Director of Finance - Edinburgh, United Kingdom - Scottish Government

Scottish Government

Verified Company

Edinburgh, United Kingdom

2 weeks ago

Posted by:

Tom O´Connor

beBee Recruiter

Description

Overview:

Director of Finance - a relatively new, but already critical, role for the SPS which forms part of the senior leadership team. This is a Senior Civil Service post and is both permanent and pensionable.

The Director of Finance is a critical and influential strategic leadership role within the SPS.

The post-holder will take a lead position in providing coherent fiscal policy advice; identifying overall choices to ensure affordability and balanced budgets.

The post holder will be required to advise Scottish Ministers and Parliamentary Committees regarding financial matters concerning the SPS, and to provide draft responses to parliamentary questions and other correspondence.

The Director of Finance will lead a range of work-streams that are of systemic importance across the SPS. In particular, they will lead on the annual Budget and Spending Reviews.

They will operate at the most senior levels of the SPS, working closely with the Principal Accountable Officer, members of the SPS' Executive Team, and members of the Risk Monitoring and Audit Committee.

The role requires extensive engagement and collaboration with colleagues across Scottish Government, and coordination of the Budget and Spending Reviews across Tax, SPS expenditure and investment.

The post also has management responsibility for the Estates and Procurement functions which includes, maintenance of current SPS prisons and the construction of new prisons, including HMP Glasgow and HMP Highland.

Working pattern

Responsibilities:

The Role
The duties and responsibilities of the Director of Finance include those listed below:

Provide advice to the Chief Executive and lead on the development of financial strategy aligned to the current and future priorities of the SPS.
Oversee the creation and implementation of a clear, cohesive and focused financial strategy: a strategy that is underpinned by a robust approach to risk management, financial compliance, and financial planning.
Advise the Chief Executive, Directors and Scottish Government, as relevant, on the appropriate budget allocation, drawing together economic forecasts and strategies to manage allocation risk, considering resource, capital and operating cost budget
As part of the senior leadership team, ensure appropriate processes and controls are in place so that budgets are balanced.
Provide strategic and technical advice, financial forecasting, and assurance in support of a number of strategic corporate projects, including new prison builds, the digital strategy, and conclusion of the private contract at HMP Kilmarnock.
Lead the development, delivery, and publication of the annual SPS Budget and any Spending Reviews to ensure each Budget provides clear and increased impact from resource and capital investments.
They must be underpinned by sustainable finances for inclusive economic growth, wellbeing, and a low carbon future.
These processes will be managed in a way that is sufficiently transparent to ensure that commitments given to Scottish Government are met.
Support the Principal Accountable Officer and the Executive Team to further develop the governance environment and ensure that financial controls and decisiontaking are effective at all levels.
They will ensure that opportunity cost and the overall sustainability of the SPS Budget are considered in all financial decisions; aligned at all times to outcomes and public value.
Lead the annual accounts process to ensure that the SPS annual financial statements provide a true and fair view of the financial position.
Act as key point of contact for the external auditor, providing leadership and technical expertise to support the annual audit process.
As a senior leader the post holder will contribute, along with other Directors, to the overall management of the SPS, as well as providing strong leadership to the Finance team.

For more information on the roles and the Scottish Government, please consult the following documents:

Further Information Pack

Qualifications:

Ess

ential Criteria:

In your Supporting Statement, and if invited to interview, you will be expected to answer on the following Essential Criteria:

Specialist Criteria:

Professional Qualifications

You must have a CCAB recognised qualification as a professional accountant and have membership of a recognised professional accountancy body.

Financial Management Experience

Significant financial management experience at a senior management level with a clear understanding of:
Public body expectations,
Integrated approaches to improvement, performance, management information and risk management,
The relationship between strategy and financial management.
High levels of numeracy and understanding of financial frameworks.

This includes the ability to:
- understand ESG factors,
- deal with complex financial instruments,
- public sector financial frameworks,
- drive quality, efficiency and value