The Company:

The Scottish Futures Trust (SFT) was established in 2008 as an arm’s length company owned by Scottish Government. As infrastructure specialists, it works hand in hand with the public and private sectors to maximise the benefits coming from their infrastructure projects – whether that is how they are paid for, how they are built, how they are used or how they are maintained.

SFT has a vision of ‘world class infrastructure for the people of Scotland’ which is underpinned by four core values:

• Bold - Believing in what it does, with commitment and courage to enable successful outcomes
• Collaborative - Sharing knowledge, experience and working in partnerships to achieve more for Scotland’s communities
• Dynamic - Accelerating positive outcomes by promoting innovation and being a catalyst for change
• Ambitious - Striving to excel and inspire by raising expectations

The Role:

Job Purpose

The Learning Estate team at the Scottish Futures Trust (SFT) is responsible for the efficient and effective delivery of Scottish Government’s £2bn Learning Estate Investment Programme (LEIP) and other learning estate related initiatives. These currently include the expansion of Early Learning and Childcare provision, expansion of Free School Meals infrastructure and a programme to develop pilot spaces for School Age Childcare.

The role will provide finance, commercial and programme management support to these initiatives in collaboration with the existing team members.

Location

You will be based at our office in Edinburgh. Our teams work flexibly with the expectation that you need to be in the office for in-person meetings as required. Additional travel may be required to attend external meetings or site visits.

Dimensions

• The role acts as a programme finance partner between Scottish Government and Scotland’s 32 local authorities to ensure smooth and effective programme delivery and sound financial management
• No internal SFT budget responsibility
• No line management reporting responsibilities

Principle Accountabilities

• Support all 32 local authorities through the LEIP project development process by ensuring that local authorities have a full and detailed understanding of relevant funding conditions, outcomes and the award process. Provide updates to stakeholders as required
• Assist with the preparation and development of programme budget forecasting and financial modelling to Scottish Government and the LEIP Programme Board
• Assist with the ongoing management of the £1bn capital equivalent LEIP Budget (and associated revenue budget) in collaboration with other team members
• Manage individual project funding allocations by preparing indicative and final funding awards in line with individual project parameters and programme funding principles
• Provide Scottish Government with the necessary information to formalise funding awards
• Monitor local authority returns in relation to outcomes funding for operational projects and make adjustments to funding as necessary
• Contribute to the overall governance of the programme including preparation of LEIP Board papers and other programme reports as required
• Contribute to the planning, preparation and updating of presentations, programme documentation, briefing papers and reports in collaboration with members of the Learning Estate team
• Build and maintain excellent working relationships with other SFT workstream colleagues and key contacts in Scottish Government, all 32 local authorities, SHOPs, SOLACE, ADES, COSLA, suppliers and other organisations linked to the programme
• Assist with ad hoc learning estate issues and queries to support Scottish Government

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• CA / ACCA / CIPFA qualified accountant with around five years post qualification experience, ideally in a project or programme background
• Programme management experience is desirable
• Public sector experience is desirable
• Learning estate or other infrastructure experience is desirable
• Outstanding attention to detail and deadlines
• Well-developed organisational and planning skills
• Self-motivated with a strong ability to prioritise tasks and actions
• Experience of working effectively as part of a small team
• Excellent communication ability, both verbal and written

The Process:

• The search and selection process of this assignment is being managed by advising consultant, Will Dodds at Rutherford Cross - [email protected]
• Selected professionals will then be invited to interview with selected shareholders and stakeholders
• Closing Date for applications – Friday 4th August 2023
• All third-party applications, enquiries and direct approaches to SFT will be referred to Rutherford Cross