The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body is responsible for providing the Scottish Parliament with the property, staff and services required for the Parliament’s purposes.  We place a high value on excellence, and we are continually looking to improve how we can deliver the Parliament's core purpose of representing the people of Scotland by debating issues of national importance, passing legislation, and holding the Scottish Government to account. We are a diverse workforce, and our embedded values shape the way we work and treat each other. We have a culture of respect and inclusion, and everyone has the ability to make a difference.

This is an excellent opportunity to join the Finance and Resilience Directorate as a Head of Finance, leading our high-performing Finance Office to play a significant role in the delivery of the Parliament’s strategic vision.

The Scottish Parliament Finance Office has a complement of 11 staff and is responsible for all aspects of financial management and control; financial business partnering and decision support; financial forecasting and management information including all statutory financial reporting; and policy development. In addition to being the leader of the Finance Office, as a senior manager you will play an important role in the wider organisational leadership across the parliamentary service.

The Role:

Our Finance teams sit in the Finance and Resilience Directorate. These services are at the centre of supporting how the Scottish Parliament makes new laws on devolved matters, debates the issues of the day, and examines what the Scottish Government is doing.

The role reports directly to the Chief Financial Officer / Director of Finance and Resilience. The Finance and Resilience Directorate includes Finance, Procurement, Allowances, Resilience, and Internal Audit.

Specific responsibilities include:

• Providing the Chief Financial Officer / Director of Finance and Resilience and senior management with support, advice, and information with respect to financial data, financial management, finance systems and processes
• Ensuring robust financial controls are in place over financial processes, procedures and systems minimising the risk of errors and fraud
• Supporting systems development and appropriate innovation within financial and staffing resources available
• Provision of a high-quality budgeting, costing, and forecasting service including management information and monthly Finance reports. The Head of Finance specifically is directly responsible for Scottish Government liaison, Members’ (MSPs) budgets and advice to Officeholders
• Preparation and submission of Annual Accounts and Reports with responsibility for compiling the overall report and specific areas of accounts work. Leads liaison with Audit Scotland and is a key contributor to the Audit Advisory Board
• Leading the Finance team to be the best it can be through collaboration, effective communication and building supportive working relationships
• Ensuring staff development, health, safety, and well-being of the office is valued across the team
• Establishing positive and effective internal and external relationships e.g. with the Scottish Government to deliver high-quality services
• Working within the values of the Parliamentary Service and contributing to an inclusive working environment
• Being a visible leader who inspires trust, takes personal responsibility for delivering results, and matches resources to strategic priorities to achieve sustainable outcomes
• Agreeing and monitoring objectives for your direct reports and personal development plans in line with our performance process and acting as a custodian of our strategic aims and values
• Overseeing change initiatives and programmes, anticipating events or organisational considerations and reprioritising within operational areas whilst maintaining a focus on delivery

Candidate Profile:

• As a professionally qualified accountant, you will be responsible for ensuring robust financial systems and controls are at the heart of the parliamentary service. Technically excellent and a credible Finance professional with strong business acumen you will be operationally accountable for performance and delivery across all aspects of Finance.
• You will have excellent analytical and planning skills and will be committed to developing services that embrace opportunities to leverage digital capabilities.
• You’ll demonstrate a high level of personal credibility with excellent communication and influencing skills, with the ability to develop and maintain positive working relationships with both Scottish Parliament colleagues and external stakeholders. You’ll have experience in leading a department and the ability to inspire colleagues to deliver high-performance results. Your leadership skills will role model and promote a culture of developing professional skills that support a career path in Finance.
• As a leader/manager, you’ll be resilient and inspire colleagues to deliver high-performance results in line with our values.

Remuneration and Benefits:

• Salary: £69,090 (Increasing to £72,572 at the 6 month point) + £3,000 Supplement. This pay supplement will be reviewed annually and may be continued, reviewed, or removed
• Working pattern: This role is full time (37 hours per week), however we’re happy to talk about flexible working whether that be part-time within reason. We’re committed to supporting staff to achieve a healthy work-life balance
• Flexitime: To meet business and personal needs, we have a progressive flexible working hours arrangement in place
• Annual leave: 41.5 days (including public holidays)
• Pension: Civil Service pension arrangements, with a generous employer contribution of 28.97% of annual salary
• Ongoing development: learning opportunities available
• Here is a list of all our additional benefits

Interested candidates should provide a tailored CV and cover letter, outlining their interest and suitability, to both Mark Lewis ([email protected]) and Harry Thomson ([email protected])

From day one your experience, views and input will be sought and valued. You’ll have the opportunity to shape how we deliver our services.

We’re committed to providing an inclusive environment that welcomes diverse backgrounds and diverse thinking.  Our culture is inclusive, welcoming, and vibrant. We want our colleagues to feel valued, respected, and engaged.

We particularly welcome applications from candidates from a Minority Ethnic background and Disabled candidates.  All appointments will be made on merit. We have a values-based culture of respect and inclusion embedded in our organisation, and everyone can make a difference.

We’re proud to be an equal opportunities employer that values and respects the people who work for us. All job applications are treated fairly, with respect and without bias. When you apply for the job, please let us know if you require any reasonable adjustments to our recruitment process.