Scottish Funding Council
Deputy Director, Strategic Institutional Support (Grade M2)
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Application Deadline: 18 October 2026
Department: Institutional Performance
Location: Edinburgh - Hybrid
Compensation: Grade M2 £80,421 to £93,936. Civil Service Pension. Flexible Working Hours. Hybrid Working.
Description
Our ambition is for Scotland to be the best place in the world to learn, educate, research and innovate, so that all of our nation can flourish.
Our purpose is to create and sustain a world-leading system of tertiary education, research and innovation that changes lives for the better, enriches society and supports sustainable and inclusive economic growth.
In this role, you will develop and lead the new Strategic Institutional Support team, building the skills and capacity within SFC to develop and deliver specialist advice, focused on those institutions experiencing stress or distress with a view to supporting informed decision making at senior management, executive and board level, and to inform internal and external reporting and guidance to internal stakeholders.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead and oversee activity carried out by the team, in its engagement with, and support given to, institutions experiencing stress or distress through the analysis of information and data.
- Working closely with all SFC directorates, Scottish Government and external advisors to lead or support a project response through the provision of specialist support and advice.
- Lead a review of business plans, governance arrangements and cash flow forecasts and to apply commercial judgment to develop stabilisation, restructuring and/or turnaround options and detailed contingency plans.
- Provide accurate, expert, and professional advice with use of sound judgement, evidence, and knowledge to enable informed decision making by institutional senior management teams including, executive officers and boards.
- Advise on the preparation of contingency plans to ensure continuity of supply where there are concerns regarding the financial sustainability of an institution.
- Manage multiple cases and being part of multiple project teams, ensuring that senior individuals within SFC and Scottish Government are engaged and briefed on key issues.
- Identify issues, situations, and challenges where the expertise of the Strategic Institutional Support Team can be applied to support the work of other SFC directorates and teams.
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Skills, Knowledge and Expertise
It is important through your CV / Cover Letter that you give evidence of proven experience of each of the following essential criteria:
Essential:
- Understanding of the further and higher education sector.
- Current or recent experience of accounting, and/or legal and governance practices and frameworks.
- Proven leadership skills - Managing and engaging people with integrity to create positive, professional, and trusted working relationships.
- Excellent commercial experience, including assessment of business plans, governance and legal frameworks and cash flow forecasts, options analysis and contingency planning.
- Strong written and oral communication - the ability to communicate complex scenarios with clarity and conviction to stakeholders and non-experts, whilst having the confidence to challenge assumptions as part of a team and with colleagues at all levels.
- Proven ability to plan, lead, prioritise, and deliver complex projects.
- Strong interpersonal and influencing skills focused on building strong relationships with, and influencing stakeholders in challenging situations.
- Adaptability to rapidly changing circumstances.
Desirable:
- Broader experience in areas such as mergers and acquisitions and financial due diligence.
- Knowledge of insolvency and governance regulation and restructuring capabilities and their application.
- Accountancy or legal qualification [Scottish / English / international equivalent].
Terms and Benefits
- Normal full-time hours of work are 35 per week. We will consider flexible working arrangements. A flexi-time system is in operation.
- Annual leave entitlement of 30 days pro-rata, plus public and privilege holiday entitlement of 13 days pro-rata.
- A flexible approach to hybrid working, giving you flexibility to work from home anywhere in the UK for some of the time while also maintaining regular in-person contact with colleagues.
- Annual pay review: approved within the framework of the Scottish Government’s Public Sector Pay Policy and negotiated with our recognised trade union, Unite. Salaries are reviewed annually in April for employees who commence employment prior to 1 October in the preceding year.
- Eligibility to join the Civil Service Pension Scheme. With its low member contribution rates and generous employer contributions, this gives you a secure, inflation-proof pension for life with no investment uncertainty. Details of contribution rates together with further details of the pension benefits are available on the Civil Service Pensions website. There is also the option of a Partnership pension account.
- Support for continuous professional development: as a part of SFC, we are dedicated to providing comprehensive support for continuous learning and professional development. Civil Service-Learning curriculum has thoughtfully designed to cater to various learning preferences, allowing employees to engage in a manner that best suits their needs. All our educational resources are conveniently accessible through the CSL website.
- Support for health and wellbeing, including generous occupational sick pay, free access to confidential advice and support through our 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme, Special Leave (paid and unpaid), a contribution to learning outside work through our Lifelong Learning Fund, free winter flu vaccination, and access to occupational health support.
- We provide support to SFC employees with Volunteering Days.
- Support for travel to and from work, including a salary sacrifice cycle loan scheme, cycle storage and shower facilities, an interest-free loan for bus or rail season tickets and free office car parking for employees on a first-come basis.
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Although most salaried roles are advertised as full time positions (35 hours a week), we are happy to discuss part-time or compressed hours to suit a candidates circumstances. We also operate a flexible working scheme to work around a candidate's other commitments such as caring responsibilities.
We will consider secondment applications for most salaried fixed-term or temporary positions and in many cases also for salaried permanent positions. If you are interested in applying on a secondment basis and this option is not explicitly mentioned in the job advert, please contact recruitment@sfc.ac.uk for further information.
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