The Organisation:

Scotland is recognised internationally for the quality and diversity of its history and our historical environment has a huge part to play in that. Not only does our historic environment directly impact tourism in Scotland, it is estimated to contribute in excess of £2.3 billion to Scotland’s national gross value added. Historic Environment Scotland (HES) is the lead public body that is set up to investigate, care for and promote Scotland’s historic environment. HES is responsible for the delivery of “Our Place in Time”, a strategy that sets out a vision of how the historic environment in Scotland can be understood, valued, cared for and enjoyed, both now and in the future.

HES is responsible for over 300 properties, including Edinburgh Castle, which collectively welcome more than 5 million visitors per year. Consequently, in addition to Scottish Government funding, HES generates income through its’ commercial activities.

The Opportunity:

HES is delivering transformational change through our Programme for Success. The delivery of a new Corporate Management Information System (CMIS) is a key project within this programme.  We are implementing Oracle Cloud ERP and HCM and the project is focused on achieving improved business processes, providing our leadership teams with direct access to rich information that will support and enable strategic and operational decisions to be taken.    It will also herald the roll out of employee and manager self-service across our diverse estate.

We are in the process of establishing a full time, dedicated project team to implement CMIS. The team will include Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) in Finance, HR, Corporate Analysis & Performance (CAP), and Systems Administration.

The Financial Systems Implementation Lead will drive the replacement of our current system (Integra) by the Oracle Fusion financials solution, but you will work as part of the wider team, recognising and supporting the need for the integrated solution to deliver across all of the components, as well as transforming the way in which corporate information is produced and consumed.

Key Responsibilities:

• Working with the project manager (and the appointed implementation partner), develop detailed plans for the Financials specific configuration activities (including procurement and expenses);
• Lead and document workshop sessions, review meetings etc, with functional staff (please note, whilst the primary focus will be on financials, you may also be asked to facilitate other functional workshops where required);
• Liaise with other functional leads in a structured way, to ensure that dependencies between other CMIS functions and wider HES functions (e.g. Commercial income, EPOS, stock management etc) are delivered at the right time and to the right standard.
• Provide HES specific guidance to the implementation partner throughout all configuration tasks – in particular with regard to key accounting requirements such as complex VAT accounting etc;
• Communicate specific progress and issues to the project manager for the detailed Financials workstreams;
• Work with the project manager to develop test plans, including engaging with Finance and other users to secure buy in, and to identify resource availability;
• Engage with users, throughout configuration and testing, to ensure that any issues are resolved quickly;
• Monitor achievement of finance function benefits (as identified in the business case) as the project progresses

The Candidate Profile:

The successful candidate will be a qualified accountant (CCAB/CIMA) with relevant post-qualified experience. The success of the Project team in HES will not only require the technical capability of a qualified accountant, but the correct approach and communication skills.

It is essential that candidates display all the required personal characteristics, in particular, the ability to communicate with stakeholders at all levels across the business.

Qualifications & Professional Memberships:

• CCAB or CIMA professional qualification with evidence of continuing professional development (essential)

Essential requirements:

• Proven experience in financial and system accounting
• Ability to drive change with peers and senior stakeholders
• Excellent planning and organisational skills
• Strong communication and facilitation skills
• Self-motivated and driven to achieve measurable results
• A strong team player

Desirable requirements:

• Previous experience of working with, or implementing, an integrated ERP solution
• Previous experience of working in a fast-paced project environment
• Experience of using MS Project and MS Visio (with BPMN function)

Please note that this is a two year fixed-term contract. The salary on offer is £37,931 - £43,955 with additional benefits, including Civil Service Pension Scheme and free entry to all HES properties.