Chief Executive Officer Full Time

The Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council, known as the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) is Scotland’s tertiary education and research authority. We invest £2 billion annually of public money in tertiary learning and teaching, skills and apprenticeships, student support and participation, research innovation and knowledge exchange.

Directly accountable to Scottish Government Ministers and the Scottish Parliament, 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.

The tertiary education sector is undergoing significant change. SFC has a strong track record of delivering reform, building trusted relationships with government, funded bodies and a range of partners to secure a more sustainable system for the future. The Scottish Government has recently published a consultation paper seeking views on further change in the post-16 funding body landscape. Each of the options places SFC at the heart of future delivery and we look forward to building on the strong foundations we have with our partners to shape and deliver the government’s reform ambitions.

More information on the consultation is available on the Scottish Government website.

Post-school education and skills reform legislation: consultation – gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Our current Chief Executive, Karen Watt, retired in early July 2024, and we seek an exceptional strategic leader to build on her transformative impact. We are looking for a leader who will combine proven analytical and financial skills with the ability to influence effectively at the highest levels of government, while leading a culture of continuous improvement and inclusion internally.

This role offers a unique opportunity to steward significant parts of the reform agenda and have lasting impact on tertiary education in Scotland.

For more information and to apply please click https://join-sfc.com/ and our advising consultants, Gatenby Sanderson can also provide a confidential and informal opportunity to discuss the role. Please do feel free to contact Rosemary Baylis-West, or Khadeeja Khalid on: khadeeja.khalid@gatenbysanderson.com

Job description

Key accountabilities

• Set a culture of collaborative leadership and teamwork to deliver SFC’s mission and plans with creativity, pace, impact and rigour, and with a clear sense of purpose.
• Provide high quality advice and guidance to SFC’s Board to support good governance, effective oversight and strategic direction-setting.
• Take a key leadership role across the tertiary education, skills and research system, building trusted relationships with government, funded bodies, and a range of partners, including employers and wider industry. This will include working across boundaries in a complex environment, in order to secure change, reform, impact and a more sustainable system for the future.
• Secure SFC’s position as the expert, authoritative source of information, insight, advice and evidence to inform policy-making, funding and budget decisions, the development of funded bodies, performance reporting and system change across tertiary education, skills development, research and innovation.
• Be a role model for the organisation’s ambition and values, to lead and inspire a culture of inclusive management, diversity, continuous improvement, good employee engagement and union relations, and workforce development.
• Lead and manage change within SFC to shape and deliver the government’s reform ambitions as outlined by the Post-school education and skills reform legislation consultation.
• Be the Accountable Officer, accountable to the Scottish Parliament and the Board for SFC’s expenditure, ensuring that effective governance, systems, processes and people are in place to demonstrate the effective stewardship of public funds and the impact of SFC’s investment in delivering national priorities and a highly functioning tertiary education and research system.
• Ensure robust performance and risk management arrangements are in place that support the achievement of SFC’s aims and objectives and that facilitate comprehensive reporting to the Board, the Scottish Government, the Scottish Parliament, and the wider public.

Person specification

• Leadership: you must be a confident and visible leader, with the ability to lead, motivate, build and develop an organisation with a significant budget and diverse range of functions, through a time of change, continually improving, delivering results, and with the capacity and capability to respond to new responsibilities. This includes the ability to plan and set a direction, and a track record of collaborative leadership with external stakeholders to deliver agreed outcomes; and compassionate, collegiate leadership within the organisation in line with SFC’s values and commitment to a culture of high performance, inclusion, diversity, empowerment and the promotion of staff wellbeing.
• Resource management: experience of being responsible for a large budget or distributing significant funds, while demonstrating sound governance arrangements to secure accountability and best value for public investment.
• Influence, authority and integrity: excellent communication skills in a range of contexts and mediums, smart, with good personal impact and integrity, and the ability to develop trusted relationships with a range of partners and stakeholders, and upholding the principles and practice of good governance and high ethical standards.
• Judgement and political astuteness: the ability to advise the Board and the Scottish Government on the key elements of SFC’s mission and alignment with government priorities with sound judgement, the ability to deploy good evidence, and a clear understanding of roles and responsibilities.
• Personal effectiveness and delivery: highly motivated to make a positive personal impact and secure results, able to handle a range of internal and external pressures, while acting as a role model and ambassador for the values of the organisation. This includes having the self-awareness and resilience needed to look after yourself and those you lead, in order to sustain effectiveness and delivery at a senior level in a political and complex environment.
• Knowledge of the education and research context: strong understanding of the context in which Scottish further and higher education is operating and the role of education and research in driving social, cultural and economic benefits.
• Deep personal commitment to advancing diversity and inclusion at all levels within the organisation and within the tertiary education system more broadly.

Benefits
Alongside your salary of £128,000, Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council contributes £34,560 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Normal full-time hours of work are 35 per week. We will consider flexible working arrangements.

Annual leave entitlement of 26.5 days pro-rata, rising to 30 days pro-rata after 2 years’ continuous service. Public and privilege holiday entitlement of 13 days pro-rata.

Annual pay review: approved within the framework of the Scottish Government’s Public Sector Pay Policy.

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.

Things you need to know…

Selection process details

For more information and to apply visit https://join-sfc.com/ and our advising consultants, GatenbySanderson can also provide a confidential and informal opportunity to discuss the role.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

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