Deputy Director, Strategic Institutional Support (Grade M2) - #2160161

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 deliver specialist advice to institutions experiencing stress or distress. This supports informed decision making at senior management, executive and board level, and informs internal and external reporting and guidance.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the team's engagement with, and support for, institutions experiencing stress or distress through the analysis of information and data.

• Work closely with all SFC directorates, Scottish Government and external advisors to lead or support project responses with specialist advice.

• Lead reviews of business plans, governance arrangements and cash flow forecasts, applying commercial judgment to develop stabilisation, restructuring and/or turnaround options and detailed contingency plans.

• Provide accurate, expert advice, using sound judgement and evidence, to enable informed decision making by institutional senior management teams, executive officers and boards.

• Advise on contingency plans to ensure continuity of supply where there are concerns about an institution's financial sustainability.

• Manage multiple cases and sit on multiple project teams, keeping senior individuals within SFC and Scottish Government engaged and briefed.

• Identify where the team's expertise can support other SFC directorates and teams.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

Your CV / Cover Letter must give evidence 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 build positive, trusted working relationships.

• Excellent commercial experience, including assessing business plans, governance and legal frameworks and cash flow forecasts, options analysis and contingency planning.

• Strong written and oral communication, able to explain complex scenarios clearly to non-experts and confidently challenge assumptions at all levels.

• Proven ability to plan, lead, prioritise and deliver complex projects.

• Strong interpersonal and influencing skills, building relationships with 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

• 35 hours per week with flexi-time. Part-time, compressed hours and other flexible working (including around caring responsibilities) will be considered.

• 30 days annual leave pro-rata, plus 13 days public and privilege holidays pro-rata.

• Hybrid working, with the flexibility to work from home anywhere in the UK for some of the time.

• Annual pay review within the Scottish Government's Public Sector Pay Policy, negotiated with our recognised trade union, Unite.

• Eligibility to join the Civil Service Pension Scheme, with low member contributions and generous employer contributions, giving a secure, inflation-proof pension for life, or a Partnership pension account.

• Continuous professional development through Civil Service Learning, plus a Lifelong Learning Fund contribution.

• Health and wellbeing support, including generous occupational sick pay, a 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme, Special Leave, free winter flu vaccination and occupational health support.

• Volunteering Days.

• Travel support, including a cycle loan scheme, cycle storage and showers, interest-free season ticket loans and free office car parking (first-come basis).

We will consider secondment applications for most fixed-term, temporary and many permanent roles. If this is not mentioned in the advert, please contact .

About Scottish Funding Council

The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) is Scotland's tertiary education and research authority. Our purpose is to sustain a world-leading system of tertiary education, research and innovation that enables students to flourish, changes lives for the better, and supports social, economic and environmental wellbeing and prosperity.

We invest around £2 billion of public money to deliver:

• Tertiary learning and teaching.

• Skills and apprenticeships.

• Student support and participation.

• Research, innovation and knowledge exchange.

• Data collection and dissemination.

• National quality assurance and enhancement processes.

• Capital and digital infrastructure for the sector.

• Strategic change, responsive provision and research priorities.

As a non-departmental public body established by the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 2005, we are accountable to Scottish Government Ministers and the Scottish Parliament, and sponsored by the Lifelong Learning Directorate. We hold colleges, universities and other funded bodies to account for delivery of required outcomes, and are the statistical authority for colleges, working with HESA.

Applicant information

You must already be eligible to work in the UK, as SFC does not offer sponsorship. We welcome applications from everyone regardless of age, disability, race and ethnicity, socio-economic background, gender, sexual orientation, ***, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, religion or belief, including those with skills in Scottish Gaelic or British Sign Language. We are a Disability Confident employer and actively encourage interviews through the scheme.

More information: sfc.ac.uk