Business Finance Officer

Overview

We are currently seeking applications for a Business Finance Officer based in Glasgow, Livingston, Dundee or Aberdeen.

This is an exciting opportunity to join Education Scotland’s Strategic Business Unit as Business Finance Officer to support and advise the Digital Services department on their financial management. The Business Finance Officer role supports the overall delivery of Digital Services to ensure strong management of the finances and accurate monthly reporting and forecasting. You will offer professional advice, guidance and challenge to inform decision making. Additionally, you will add value through continuous improvement and seeking innovative solutions.

Education Scotland is Scotland's national improvement agency for education. Our role is to provide assurance and promote improvement, from the early years to adult learning. We are committed to embedding our values of excellence, creativity, integrity and respect in everything we do.

The main purpose of this post is to provide a comprehensive strategic business support function to senior management and the Programme Delivery Manager, offering professional advice, guidance and challenge on all aspects of financial management. The post holder should have the ability to create and maintain working relationships with multiple key stakeholders and be able to influence and be comfortable with challenging senior management.

You will report into a Business Partner within the Strategic Business Unit.

This post has a salary range of £33,520 up to £38,329 with the expectation that all new entrants to the Scottish Government would come in on the entry level salary. There are annual increments (eligibility after probation period and thereafter meeting performance criteria) that will allow for salary to incrementally increase up to the maximum amount for that band.

Benefits:

- Flexible working and currently within a hybrid model, providing excellent work-life balance

- Competitive salary ranges

- Minimum 5 weeks annual leave (pro rata) which increases with service in addition to 11.5 public and privilege holidays

- Learning and development opportunities as well as career progression

- Civil Service pension

- Workplace adjustments as required to enable individuals to work safely and comfortably within their role

- Range of health and wellbeing support available to all staff

Responsibilities

• Analyse Directorate monthly spend and payroll spend against budget.

• Reforecast Directorate forecasts on a monthly basis in discussion with the Strategic Director and other senior colleagues.

• Challenge spend and variances and recommend actions to the Strategic Director to address these.

• Produce monthly, yearend and ad hoc financial reports.

• Work in partnership with Directorate colleagues at all levels to provide expert advice about financial matters, ensuring appropriate policy is followed and controls are in place.

• Support the Strategic Business Unit and Programme Delivery Manager in relation to the production of budget proposals and during Directorate planning processes to identify and quantify potential areas of spend.

• Engage with specialist finance colleagues regularly and contribute to improving processes and the management of financial controls within Divisions.

• Ensure that Purchase Orders are raised, tracked and monitored.

Key Competencies

- Self-Awareness

- Communications and Engagement

- Improving Performance

- Analysis and Use of Evidence

- Financial Management

Essential Criteria & Qualifications

Qualifications

Part-qualified accountant and/or relevant demonstrable experience in a similar role within a finance environment.

Essential Criteria

1. Part-qualified accountant and/or relevant demonstrable experience in a similar role within a finance environment, where you have provided professional advice, guidance and challenge on all aspects of financial management, with the ability to demonstrate an understanding of Capital Expenditure.

2. Evidence of excellent analytical and reconciliation skills coupled with an excellent working knowledge of financial systems and Excel.

3. Excellent organisation skills, ability to prioritise workloads and work on own initiative, identify key issues and deliver a range of tasks within strict timelines.

4. Well-developed communication skills, both oral and written, including experience of dealing effectively with a broad range of stakeholders.

Interview and Assessment.

Dates to be confirmed.

Location:

The Job can be based in any of Education Scotland offices.

Minimum time in post.

You will be expected to remain in post for a minimum of three years unless successful at gaining promotion to a higher Band or Grade. 

In the event that further posts are required, a reserve list of successful candidates will be kept for up to 12 months.

You must discuss your intention to apply with your current line manager to help ensure release dates can be agreed.

The closing date for applications is 13 June 2023 at 23.55 PM

HOW TO APPLY AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.

Please complete the application and submit evidence based examples to demonstrate your knowledge/skills (300 words). Remember, your answers should be clear, concise and reflect what actions you undertook. You may want to use the STAR(R) approach to respond to each criterion.

For information on this post please contact the hiring managers by email at contact viv.harvey@educationscotland.gov.scot

The Scottish Government is a diverse and inclusive workplace and we want to help you demonstrate your full potential whatever type of assessment is used. If you require any adjustments to our recruitment process, please let us know via ScottishGovernmentrecruitment@gov.scot

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Personal information you provide in the recruitment process will be made available to Scottish Government and our additional data processor