Financial Accountant & Finance Manager (x2 posts)
Overview:
Transport Scotland is the national transport agency for Scotland and is accountable to Parliament and the public through Scottish Ministers, with a budget of around £3.5 billion per year. Transport is a vital feature of the Scottish Government's focus on increasing sustainable economic growth, and transport investments and policies have major impacts on the economy, people, and the environment.For more information visit http://www.transport.gov.scot/.
Structure of the team:
We are recruiting for 2 positions within Transport Scotland’s Finance and Corporate Services (FCS) Directorate – Financial Accountant and Finance Manager. FCS is one of nine directorates within the agency and the FCS consists of three distinct functions – Corporate Services, Transport Scotland Finance and Transport Portfolio Finance.
Financial Accountant
Working as part of the Financial Accounting Team, you will have the opportunity to use your existing finance skills and develop a wider knowledge of Scottish Government and Transport Scotland financial accounting and reporting, whilst gaining an insight into how our work supports transport services, initiatives, infrastructure and policy throughout Scotland.A key requirement of the role is a flexible approach, with an ability to adapt quickly to change and to work with colleagues across the wider team.
You will be responsible for:
- Producing timely and accurate financial information, for use in management reporting, consolidation and external publications including playing a key role in producing the TS Annual Report and Accounts and other corporate publications.
- Ensuring all financial transactions are compliant with relevant accounting and financial regulations, including the Scottish Public Finance Manual (SPFM), Finance Reporting Manual (FReM), IFRS, HMRC legislation and other relevant regulations.
- Ownership of balance sheet maintenance and reconciliation and provide up to date advice to the team and others on technical accounting principles and treatment in areas including, but not limited to Trunk Roads valuations, VAT, other fixed assets and lease treatments.
- Developing and maintaining robust and secure financial processes and controls, ensuring that appropriate guidance and support is provided to the agency and other stakeholders.
- Managing and supporting a small team, motivating them to be fully engaged in their work, encouraging learning and development and ensuring wellbeing needs are met.
- Deputise for the Senior Financial Accountant where appropriate.
Finance Manager
Working as part of the Finance Business Partnering team, you will provide professional accounting, budgeting and wider financial management for Transport Scotland. The team develops awareness of drivers of financial performance to date, and accurate forecasting and outturn reporting and provides professional financial advice to support achievement of objectives within available resources.
You will be responsible for:
- Supporting in the provision of professional accounting, budgeting and wider financial stewardship advice across Transport Scotland, improving financial awareness and overviewing the robustness of financial controls within your assigned post.
- Collaborating with colleagues across the agency to develop awareness of drivers of financial performance to support the achievement of objectives within available resources, bringing constructive challenge to ensure robust decision-making.
- Robustly analysing and assessing projections of future income and expenditure, supporting regular updated and ensuring data accuracy for financial plans to support corporate and Scottish Government budgeting, value for money decision-making, risk management and financial planning.
- Supporting stakeholders by engaging in the budget setting process, contributing to the development of applicable documents and advice for Transport Scotland.
- Deputise where appropriate for the Finance Business Partner.
Responsibilities:
Responsibilities- Producing timely and accurate financial information, for use in management reporting, consolidation and external publications including playing a key role in producing the TS Annual Report and Accounts and other corporate publications.
- Ensuring all financial transactions are compliant with relevant accounting and financial regulations, including the Scottish Public Finance Manual (SPFM), Finance Reporting Manual (FReM), IFRS, HMRC legislation and other relevant regulations.
- Ownership of balance sheet maintenance and reconciliation and provide up to date advice to the team and others on technical accounting principles and treatment in areas including, but not limited to Trunk Roads valuations, VAT, other fixed assets and lease treatments.
- Developing and maintaining robust and secure financial processes and controls, ensuring that appropriate guidance and support is provided to the agency and other stakeholders.
- Managing and supporting a small team, motivating them to be fully engaged in their work, encouraging learning and development and ensuring wellbeing needs are met.
- Deputise for the Senior Financial Accountant where appropriate.
Competencies
Financial Management
Analysis and Use of Evidence
Improving Performance
Communication & Engagement
Essential Criteria & Qualifications:
The successful candidate should be fully CCAB (or equivalent) qualified with up-to-date CPD. Consideration may be given to an exceptional candidate in the final stages of their professional exams.
Essential Criteria- Experience of working within a financial environment and the ability to generate, identify and interrogate financial data to support decision making and ensure high levels of accuracy and compliance are achieved.
- Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, with an ability to explain financial information clearly and maintain strong working relationships.
- Enhanced analytical skills using a variety of tools including Excel to develop informed options, make evidence-based recommendations and support informed decisions.
- Self-motivated individual, able to prioritise workloads, with the ability to adapt quickly to change in order to meet deadlines.
Minimum Time in Post
You will be expected to remain in post for a minimum of three years unless successful at gaining promotion to a higher Band or Grade.
You must discuss your intention to apply with your current line manager to help ensure release dates can be agreed.
Location
This post is based in either Glasgow or Edinburgh, with hybrid working in line with current Transport Scotland policies. You will be expected to be office based twice per week, pro rata.
The post is a full time role, but staff with different working patterns are invited to apply, and we will assess proposed working patterns against the business requirements for this post.
Additional Information
To apply please fully complete the application and submit evidence based examples to demonstrate your knowledge/skills (300 words). Remember, your answers should be clear, concise and reflect what actions you undertook. You may want to use the STAR(R) approach to respond to each criterion.
Sponsorship Information
Changes to legislation concerning Skilled Worker Visa Sponsorship were implemented on 04/04/2024. If you think you may require Visa Sponsorship it is important that prior to applying you read the official Home Office guidance to confirm eligibility.
Any applicants that are not eligible for sponsorship will be withdrawn at either application stage or the point of offer, with any provisional offer of employment withdrawn.
Important Information regarding Interviews
Interviews may be conducted in a virtual/remote setting. All applicants must ensure that they have a suitable space to complete the virtual interview via MS Teams and ensure that Wi-Fi/Broadband capacity will be sufficient to carry both audio and video feeds to undertake the interview.
For information on this post please contact Hiring Manager, Mary Fitzgerald by email at Mary.Fitzgerald@transport.gov.scot
The Scottish Government is a diverse and inclusive workplace and we want to help you demonstrate your full potential whatever type of assessment is used. If you require any adjustments to our recruitment process, please let us know via scottishgovernmentrecruitment@gov.scot
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