Location
Edinburgh
Office
Finance
Advertising Salary:
£54,792 - £65,800 annually

About The Role

Working pattern: This is a full-time post however we are happy to talk about flexible working.  We’re committed to supporting staff to achieve a healthy work-life balance. This is a hybrid role, working from Holyrood, and from home. 

The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) is responsible for providing the 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. Here is the link to our organisation chart.
 
The Finance Office (FO) is made up of eleven staff incorporating Financial Accounting and Transactions, System Support and Business Partnering. The Office is responsible for preparing and presenting the annual budget; managing payments and receipts for goods and services; cash-management; all accounting including capital and fixed assets; providing high quality and timeous management information and forecasts throughout the year; preparing monthly and statutory accounting and returns; maintaining all financial policies and internal financial controls and supporting colleagues across the organisation with all finance-related matters. 

This is an excellent opportunity to lead the small Business Support team which is responsible for preparing key annual budget information - including staff costs and project spend - by collating budget bids, constructively evaluating and challenging spend and investment proposals and presenting the draft budget to the Chief Financial Officer.  As business partners to the wider organisation, the team are also expected to provide ongoing financial advice and support to colleagues as required, including assistance with budget management decisions, business case preparation or other financial analysis requested. You will be responsible for preparing high quality monthly management information reports for the Senior Executive Team (SET) and for the ongoing maintenance of system data on Oracle Fusion EPM (including budget phasing and forecasts) through timeous updates and reconciliation of data as required. You will be expected to identify areas for improvement and work with the Finance system lead to realise these benefits.  

The role will involve managing and being supported by a qualified Assistant Business Accountant and be responsible for ensuring that the core services of the Business Support team are delivered. You will support and encourage a culture where your team members are empowered to deliver high quality work which will enhance the reputation of the Parliament. You’ll also champion collaborative working with colleagues across the parliamentary service, promoting positive and open communication, as well as our commitment to diversity and inclusion. 

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 has the ability to make a difference. 

We offer a great range of benefits including: 41.5 leave days (including public holidays), flexible working, paid professional subscriptions, family-friendly policies, Season Ticket advance loans, an onsite gym, Health and Wellbeing Schemes including discounted gym membership, a confidential counselling and information service, and the Cycle to Work Scheme. 

You’ll also have the opportunity to join the Alpha Civil Service pension scheme, where we’ll offer you an employer contribution of 28.97% of your basic salary. 

For further information about the role please contact [email protected] 

Please apply before 11.59pm, Wednesday, 20 November 2024 Full details of our selection process are outlined below. 

About You

The successful candidate will be a fully qualified CCAB or CIMA accountant, experienced in the preparation and maintenance of complex annual budgets and forecasts, including staffing budgets and vacancy management.   

You will be able to demonstrate experience of building successful and constructive relationships with non-Finance budget managers through proactive engagement, understanding their operations and establishing how the Finance Office can best help them to achieve their objectives and add value.  

You will demonstrate a high level of personal credibility and be confident with influencing and challenging colleagues where necessary, whilst maintaining good long-term relations.  

Naturally curious, inquisitive and tenacious, you will be adept at spotting data anomalies, analysing root causes and asking the right questions in order to get to the underlying reasons for unexpected variations. You will be able to distil the financial impact of information and intelligence gathered from any source in order to inform forecasts and financial out-turns and to create succinct, clear reports which will be understood by non-finance colleagues. You will have a high level of skill in Microsoft Office products, particularly Excel and as an excellent communicator, you will be able to liaise with colleagues at all levels verbally and in writing.  

You will be a resilient manager and inspire colleagues to deliver high performance results in line with our values. You’ll have a proven track record of working inclusively with a diverse range of people and groups. You’ll have outstanding mentoring and coaching skills and be passionate about contributing to an inclusive and collaborative working culture which values diversity and encourages openness.  

For full information about the role, have a look at the job description and our application pack. 

The Selection Process

Stage 1 
How to apply and our selection process  
We are a values-based organisation. Our values are a central part of our working culture and our people management processes. We use these to recruit, manage and develop our staff. For more information on our values and behaviours framework, please visit our values pages in our Employee Handbook.   

To apply for our roles, click 'apply' and this will allow you to upload your CV in order to register with us (if you’ve not done so already). 

You’ll be asked to write a values-based supporting statement based on the job description of the role you’re applying for. The job description will detail the main recruitment selection criteria under each value, in the sections titled “And in delivering these, you will have”.  

Your application will be assessed solely on your statement. You’ll then be asked four questions based on the essential criteria for the role. 

You’ll need to provide one or more examples to cover all bullet points, in each of the four value sections entitled “And in delivering these you will have”   

Please provide details from your background or career, of where and how you have demonstrated that value.  

When completing and submitting the values-based statement to apply for this role: 

- Please provide evidence against each of our four values, a maximum of 400 words is allowed per value   

- Please use the STAR format (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to address the key delivery requirements under each value in the Job Description 

- Each value should be clearly formatted, and your examples may include specific skills, experience, abilities, knowledge and strengths you have 

- We have a separate box on our system for you to input each value 

- Please do not input anything into the values boxes until you’re ready to submit your application 

- Please complete your answers to the questions offline, perhaps in Word, and then copy and paste your answers into the system when you're ready to submit your application  

- We recommend that you check your answers, by reading the inputted information in the box, when you've copied and pasted the information into the system, just to ensure it's all there 

- Please only click 'Next' to submit your application when you're content it’s complete. When you click “Next”, you don't have the option to go back 

- If you 'cancel' then your work won't be saved   

- The system will time out after an hour and your work will be lost if you don’t complete it in that time. You don't have the option to save your application and return to it later 

- If the system times out, you can go into your ‘candidate profile’ to access and complete your statement 

- If you mistakenly submit your statement prior to completing this on the system, please email [email protected] with full details of the role you’re applying for, what has happened, and your completed statement 

Please note that only your supporting statement will be submitted to Hiring Managers, without any personal details, and they will then select candidates for further assessment or interview. 

Stage 2  
At the final stage, you’ll be invited to attend a virtual panel interview and will also be asked to undertake a written assessment or presentation.  Interviews will be held on the week commencing 16th December although this is subject to change.  

Weightings
Application – 20% 
Presentation - 20% 
Interview – 60% 

Feedback will only be provided on request to those who attend interview. Please note due to the time of year there may be a delay in issuing any feedback, but we will endeavour to do this as quickly as possible. 

If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please email [email protected]. 

After the interview 

We’ll aim to let you know the outcome of your interview as soon as we can. This will normally be within 10 working days. If you’re unsuccessful at interview stage, you can ask us for feedback. We want to ensure a positive candidate experience, so we’ll also contact you to ask for your feedback on the whole recruitment process. 

Onboarding Process 

If you’re successful at interview, you’ll be asked to complete our onboarding process. This includes security clearance and you’ll also be asked to provide proof of your eligibility to work in the United Kingdom. 

We will provide you with details of our security vetting policy and you will be required to complete a security questionnaire. Some of our roles will require membership of the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme. For further information, please see our Policy on the employment of ex-offenders and use of disclosure. 

Referees 

If you’re successful, we’ll approach previous and/or current employers for a reference. If you have no employment history we may approach any school, college or university you have attended. 

We can only make a formal offer of employment once we have received your security clearance, eligibility to work in the UK and references. Your health assessment will be used to inform us of any adjustments you require before you start with us. 

Our commitment to an inclusive workforce 

We are a Disability Confident Leader Employer and guarantee to interview any disabled candidates who meet the minimum criteria for the role.  If you have a disability and would like to talk to us about any aspects of this job, please contact us.  More details can be found here. 
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