Head of Finance (Agency) (5081)

The Head of Finance (Agency) is accountable for leading SAAS Agency Finance, Procurement, Fraud and Recovery functions, ensuring effective financial stewardship, operational delivery, robust financial governance and high quality performance reporting to the SAAS Executive Team and Board. This includes overseeing and delivering the SAAS Annual Report and Accounts, all elements of the statutory audit and leading annual budget processes and in year budget management support for the Agency with a focus on ensuring value for money.

You will provide excellent leadership, professional finance expertise and authoritative advice to support evidence based financial decision-making by the SAAS Senior Management Team, SAAS Board and Ministers.

As a member of the Senior Management Team, you will lead and represent the finance function, contribute to corporate strategy and organisational performance, and provide constructive challenge and support to the Executive Team/Board

The Head of Finance (Agency) is accountable for leading SAAS Agency Finance, Procurement, Fraud and Recovery functions, ensuring effective financial stewardship, operational delivery, robust financial governance and high quality performance reporting to the SAAS Executive Team and Board. This includes overseeing and delivering the SAAS Annual Report and Accounts, all elements of the statutory audit and leading annual budget processes and in year budget management support for the Agency with a focus on ensuring value for money.

The Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) is an Executive Agency of the Scottish Government, we help higher and further education students find the right information, support and funding. SAAS manages an operating budget of approximately £15million and administers approximately £1.5 billion of student funding on behalf of Scottish Government.

The Head of Finance (Agency) role carries significant responsibility for financial stewardship, governance, control and assurance across Finance, Procurement, Fraud and Recoveries, you will work closely with the Head of Finance (Programme) role.

Responibilities

• Lead and manage a professional Finance function, creating an environment where colleagues develop their expertise, provide high-quality advice and deliver services that support effective organisational leadership.
• Champion continuous professional development, professional excellence and a culture of integrity, accountability and continuous improvement in systems and controls.
• Build trusted relationships with Scottish Government, auditors, regulators, oversight bodies and professional networks, recognising that effective financial stewardship depends upon collaboration, openness and constructive challenge.
• Provide high quality, professional technical accounting and budgeting advice, analysis and scrutiny of financial proposals to a range of stakeholders and contribute to future business strategies.
• Present complex financial information clearly both verbally and in writing to support organisational decision making, including providing advice on financial implications of policy developments within Scottish Government.
• Oversee the preparation and delivery of the Annual Report and Accounts and all associated tasks in accordance with the FReM and other accounting guidelines and regulations. Lead the statutory audit, engaging effectively with all aspects of the audit to deliver within agreed timeframes.
• Work with the Programme finance lead to provide a holistic, whole system approach to financial stewardship and continuous improvement of the Agency's financial management provision, ensuring robust financial controls, effective governance and sustainable financial planning support the delivery of organisational priorities.

The successful candidate must be fully CCAB qualified with up-to-date CPD and relevant post qualified experience in an accountancy environment.

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)

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