The Organisation

Historic Environment Scotland (HES) is the lead public body that is set up to investigate, care for and promote Scotland’s historic environment. HES is responsible for the delivery of “Our Place in Time”, a strategy that sets out a vision of how the historic environment in Scotland can be understood, valued, cared for and enjoyed, both now and in the future.

HES is responsible for over 300 properties, including Edinburgh Castle, which collectively welcome more than 5 million visitors per year. Consequently, in addition to Scottish Government funding, HES generates income through its’ commercial activities.

The Opportunity

The vision of HES is to deliver a first-class team of Finance Business partners to lead and deliver on HES’ strategy and commercial vision. Each business partner will take a directorate focus, working with and challenging the budget holders in a positive way.

The team of Management Accountants will be responsible for ensuring the financial integrity and robustness of the inyear financial reporting. It is the role of the Finance Business Partner to provide the link between the finances and the operational activity helping to ensure that appropriate business decisions are made. You will work closely with the Senior Managers within the directorates, taking the time to understand their strategic outcomes and how the finances impact on their delivery.

Key Responsibilities

• Work closely with colleagues to ensure the delivery of a high performing, customer facing finance service
• Ensure the provision of high quality advice, information, analysis and interpretation to budget holders to underpin effective decision making and performance management and to meet statutory requirements
• Be responsible for the delivery of all aspects of operational financial management within a functional area(s)
• Ensure that, in all activities, decisions are made with full knowledge of the financial impact those decisions will have on HES
• Understand customer needs and provide them with a service they value
• Support the delivery of productivity and efficiency improvement and cost reduction across HES.

Candidate Background

The successful candidate will be a qualified accountant (CCAB/CIMA) with relevant post-qualified experience. The approach of a Finance Business Partner in HES not only requires the technical capability of a qualified accountant, but the correct approach and communication skills.

Essential requirements:

• Highly developed technical analysis skills, with an ability to produce complex financial models
• Ability to provide meaningful insight and analysis of financial information that benefits users’ decision making
• Proven experience of producing timely and reliable financial management information reports, including forecasting, budget setting and financial results
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, particularly to a non-finance audience
• Proven customer focused approach, demonstrating ability to build strong working relationships based on honesty and trust
• High level of commercial awareness, coupled with the willingness to constructively challenge financial assumptions.

Desirable requirements:

• Experience in using different costing methodologies and in benchmarking against best practice
• Experience of developing business cases and investment appraisal

Package

• £37,931 - £43,955 per annum
• Civil Service Pension Scheme
• 25 days of annual leave (rising to 30 days after 5 years' service) and 11.5 public holidays a year
• Civil Service Pension Scheme