Finance Lead for Business Efficiency, Transactions and Controls (BETC) (2023-7606)

Do you have experience of leading a team through periods of change and transformation? Are you interested in a leadership role where you will be proactive, solution-focussed and decisive, acting at all times with our values of integrity, honesty and objectivity when providing support?

 Applications are invited from qualified accountants (CCAB or equivalent) with relevant post qualified experience in an accountancy environment to provide high quality leadership and strategic advice on all aspects of financial management.

The Agriculture and Rural Economy (ARE) Directorate is part of the Rural Affairs, Land Reform & Islands portfolio   We have a wide ranging remit and our work has a direct impact on those living and working in rural communities. ARE is responsible for providing support to the rural economy, with over £700 million of funding processed each year to Scottish farmers and wider rural communities.

You will be joining ARE at a time of exciting change.  Our main priorities include adapting to the new landscape following the UK’s exit from the EU, and supporting ARE’s positive contribution to Scotland’s journey to net zero, nature restoration and sustainable food production.

The ARE Finance function sits within Rural Payment and Inspections Division (RPID) and supports the whole ARE Directorate in managing and reporting on its budget, with over 60,000 payments going to 21,000 distinct businesses in the course of each year.

The Finance Lead for Business Efficiency, Transactions and Controls (BETC) will lead the debt management and reporting team (comprising 14 staff), ensuring systems, reports and governance effectively support decision making at a senior level, as well as supporting statutory reporting.

• Lead the finance team on delivering incremental improvements on debt management and reporting, implement the debt management strategy which provides the wider ARE Directorate with guidance on the approach to the management of debt, including reporting and monitoring of risks.
• Lead involvement and co-ordination of financial advice and support in relation to future system developments, specifically the under development ARE Payment System (SRSP) and Government Shared Services project.
• Review ways of working to better support ARE business and governance activities through collaboration and engagement with our customers, providing strong financial advice and reporting for payment processing and debt management to aid decision-making.
• Provide financial advice and support to strategic projects, including impact of proposals on debt and loan management to inform decision making, whilst taking account of the debt management strategy as appropriate.
• Identify financial risks and address these as appropriate in terms of financial controls, ensuring the operation of effective financial arrangements, core processes and the completion of annual accounts and other financial returns in line with statutory deadlines and regulatory requirements.

1. A proven ability to constructively analyse, scrutinise and challenge financial and business plans and systems and demonstrating that you can understand and communicate complex finance and business matters to non-experts both orally and in written reports.
2. You must have strong technical accountancy and financial management skills with experience of having applied value for money principles to your tasks and / or role.
3. Ability to create conditions that empower, value, develop and motivate people, forming confident and effective teams. Experience of implementing or managing effective, sustainable change, modifying and improving behaviours.
4. A successful track record leading a team working in a complex and challenging environment, balancing competing demands whilst building supportive and collaborative alliances with colleagues as well as internal and external stakeholders.

• 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%

Job contact :

• Name : Craig Stewart
• Email : craig.stewart@gov.scot

Recruitment team

• Email : scottishgovernmentrecruitment@gov.scot