Finance Business Partner

We have an excellent opportunity for a high calibre finance professional to join the Finance Business Partner Unit. Finance Business Partnering is one of five areas reporting to the Chief Financial Officer in the Scottish Government’s Finance Directorate. We provide financial advice and support relating to the development and delivery of devolved policy across all the government’s front-line spending programmes, encapsulating expenditure of some £50 billion annually.
Due to staff movements, we are looking to fill a Finance Business Partner post at C1 level.
Finance Business Partner has responsibility for one or more Ministerial spending portfolios or are embedded within specific business areas. They are critical to providing high quality financial support and advice to a range of stakeholders, including Ministers and Senior Officers, as well as supporting effective financial management, best value decision making and robust financial control.
Finance Business Partner leads on effective financial management of their portfolio areas.
Responsibilities
• Provision of professional accounting, budgeting and wider financial stewardship advice up to senior levels;
• Analysis, scrutiny and provision of strategic input on all aspects of financial proposals and proposed expenditure;
• Driving value for money decision-making, including where there are complex financial issues;
• Provision of high quality finance support and advice to senior management and Ministers, including supporting key Ministerial meetings and attendances at Scottish Parliament Committees;
• Identifying, analysing and quantifying financial risks and opportunities, and options to reallocate financial resources;
• Improving financial awareness and capabilities across areas of responsibility, and
• Supporting continual improvement in finance processes and guidance including in relation to the ongoing finance transformation programme.
Qualifications
You must be a fully qualified accountant (CCAB professional accountancy body or equivalent) with up to date CPD, and strong technical accountancy and financial management skills.
Essential Criteria
1. Excellent communication and relationship skills enabling the building of effective relationships within the Finance community as appropriate and, critically, with senior level stakeholders and customers.
2. Experience leading and implementing effective, sustainable change, modifying and improving behaviours and improving customer interactions, financial management outcomes and accountability.
3. Ability to constructively analyse, scrutinise and challenge financial and business plans and proposals within a partnership context. You must be able to demonstrate that you can understand and communicate complex finance and business matters to non-experts staff both orally and in written reports.
4. Sound understanding of value for money within a policy and/or service delivery context and be able to demonstrate how you have used this experience to improve efficiency and/or lower costs in an innovative or creative fashion.