Business Partner – Corporate Planning and Performance

Job description

Job title: Business Partner – Corporate Planning and Performance 
Team: Corporate Planning and Performance
Location: Any of our offices in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, or Glasgow
Grade: 6
Salary: £52,527
Hours: Full time with flexible working options considered 
Status: Fixed-term (18 months)
Closing date: 12 August 2026
Job ref no: R00696

Be part of building Scotland's future

Help to steer Scottish Enterprise towards a balanced budget position, as well as shape budget plans for the future. This is a varied role, with plenty of development opportunities along the way. 

The role

Our overall budget is around £300 million. Around 80% is funded by the Scottish Government and the remainder from other sources, including investment income and returns from our property portfolio. 

Managing this income and expenditure carefully is central to the role. 

To do this, you’ll provide timely, accurate management accounting and budgeting services, supporting decision-making at every level of the organisation. You’ll also support business planning and future year budget allocations, handle ad-hoc finance requests, and contribute to the production of our annual accounts.

Responsibilities

Supporting delivery of our Finance Strategy, your responsibilities will include: 

• Helping Team Leaders identify and assess financial and budgetary risks that could affect our balanced budget position 
• Helping formulate income and expenditure budget plans that underpin the Scottish Enterprise Business Plan, setting out organisational priorities and the resources available to deliver them 
• Supporting directorates and teams to prepare a detailed operating plan that reconciles to the allocated budget 
• Providing management information and reports to operational areas, and monitoring performance against the operating plan throughout the year. 
• Helping management teams understand the reasons behind budget variances and their implications for future forecasts 
• Providing financial management support to staff across the organisation, acting as the day-to-day link between operational and support directorates and the wider Finance team 
• Training and supporting staff on our corporate systems, helping them plan, monitor and manage the financial and performance aspects of their projects 
• Preparing and contributing to a wide range of financial requests, both internal and external, including those from Scottish Government and Freedom of Information requests 
• Contributing to the development of our financial reporting framework, including tailored reports for different levels of the organisation, drawing on data from a range of sources and systems 
• Ensuring project approvals and income and expenditure accruals are recorded promptly on our corporate systems, so project managers have the budget in place to deliver as planned 
• Contributing to the annual accounts, ensuring balance sheet items are accounted for correctly, and supporting financial disclosures where required 
• Contributing to the development of our new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system and helping to streamline current reporting 

Who we're looking for

Confident and analytical, you bring strong experience in management accounting. You are also comfortable with complexity, communication and collaboration. Monthly and yearly reporting are a key part of the role, so you’ll need to be flexible about your working hours at busier times of the year. 

Essential requirements 

As an experienced management accounting professional, you’ll bring: 

• Membership of a Consultative Committee of Accountancy Bodies (CCAB) institute, the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, or an equivalent overseas qualification 
• Proven experience preparing and delivering management information, performance reports, variance analysis, and related commentary 
• Strong analytical skills and excellent attention to detail 
• A proactive, problem-solving approach 
• The ability to manage change effectively, adapting to evolving financial processes and priorities while supporting  
• Experience of developing organisational reporting and working with complex data sources to meet end-user needs 
• The ability to work collaboratively and build strong relationships across the organisation, making sure information flows openly and on time 
• Strong verbal and written communication skills 
• Advanced Excel skills, including managing large datasets and using pivot tables and complex formulas 
• Ideally, but not essentially, you’ll also have good knowledge of Power BI

How to apply 

If you’re interested in this role, please complete your application form by Wednesday 12 August 2026.

Interview dates

Interviews are expected to take place in late August or early September 2026, with exact dates to be confirmed. 

Life at Scottish Enterprise

As one of Scotland’s Top 10 Flexible Employers, we pride ourselves on empowering our colleagues to work when and where they can best deliver their role in support of our corporate plan.

Learn more about working with us 

Our values

Being part of Scottish Enterprise means being open to new ideas and trying different ways of working. We support each other to reach our full potential. We celebrate shared success and learn together when things don’t go so well. And we always treat each other fairly, with respect and understanding. Together, we are the difference. 

At Scottish Enterprise, we’re proud to celebrate difference. Diversity of experience and thought is vital to the success of our vision for the future of every community across Scotland. As an equal opportunity employer, we actively encourage applicants from a wide range of individuals, irrespective of age, disability, gender reassignment, gender identity and expression, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. 

We commit to providing any reasonable adjustments required, not only during the application and assessment process but throughout employment with us. 

We have the following networks which are open to all colleagues to help drive inclusion, Disability Positive, Gender Balanced, Multi-cultural, Multi-Generational and Pride (LGBTQ+). 

Apply now to build your future with us.