Financial Accountant & Finance Manager (x2 posts)

Scottish Government

Apply before 11:55 pm on Friday 27th September 2024

 

Details

Reference number

368222

Salary

£45,449
A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Job grade

Senior Executive Officer

Contract type

Permanent

Type of role

Finance

Working pattern

Full-time

Number of jobs available

2

Contents

Edinburgh, Glasgow

Job summary

Financial Accountant

You will have the opportunity to use your existing finance skills and develop a wider knowledge of Scottish Government and Transport Scotland financial accounting and reporting, whilst gaining an insight into how our work supports transport services, initiatives, infrastructure and policy. A key requirement of the role is a flexible approach, with an ability to adapt quickly to change and to work with colleagues across wider team.

Producing timely and accurate financial information, for use in management reporting, consolidation and external publications including playing a key role in producing the TS Annual Report and Accounts and other corporate publications.

Ensuring all financial transactions are compliant with relevant accounting and financial regulations, including the Scottish Public Finance Manual (SPFM), Finance Reporting Manual (FReM), IFRS, HMRC legislation and other relevant regulations.

Ownership of balance sheet maintenance, reconciliation and provide up to date advice to the team and others on technical accounting principles and treatment in areas including, but not limited to Trunk Roads valuations, VAT, other fixed assets and lease treatments.

Developing and maintaining robust and secure financial processes and controls, ensuring that appropriate guidance and support is provided to the agency and other stakeholders.

Managing and supporting a small team, motivating them to be fully engaged in their work, encouraging learning and development and ensuring wellbeing needs are met.

Deputise for the Senior Financial Accountant where appropriate.

 

Finance Manager

You will provide professional accounting, budgeting and wider financial management for Transport Scotland. The team develops awareness of drivers of financial performance to date, and accurate forecasting and outturn reporting and provides professional financial advice to support achievement of objectives within available resources.

Supporting in the provision of professional accounting, budgeting and wider financial stewardship advice across Transport Scotland, improving financial awareness and overviewing the robustness of financial controls within your assigned post.

Collaborating with colleagues across the agency to develop awareness of drivers of financial performance to support the achievement of objectives within available resources, bringing constructive challenge to ensure robust decision-making.

Robustly analysing and assessing projections of future income and expenditure, supporting regular updated and ensuring data accuracy for financial plans to support corporate and Scottish Government budgeting, value for money decision-making, risk management and financial planning.

Supporting stakeholders by engaging in the budget setting process, contributing to the development of applicable documents and advice for Transport Scotland.

Deputise where appropriate for the Finance Business Partner.

Job description

  • Producing timely and accurate financial information, for use in management reporting, consolidation and external publications including playing a key role in producing the TS Annual Report and Accounts and other corporate publications.
  • Ensuring all financial transactions are compliant with relevant accounting and financial regulations, including the Scottish Public Finance Manual (SPFM), Finance Reporting Manual (FReM), IFRS, HMRC legislation and other relevant regulations.
  • Ownership of balance sheet maintenance and reconciliation and provide up to date advice to the team and others on technical accounting principles and treatment in areas including, but not limited to Trunk Roads valuations, VAT, other fixed assets and lease treatments.
  • Developing and maintaining robust and secure financial processes and controls, ensuring that appropriate guidance and support is provided to the agency and other stakeholders.
  • Managing and supporting a small team, motivating them to be fully engaged in their work, encouraging learning and development and ensuring wellbeing needs are met.
  • Deputise for the Senior Financial Accountant where appropriate.

Person specification

Essential Qualification

The successful candidate should be fully CCAB (or equivalent) qualified with up-to-date CPD.  Consideration may be given to an exceptional candidate in the final stages of their professional exams.  

 

Essential Criteria 

  1. Experience of working within a financial environment and the ability to generate, identify and interrogate financial data to support decision making and ensure high levels of accuracy and compliance are achieved. 
  2. Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, with an ability to explain financial information clearly and maintain strong working relationships.
  3. Enhanced analytical skills using a variety of tools including Excel to develop informed options, make evidence-based recommendations and support informed decisions.
  4. Self-motivated individual, able to prioritise workloads, with the ability to adapt quickly to change in order to meet deadlines.
Alongside your salary of £45,449, Scottish Government contributes £13,166 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
  • Learning and development tailored to your role
  • An environment with flexible working options
  • A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
  • A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%

Selection process details

Minimum Time in Post
You will be expected to remain in post for a minimum of three years unless successful at gaining promotion to a higher Band or Grade. 

 

You must discuss your intention to apply with your current line manager to help ensure release dates can be agreed.

Location
This post is based in either Glasgow or Edinburgh, with hybrid working in line with current Transport Scotland policies. You will be expected to be office based twice per week, pro rata.


The post is a full time role, but staff with different working patterns are invited to apply, and we will assess proposed working patterns against the business requirements for this post.


Additional Information
To apply please fully complete the application and submit evidence based examples to demonstrate your knowledge/skills (300 words). Remember, your answers should be clear, concise and reflect what actions you undertook. You may want to use the STAR(R) approach to respond to each criterion.

 

Sponsorship Information
Changes to legislation concerning Skilled Worker Visa Sponsorship were implemented on 04/04/2024. If you think you may require Visa Sponsorship it is important that prior to applying you read the official Home Office guidance to confirm eligibility.
Any applicants that are not eligible for sponsorship will be withdrawn at either application stage or the point of offer, with any provisional offer of employment withdrawn.

 

Important Information regarding Interviews

Interviews may be conducted in a virtual/remote setting. All applicants must ensure that they have a suitable space to complete the virtual interview via MS Teams and ensure that Wi-Fi/Broadband capacity will be sufficient to carry both audio and video feeds to undertake the interview.


For information on this post please contact Hiring Manager, Mary Fitzgerald by email at Mary.Fitgerald@transport.gov.scot

 

The Scottish Government is a diverse and inclusive workplace and we want to help you demonstrate your full potential whatever type of assessment is used. If you require any adjustments to our recruitment process, please let us know via scottishgovernmentrecruitment@gov.scot


As part of any recruitment process, Scottish Government and associated public bodies collects and processes personal data relating to job applicants and applicants for public appointments.


Personal information you provide in the recruitment process will be made available to Scottish Government and our additional data processors.



Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Medical

Successful candidates will be expected to have a medical.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

  • UK nationals
  • nationals of the Republic of Ireland
  • nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
  • nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
  • nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
  • individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
  • Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).
This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

  • Name : Mary Fitzgerald
  • Email : Mary.Fitzgerald@transport.gov.scot

Recruitment team

  • Email : scottishgovernmentrecruitment@gov.scot

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