Temporary Business Manager – Directorate

Scottish Funding Council

Provide high-quality business management function for the directorate at a public sector education organization. Lead business support and operations while ensuring effective communication and collaboration.

Posted 5/15/2026full-timeEdinburgh • 🇬🇧 United KingdomLead💰 £40,965 - £48,243 per yearWebsite

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

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.

Requirements

What you’ll need

Experience of leading or working as a part of a high-quality team working as a PA, Executive Assistant, Business Manager, Team Coordinator or equivalent background.
Experience of using IT systems – such as MS Teams, trackers, shared mailboxes etc. – to streamline and make more effective the flow of business within and between business areas.
Proven ability to analyse, understand and respond to complex issues in an appropriate manner, demonstrating good judgement in a politicised environment.
Highly developed interpersonal skills, with the ability to form effective relationships at all levels to generate confidence, respect, collaborative working with an openness to change.
Excellent written and oral communication skills, and the ability to produce high quality written work independently.
Excellent organisational skills, with the ability to respond to a diverse and changing workload while maintaining a high degree of attention to detail.
A resilient, positive, and flexible approach.
DESIRABLE SKILLS:
Experience of working in or closely with public sector organisations.
Experience of supporting or managing projects and working with departmental running costs budgets.
Ability to work at pace, using a range of skills to secure momentum, change and positive outcomes.
A good track record of collaborating with others to streamline processes, and the ability to lead on the design and delivery of continuous business improvement.
Understanding of SFC’s strategic corporate priorities, and ability to use this wider awareness to represent their directorate’s interests in corporate forums and meetings.
Good awareness of compliance and corporate reporting responsibilities, for example Information Governance requirements and corporate performance monitoring.

Benefits

Comp & perks

Normal full-time hours of work are 35 per week. We will consider flexible working arrangements.
Annual leave entitlement of 30 days pro-rata, plus public and privilege holiday entitlement of 13 days pro-rata.
A flexible approach to hybrid working, giving you flexibility to work from home anywhere in the UK for some of the time while also maintaining regular in-person contact with colleagues.
Annual pay review: approved within the framework of the Scottish Government’s Public Sector Pay Policy and negotiated with our recognised trade union, Unite. Salaries are reviewed annually in April for employees who commence employment prior to 1 October in the preceding year.
Eligibility to join the Civil Service Pension Scheme. With its low member contribution rates and generous employer contributions, this gives you a secure, inflation-proof pension for life with no investment uncertainty.
Support for continuous professional development.
Support for health and wellbeing, including generous occupational sick pay, free access to confidential advice and support through our 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme.
We provide support to SFC employees with Volunteering Days.
Support for travel to and from work.

ATS Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

strategic planningreportingrecords managementbudget preparationproject managementbusiness improvementcompliance monitoringinformation governance

Soft Skills

interpersonal skillscommunication skillsorganizational skillsleadershipcollaborationjudgmentresilienceflexibilityattention to detail