Part-Time Assistant Business Accountant in Edinburgh

This is a part-time post working 17.5 hours. We’re committed to supporting staff to achieve a healthy work-life balance and are happy to talk about flexible working. This is a hybrid role, working from Holyrood, and from home. In line with Finance Office colleagues, the role-holder will be expected to work from Holyrood on at least two half-days per week (Tuesday and Thursday).

About the Scottish Parliament

The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body is responsible for providing the Parliament with the property, staff and services required for the Parliament’s purposes. We place a high value on excellence, and we are continually looking to improve how we can deliver the Parliament's core purpose of representing the people of Scotland by debating issues of national importance, passing legislation and holding the Scottish Government to account. We are a diverse workforce, and our embedded values shape the way we work and treat each other. We have a culture of respect and inclusion, and everyone has the ability to make a difference.

About the role

This is an excellent opportunity for someone who is part way through their accountancy exams, or may have developed significant experience in a finance environment, to develop their management-accounting and finance business-partnering career in a high-profile public-sector organisation. Working with the support of experienced, professionally qualified colleagues, you will take day-to-day responsibility for the financial management of a portfolio of lower-risk business areas. You will build constructive relationships with budget holders, produce and interpret management information, maintain robust forecasts and provide practical advice to support effective decision-making.

• Management accounting, budgeting, forecasting and business partnering;
• Corporate accounting, payments and financial reporting;
• Stewardship of financial systems, policies, procedures and controls.

Working with the support and oversight of a qualified Business Accountant, you will take day-to-day responsibility for the financial management of a designated portfolio of lower-risk business areas. You will be their principal contact for routine financial advice, reporting and forecasting, escalating complex, sensitive or higher-risk matters where appropriate. You will be responsible for carrying out month-end tasks including the preparation and analysis of monthly reports, identifying budget pressures and surpluses and communicating any pertinent information in order to support informed decision making. You will contribute to a supportive team culture in which colleagues are empowered to deliver high-quality work that enhances the reputation of the Parliament. You will champion collaborative working with colleagues across the parliamentary service, promoting positive and open communication, as well as our commitment to diversity and inclusion.

We offer a great range of benefits including: 41.5 leave days (including public holidays), flexible working, paid professional subscriptions, family-friendly policies, Season Ticket advance loans, an onsite gym, Health and Wellbeing Schemes including discounted gym membership, a confidential counselling and information service, and the Cycle to Work Scheme. You’ll also have the opportunity to join the Alpha Civil Service pension scheme, where we’ll offer you an employer contribution of 28.97% of your basic salary.

About you

You will be actively studying towards, and have made demonstrable progress with, a recognised professional accountancy qualification such as CIPFA, ACCA, CIMA or ICAS/ACA. Alternatively, you will be able to demonstrate an equivalent level of relevant management-accounting knowledge and experience. We are seeking an individual who has experience of building effective, constructive relationships with budget managers and support staff. You will be well organised, analytical in approach, able to interpret and challenge financial and non-financial data, identify root causes and propose practical solutions.

Practical experience of management accounting is essential, including budgeting, forecasting, variance analysis and month-end processes. You will also have experience of working directly with budget holders or other non-finance stakeholders or demonstrate the skills and potential to develop quickly as an effective finance business partner. Experience with Oracle Fusion would be advantageous. You must have a good level of experience with Microsoft Office products, in particular strong practical Excel skills, including the ability to manipulate and analyse financial data using formulas, lookups, pivot tables and structured spreadsheets. You must be comfortable with working within an evolving systems environment.

Strong communication skills are essential with the ability to present financial information clearly and accessibly to a range of stakeholders. You will enjoy working collaboratively as part of a busy team and be willing to help and support colleagues as necessary.

How to apply

Stage 1: Please apply before 12:00 noon, Wednesday 18 November 2026. To find out how to apply and for further information about our recruitment process, please see our recruitment process pages on the website.

Stage 2: If your application is successful, you’ll be invited to attend an interview which will include a presentation. Interviews will be held week commencing 7 December or 14 December, although this is subject to change. Offers will be awarded based on merit. For this role, the following weighting is used to come to a final score on which offers will be based: Application 20%, Presentation 20%, Interview 60%.

All new starts will be appointed to the first scale point of the grade for their role. For information on progression through the scale points, see our Pay and Reward Policy Statement. Feedback will only be provided on request to those who attend interview.