Scottish Funding Council

Financial Planning and Analysis

• Provide high-quality financial analysis and insight to assess the risks to the financial health (viability and long-term financial sustainability) of colleges and universities, to support decision-making, robust financial planning and investment appraisals.
• Build and maintain strong, collaborative relationships with colleges and universities and other stakeholders through a finance business partnering approach.
• Provide advice on financial governance and risk management, and on compliance with the SFC Financial Memorandum (FM), Scottish Public Finance Manual (SPFM) and other relevant governance and financial frameworks.
• Prepare and present clear, concise internal and external financial advice, to institutions and to the Scottish Government, on specific matters within the remit of the role.
• Review and provide feedback on the financial strategies of colleges and universities to ensure that they are credible, deliver value for money and contribute to national outcomes.
• Review and consider colleges’ and universities’ requests for approvals under the SFC Financial Memorandum (FM), Scottish Public Finance Manual (SPFM)
• Represent SFC in discussions with external bodies, including Audit Scotland, UK funding bodies, and government departments.
• Ensure continuous professional development including maintaining up-to-date knowledge of technical accounting standards, public sector finance developments, and governance codes.
• Contribute to continuous improvement across the SFC, including taking the lead on developmental areas such as engaging with Universities’ Transparent Approach to Costing (TRAC) data.

Finance Business Partner – Grade E3

Program Manager

• Lead the DDaT workstream of the TET Bill Programme, owning the delivery plan, milestones, dependencies and budget for all technology, data and digital service elements of the transition.
• Establish and maintain programme governance for the DDaT workstream.
• Manage cross workstream dependencies between DDaT and the broader TET Bill Programme.
• Coordinate the DDaT input to Transitional Services Agreement negotiations with SDS.
• Oversee DDaT readiness planning for Day 1 operations.
• Manage risks, issues and dependencies across the DDaT workstream.
• Lead and develop the DDaT PMO team, including the Lead Business Analyst and Senior Business Analysts.
• Coordinate with SFC’s Cloud Technology, Data Engineering, Analytics and Digital Delivery teams on TET Bill related work packages.
• Work with external advisory and consultancy partners.
• Produce clear, accurate programme reporting for senior leadership, the SFC Board and Parliamentary accountability requirements.
• Contribute to benefits identification and tracking for the DDaT workstream.

Temporary DDaT Programme Manager – Grade M1

Director

• Lead the management of the Director's business and supporting the PA to ensure effective flow of information.
• Support the Directorate Senior Team with strategic planning and oversee reporting against corporate compliance requirements.
• Work collaboratively and proactively with SFC’s Senior Business Manager and Business Management Network to align processes, share ideas and good practice.
• Oversee and ensure the flow of information and smooth running of operations within the directorate.
• Manage directorate process for handling corporately focused correspondence, working with the wider directorate business support team.
• Developing clear and robust processes for the handling of day-to-day work across the directorate.
• Lead on the planning of the directorate’s delivery of high quality, timely papers for Board, committee and group meetings.
• Managing workflows within the directorate to feed into corporate deadlines and maximising opportunities for cross-directorate working.
• Leading on horizon scanning/forward planning to identify deadlines for consultations and other external business.
• Leading the establishment of proportionate directorate administration systems and processes that will produce management information.
• Developing and implementing an appropriate approach to records management ensuring full compliance with SFC’s corporate policies.
• Working with Finance to monitor directorate budgets and input to annual budget preparation responses to key financial activities.
• Deliver a high-quality, comprehensive secretariat service for committees and groups as required.
• Provide leadership and line management support to colleagues as required.

Temporary Business Manager – Directorate

• Lead the management of all SFC budgets and expenditure with individual institutions and funded bodies, programme activities and SFC’s running costs in order to ensure financial commitments are able to be met from within the funds allocated to the SFC by the Scottish Government in each financial year. This includes the need to strategically forecast and model options for the future, to understand the implications of different outcomes for the activities and institutions funded by SFC.
• Take lead responsibility for SFC’s financial systems, procurement and controls, to ensure SFC effectively manages and distributes the funds allocated to it in accordance with professional accounting principles and practices and in full compliance with public sector accounting and procurement practices and the public finance manual. This involves making and supporting decisions to ensure the complex financial controls and policies surrounding SFC are adhered to.
• Lead the liaison with the Scottish Government on Spending Review priorities and pressures, to influence spending allocation decisions and to ensure policy priorities and commitments are considered explicitly within decisions about the budget settlement and funding allocations for skills, tertiary education and research.
• Lead the assessment of the financial health of the tertiary education sector and individual institutions, representing SFC in negotiations and discussions drawing on professional and technical knowledge, to maintain the financial viability and sustainability of the sector and institutions.
• Support the good decision-making and governance exercised by the CEO, Board and Committees of SFC, through provision of sound financial analysis and advice to support senior executives and Board members understand the financial context for strategy formation and for key decisions.
• As a member of the Executive Team, provide collective leadership and direction to the organisation and its people, ensuring sustained delivery of its purpose, priorities and public value.
• Oversee the production of the statutory Annual Accounts, for audit and publication and laying before Parliament by the Scottish Ministers; interact with external auditors on all audit activities to negotiate and support appropriate reporting; and provide strong professional leadership for accounting and financial management issues within the sector with other UK, European funding bodies and auditors.
• Deputise for the Chief Executive in a range of engagements with senior external stakeholders, government and across SFC functions.

Finance Business Partner – Grade E3

Temporary DDaT Programme Manager – Grade M1

Temporary Business Manager – Directorate

Director of Finance