Project Manager - Funding Workstreams (Grade M1) (Temporary)

Application Deadline: 26 October 2025

Department: Corporate Services

Employment Type: Fixed Term - Full Time

Location: Edinburgh - Hybrid

Compensation: Grade M1 GBP 62,172 - GBP 73,326. Civil Service Pension. Flexible Working Hours. Hybrid Working.

Description

To provide comprehensive programme management expertise to support Funding workstreams across SFC, including strategic projects, engagement in the Scottish budget with respect to universities and colleges, and the planning, detailed design, and implementation of a review of the Scottish Funding Council's (SFC) approach to the funding of college and universities.

This role is fixed term for 18 months.

Virtual interviews will take place week commencing 3 November 2025.

Key Responsibilities

• Reporting to the Deputy Director, Strategic Change and working closely with the Deputy Director, Tertiary Education Funding and other senior staff across SFC, direct and monitor the work of the workstreams within the funding review of SFC's approach to the funding of colleges and universities, developing and monitoring a programme plan with a clear timetable to ensure that identified outcomes and programme benefits are achieved.
• Work across programme activities to ensure that project interdependencies are identified and actively managed.
• Ensure strong adherence to programme governance and how this integrates with internal governance within Scottish Funding Council, as well as to external stakeholders.
• Actively identify and manage problems, risks and issues which may affect the successful delivery of the programmes, initiating or escalating corrective action as appropriate.
• Work with the Deputy Director, Strategic Change to ensure necessary changes are embedded across the organisation, to enable benefits to be realised.
• Support the stakeholder engagement in all aspects of communication related to the funding review. This will also include drafting papers/reports, such as for working groups and the SFC Board and committees.
• Monitor and report progress against all plans at project and programme level and to the relevant programme groups and other external bodies (if appropriate).
• Maintain awareness of the national policy agenda that influences the successful delivery of the programmes.
• Ensure programme and project management methodologies are deployed consistently.
• Develop project management capability of key staff involved in through training and coaching.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

It is important through your CV / Cover Letter that you give evidence of proven experience of each of the following essential criteria:

Essential

• Extensive programme and project management experience ideally backed by PRINCE2 Practitioner / APMP Practitioner, Project Management Professional (PMP) or equivalent Project Management methodologies.
• Good knowledge of Programme methodology including Managing Successful Programmes (MSP) and experience of working within a programme structure.
• Extensive experience in organisational change management, ideally with some experience gained in the public sector/educational sector.
• Excellent communication, presentation, interpersonal and influencing skills with an ability to build and maintain strong relationships at all levels.
• Solutions-focused with excellent problem-solving, analytical and critical thinking skills.
• Ability to foster a culture of trust and co-operation, and team working with strong customer and results focus while being politically aware with highly effective networking skills.
• Highly motivated/enthusiastic and driven with high level of personal resilience to remain effective in changing business circumstances.
• Decisive in making well thought-through decisions and ability to work independently and take the initiative.
• Good knowledge and experience of budget management together with sound business case development skills.
• Confident and competent in a range of IT applications including Microsoft Office applications.

Desirable

• An understanding of the Scottish further and higher education landscape and the role of SFC within this.
• Analytical thinker able to interpret information and statistical performance analysis for both internal and external purposes while competent in the use of Visio and MS Project.

Terms and Benefits
• Normal full-time hours of work are 35 per week. We will consider flexible working arrangements. A flexi-time system is in operation.
• 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.
• A flexible approach to hybrid working, giving you flexibility to work from home anywhere in the UK for some of the time while also maintaining regular in-person contact with colleagues.
• Annual pay review: approved within the framework of the Scottish Government's Public Sector Pay Policy and negotiated with our recognised trade union, Unite. Salaries are reviewed annually in April for employees who commence employment prior to 1 October in the preceding year.
• 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.

Although most salaried roles are advertised as full time positions (35 hours a week), we are happy to discuss part-time or compressed hours to suit a candidates circumstances. We also operate a flexible working scheme to work around a candidate's other commitments such as caring responsibilities.We will consider secondment applications for most salaried fixed-term or temporary positions and in many cases also for salaried permanent positions. If you are interested in applying on a secondment basis and this option is not explicitly mentioned in the job advert, please contact recruitment@sfc.ac.uk for further information.