Scottish Funding Council
Finance Business Partner (Grade E3)
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Application Deadline: 9 August 2026
Department: Finance
Location: Edinburgh - Hybrid
Compensation: £49,938 - £58,134 E3 Grade. Civil Service Pension with Employer Contribution of 28.97%. 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.
Provide financial insight and support for Scotland’s colleges and universities. Act as a trusted finance partner within the Scottish Funding Council (SFC), offering expert advice and constructive challenge to institutions, SFC colleagues, and the Scottish Government. Monitor and report on the financial health and governance of colleges and universities to help deliver Scotland’s education and economic goals.
This is a hugely valuable post within the SFC portfolio, and due to portfolio re-alignment and an opportunity to expand the team, we are looking to hire 2 further FBP's to our team.
Virtual interviews will be held week commencing 17 August 2026 (via Teams).
Key Responsibilities
- Provide high-quality financial analysis and insight to assess the risks to the financial health (viability and long-term financial sustainability) of colleges and universities, to support decision-making, robust financial planning and investment appraisals.
- Build and maintain strong, collaborative relationships with colleges and universities and other stakeholders through a finance business partnering approach.
- Provide advice on financial governance and risk management, and on compliance with the SFC Financial Memorandum (FM), Scottish Public Finance Manual (SPFM) and other relevant governance and financial frameworks.
- Prepare and present clear, concise internal and external financial advice, to institutions and to the Scottish Government, on specific matters within the remit of the role.
- Review and provide feedback on the financial strategies of colleges and universities to ensure that they are credible, deliver value for money and contribute to national outcomes.
- Review and consider colleges’ and universities’ requests for approvals under the SFC Financial Memorandum (FM), Scottish Public Finance Manual (SPFM)
- Represent SFC in discussions with external bodies, including Audit Scotland, UK funding bodies, and government departments.
- Ensure continuous professional development including maintaining up-to-date knowledge of technical accounting standards, public sector finance developments, and governance codes.
- Contribute to continuous improvement across the SFC, including taking the lead on developmental areas such as engaging with Universities’ Transparent Approach to Costing (TRAC) data.
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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:
- Fully qualified (UK recognised) accountant (CCAB or CIMA / equivalent) with relevant post-qualification experience.
- Good understanding of financial analysis, forecasting, budgeting, audit and financial and non-financial organisational controls.
- Ability to build and maintain strong relationships; experienced in stakeholder engagement and influencing at senior levels.
- Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to communicate complex financial issues to non-financial audiences.
- Effective written and verbal communication skills, with experience of preparing high-quality reports for executive and Board committees.
- Proficiency in Word, PowerPoint and advanced Excel skills.
Desirable:
- Experience in finance business partnering.
- Knowledge and understanding of tertiary education sector in Scotland.
- Relevant understanding of public sector budgeting, accounting, and governance frameworks.
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 candidate’s 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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