The Scottish Government
Finance Manager and Financial Accountant Opportunities
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Would you like to help manage around £50 billion of public spending to improve the lives of the people of Scotland?
The Scottish Government is recruiting finance professionals to join its Financial Management and Reporting team within Financial Management Directorate. Working at the heart of government, our teams enable Ministers and senior leaders to make informed decisions by supporting financial management, reporting, and governance across the organisation.
This is a unique opportunity to build your career in a collaborative and forward-looking finance function that supports around £50 billion of spending, and that is committed to developing the skills and expertise of its people.
Both Finance Manager and Financial Accountant opportunities are available, and so whether you are leading a finance team to provide strategic insights and advice, or delivering statutory reporting and controls, you will work with a wide range of stakeholders to manage financial challenges and opportunities, deliver high quality stewardship of public resources, and support delivery of government priorities.
Click here for more information about these opportunities
Responsibilities
Finance Manager:
- Lead your Finance Team’s budget monitoring activities, reinforcing required standards, identifying improvements and supporting development and training needs.
- Support continuous improvement of financial reporting, providing high quality and persuasive insights that enable stakeholders make informed decisions, and delivering appropriate challenge where required.
- Build and maintain strong working relationships across the Financial Management Directorate, Scottish Government business areas, and partner bodies to provide professional advice on a range of finance topics and facilitate effective collaboration on corporate financial exercises.
- Lead and quality assure your Finance Team’s contributions to the annual accounts and Provisional and Final Outturn in accordance with the corporate timetable.
- Build an effective and high performing team by providing support, coaching and guidance, delegating effectively, and by leading by example.
- Support changes arising from the implementation and development of Oracle Cloud finance systems, embedding new ways of working and processes effectively.
Financial Accountant
- Support the preparation and delivery of the Scottish Government annual accounts, ensuring compliance with corporate timetables and requirements.
- Coordinate external audit activities, preparing required schedules and maintaining effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders to ensure timely provision of information.
- Lead and support finance colleagues to deliver team priorities, including driving improvements to management information and reporting, and balance sheet controls.
- Provide accounting and financial management advice to build financial capability and support annual accounts and audit process improvements within your team and the Scottish Government.
- Ensure the integrity and accuracy of transactions and reporting on financial systems, including the Non-Current Asset Register, maintaining effective checks and controls.
- Support changes arising from the implementation and development of Oracle Cloud finance systems, embedding new ways of working and processes effectively.
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Qualifications
The successful candidate must be a fully qualified CCAB or CIMA (or equivalent) accountant with up-to-date CPD.
Please confirm in your application that you hold these qualifications. If you do not provide this information, your application will not be considered.
Success Profile
Success profiles are specific to each job and they include the mix of skills and behaviours candidates will be assessed on.
Technical / Professional Skills
- Government Finance - Practitioner Level
- Working with data in finance – Practitioner Level
- Business and Organisation - Working Level
You can find out more about the skills required here: Finance Profession Capability Framework
Experience
Significant financial management experience, with a track record in delivering processes such as budgeting, forecasting and costing, or financial accounts.
Behaviours
- Communicating and influencing - Level 3
- Making effective decisions - Level 3
Find out more about Success Profiles.
How To Apply
Apply online, providing a CV and Supporting Statement (of no more than 1000 words) providing evidence of how you meet the behaviours, experience and technical skills listed in the Success Profile above. Both the CV and the supporting statement provided will be assessed against the criteria for the role.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools can be used to support your application, but all statements and examples provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, and presented as your own) applications will be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action.
Please see our candidate guidance for more information on acceptable and unacceptable uses of AI in recruitment.
Skilled Worker Sponsorship
These roles have been assessed as eligible for Skilled Worker sponsorship and are therefore being advertised with the option of sponsorship where required. Any offer of sponsorship remains subject to the individual meeting all other relevant Home Office eligibility and compliance requirements at the time of appointment.
If invited for further assessment, this will consist of an interview and presentation.
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Assessments are scheduled for w/c 5 October 2026 however this may be subject to change.
Recruitment Principles
As a government organisation, we adhere to the Civil Service Commission Recruitment Principles and we investigate any complaints received in relation to recruitment cases.
About Us
The Scottish Government is the devolved government for Scotland. We have responsibility for a wide range of key policy areas including: education, health, the economy, justice, housing and transport. We offer rewarding careers and employ people across Scotland in a wide range of professions and roles.
Our staff are part of the UK Civil Service, working for Ministers and senior stakeholders to deliver vital public services which improve the lives of the people of Scotland.
We offer a supportive and inclusive working environment along with a wide range of employee benefits. Find out more about what we offer.
As part of the UK Civil Service, we uphold the Civil Service Nationality Rules.
Working Pattern
Our standard hours are 35 hours per week and we offer a range of flexible working options depending on the needs of the role. From October 2025, the Scottish Government will require staff in hybrid-compatible roles to work in-person 40% of the time, either in an office or other agreed work location. If you have specific questions about the role you are applying for, please contact us.
Security Checks
Successful candidates must complete the Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS), before they can be appointed. BPSS is comprised of four main pre-employment checks – Identity, Right to work, Employment History and a Criminal Record check (unspent convictions).
You can find out more about BPSS on the UK Government website, or read about the different levels of security checks in our Candidate Guide.
Equality Statement
We are committed to equality and inclusion and we aim to recruit a diverse workforce that reflects the population of our nation.
Find out more about our commitment to diversity and how we offer and support recruitment adjustments for anyone who needs them.
Further Information
Find out more about our organisation, what we offer staff members and how to apply on our Careers Website.
Read our Candidate Guide for further information on our recruitment and application processes.
Financial Accountant – Lorna Bocquet Lorna.Bocquet@gov.scot
Finance Manager – Gillian Campbell Gillian.Campbell4@gov.scot
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