advice to stakeholders through delivery of financial reporting and analysis and supplying high quality regular financial updates to key stakeholders.

• Ensuring integrity of transactions on financial systems, analysing the monthly balance sheet reconciliations ensuring good controls and checks are in place, and challenging transactions where necessary.

• Supporting the preparation and delivery of the Annual Accounts, ensuring compliance with relevant accounting and financial regulations, and co-ordinating external audit activities.

• Lead, support, and line manage finance colleagues to ensure delivery of team priorities, while also providing support and guidance to direct reports. Be proactive with your team’s performance management to develop and fulfil their potential, identifying and meeting training needs.

• Develop and manage relationships across the Scottish Government, understanding the drivers of risk across the organisation and identifying opportunities to influence the strategic direction of directorates and the decisions they are making.

• Identifying potential improvements to finance processes with a particular focus on using core financial and reporting systems to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the Annual Accounts and audit processes.

 

Competencies

Financial Management
Communications & Engagement
Analysis & Use of Evidence
People Management

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 environment 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 evidenced-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.