Secretary to the Accounts Commission for Scotland

We’re looking for someone to join us as a Secretary to the Accounts Commission. This post has responsibility for managing a small team and the post holder will achieve results by working with and through others, accessing support from other teams. The ability to build and maintain strong relationships with a wide variety of stakeholders is imperative to this role.

You can find more information about the Accounts Commission on our website and more about Audit Scotland’s work, here on our website.

Overall purpose of the role

Accountable and reporting directly into the Chief Operating Officer of Audit Scotland as an Audit Scotland employee.

You will be accountable to the Chair and Members of the Accounts Commission for the services provided directly to them. Your objectives will be set jointly by the Chair of the Accounts Commission and the Chief Operating Officer of Audit Scotland.

What you will be doing

This post has responsibility for managing a small team and the post holder will need to achieve results by working with and through others, accessing support from other teams. The post holder will:

• Build, develop and maintain effective relationships with:
• the Chair, Deputy Chair and members of the Commission and the Controller of Audit;
• the Auditor General for Scotland;
• Audit Scotland Executive Team and equivalent post holders within partner audit firms;
• Senior staff within Audit Scotland in the discharge of its role of providing services to the Commission, as well as ensuring the effective performance management of reporting by Audit Scotland to the Commission and its Committees;
• Chief executives and leaders of councils, directors and heads of departments in the Scottish Government, with senior staff within the Scottish Parliament and in the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA, SOLACE and other Stakeholders);
• Professional associations, the Improvement Services and with scrutiny regulatory and audit bodies within Scotland and within the UK.
• Provide strategic policy advice to the Commission including the high-level analysis of complex options in relation to the Commission’s duties and responsibilities, as well as advice to the Commission on emerging issues/developments which may have implication for the role and work of the Commission;
• Evaluate and advise on legislative proposals and the passage of Bills within the Scottish Parliament which may have implications for the role and work of the Commission;
• Provide ethical and procedural advice to the Commission and its Committees advice on legislation – sourcing legal advice by the use of solicitors or counsel as appropriate, including acting as the Commission’s Standards Officer and liaising with the Audit Scotland ethics partner as appropriate.
• Oversee the administrative service to members including preparation and circulation of agendas, reports and other papers, attendance at meetings, preparation of minutes;
• Facilitate the Commission’s handling of statutory reports including correspondence with parties, arrangements of hearings, briefing of members and drafting of questions;
• Drafting findings, often to very tight deadlines, and overseeing publication of reports;
• Oversee the preparation of the Commission’s Strategy, Annual Plan, and Annual Report and report progress of such plans against agreed timescales;
• Provide and maintain risk management arrangements for the Commission;
• Develop and ensure the delivery of a communication and engagement strategy for the Commission;
• Develop and maintain training, development and support arrangements, in conjunction with the Chair and Deputy Chair, to support Commission members;
• Lead and manage a small team of support and specialist colleagues;
• Ensure the Commission’s conduct of its business in all its work meets the highest standards of probity and propriety

Standards Officer duties include:

• Promoting and maintaining high standards of conduct through advice, support and training to members on the Ethical Standards framework, including the Members’ Code of Conduct;
• Liasing with the Ethics Partner at Audit Scotland on any novel or complex standards matters;
• Maintaining an approach to registering of interests;
• Having an investigatory role if local resolution is attempted in respect of complaints or concerns made about a member’s conduct, or if this fails, reporting any breach to the Commissioner for Ethical Standards in Public Life in Scotland;
• Acting as the principal liaison officer between the Commission, the Ethical Standards Commissioner and the Standards Commission in connection with any complaints against a member of the body in relation to the Ethical Standards Framework.

Knowledge & Experience

Probably qualified to university degree level, you will have extensive experience and understanding of the Scottish public sector. You can demonstrate a track record of understanding how governance works in complex organisations, the role of committees and the way in which committee business is planned and organised, and have experience of maintaining the highest standards of probity and proprietary, along with a track record of building and maintaining effective relationships at senior level

Person specification - specific knowledge and experience 

Essential

• Excellent communication/interpersonal skills
• Developing and managing effective working relationships (senior stakeholder management)
• Ability to think strategically and creatively
• Ability to be flexible in changing circumstances
• Disciplined and organised with good project management and time management skills
• Ability to present balanced findings to a high standard, both orally and in writing and convincing and persuasive recommendations
• Ability to analyse complex problems and deliver practical, realistic and workable solutions

You will be able to demonstrate a good understanding of:

• Sound governance, proprietary, probity and Committee meeting facilitation
• Corporate and business planning processes
• Policy development, research and report production
• Developing and managing effective reporting mechanisms
• Microsoft Office applications

Interested? Next steps 

• Click the apply button to complete an application form. If you wish, you can also share your CV. We offer a range of benefits, please visit our careers page for more information at http://www.audit-scotland.gov.uk/careers.
• Our application deadline is Monday 3rd June at midnight.
• We have reserved Monday 17 June 2024 for in person interviews at our Edinburgh office.

Audit Scotland

Our vision is that public money is well spent to meet the needs of Scotland's people.

To achieve this, we support the Auditor General for Scotland and the Accounts Commission to provide clear, independent and objective assurance on how effectively public money is being managed and spent. Our work covers about £59bn of public spending, almost 300 public sector accounts, and the services and projects that affect all people and communities in Scotland.

As well as what we do, how we do it is integral to delivering our vision and critical to our wellbeing and our organisational success. We put our organisational values of equality, independence, innovation, integrity and respect at the heart of everything we do.

We employ around 340 staff in a wide variety of roles, working from our main offices in Edinburgh and Glasgow, and through a network of regional offices across Scotland.

There has never been a more interesting or important time to join us. We offer a rewarding place to work, a supportive and open culture and a wide range of professional development opportunities. Benefits include 42 days of annual leave including public holidays, an attractive local government pension scheme with 19.4% employer contributions, personal development allowances and flexible working hours. We’ve also been named one of the top 25 workplaces in Scotland and the UK’s tenth best accountancy workplace in the 2023 Best Companies awards.

Diversity and Inclusion 

We value the unique perspective a diverse workforce brings to what we do. Therefore, we’re keen to increase representation in our workforce and support progression of minority ethnic groups. We are also a proud disability confident employer.

Reasonable Adjustments

Audit Scotland’s recruitment process may include various stages and activities including application forms, online assessments, and interviews, to assess whether you meet the requirements of the role.

As a Disability Confident employer, we are committed to providing inclusive and accessible recruitment where everyone is supported to perform at their best.

When applying for a job with Audit Scotland, you will be asked in the application form if you need an adjustment at any stage of the recruitment process. Please include the reason you require an adjustment and details of what adjustment/s might help.

Some examples of adjustments that have been given to candidates include changing the time, location or format of interviews and providing additional time in any assessments and interviews. This is not an exhaustive list, and we will consider any adjustments that you might need.

As part of our commitment to equality and diversity, our equality network groups would be delighted to offer an insight into Audit Scotland’s culture of inclusivity. If you consider yourself to have a visible or hidden disability and wish to hear more about life at Audit Scotland or wish to speak with someone about the possibility of any adjustments, please contact Careers@audit-scotland.gov.uk or call 0131 625 1500 for further information and a member of the HR team will be in touch.

How we work 

We employ around 340 staff in a wide variety of roles. They work flexibly at home and in the office as well as from audit sites across Scotland. This isn’t your typical work from home or work from office type job. We’re flexible about working patterns and we’ve transformed how we deliver high-quality public audit. We support you to work in the ways that achieve the best results for you, your team and the business, including your physical location and how you manage your hours. Put simply, we trust you to do your job, and want you to have the ability to have a rewarding work-life balance and best support your individual circumstances, be that childcare, adult carer responsibilities or managing disabilities.

We welcome applications from across the UK. Some travel to our offices or client sites will be necessary at times, but you don’t need to live in Scotland to work for us.

Other conditions 

Audit Scotland is committed to ensuring that:

• We minimise our impact on the environment in accordance with Government policy affecting public sector organisations.
• We uphold the principles of equality, fairness & diversity.
• We all work within a safe environment and adhere to good standards of health & safety.
• All information is protected and managed appropriately.
• We maintain independence and political neutrality.