Temporary DDaT Programme Manager (Grade M1)

Application Deadline: 1 June 2026

Department: Corporate Services

Location: Edinburgh - Hybrid

Compensation: Grade M1 £66,924 - £78,930. Civil Service Pension with Employer Contribution of 28.97%. Flexible Working Hours. Hybrid Working.

Description

Our ambition is for Scotland to be the best place in the world to learn, educate, research and innovate, so that all of our nation can flourish.
Our purpose is to create and sustain a world-leading system of tertiary education, research and innovation that changes lives for the better, enriches society and supports sustainable and inclusive economic growth.

To lead the planning, governance and delivery of the DDaT (Digital, Data and Technology) workstream within Scottish Funding Council (SFC) Tertiary Education Training (TET) Bill Programme, ensuring that all technology, data, systems and digital service elements of the apprenticeship funding transfer from Skills Development Scotland (SDS)are delivered to the required standard and timeline for operational readiness by April 2027.

We expect that this role will end in February 2027.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the DDaT workstream of the TET Bill Programme, owning the delivery plan, milestones, dependencies and budget for all technology, data and digital service elements of the transition.
• Establish and maintain programme governance for the DDaT workstream, including reporting into the Joint Governance Group, internal Programme Board and other programme governance structures as required.
• Manage cross workstream dependencies between DDaT and the broader TET Bill Programme, working closely with the Programme Manager and other workstream leads to ensure alignment on sequencing, risks and interdependencies.
• Coordinate the DDaT input to Transitional Services Agreement negotiations with SDS, ensuring that technology, data and systems requirements are accurately captured and that SFC’s interests are protected in service level, access and exit provisions.

Oversee DDaT readiness planning for Day 1 operations, including the managed service arrangements for the apprenticeship funding and payments system (FIPS) under EIS/Leidos, data migration and integration continuity across 15+ external connections, and the standing up of SFC’s internal capability to oversee and assure the transferred services.

Manage risks, issues and dependencies across the DDaT workstream, maintaining appropriate registers and escalating to the CIO and programme governance where intervention is needed.

Lead and develop the DDaT PMO team, including the Lead Business Analyst and Senior Business Analysts, ensuring that requirements analysis, process mapping and business analysis activities are properly scoped, resourced and aligned to programme priorities.

Coordinate with SFC’s Cloud Technology, Data Engineering, Analytics and Digital Delivery teams on TET Bill related work packages, ensuring that permanent team capacity and contractor resource are deployed effectively across programme and BAU commitments.

Work with external advisory and consultancy partners to ensure their outputs are aligned with programme objectives and build on existing feasibility work rather than duplicating it.

Produce clear, accurate programme reporting for senior leadership, the SFC Board and Parliamentary accountability requirements, maintaining transparency on progress, cost, risk and delivery confidence.

Contribute to benefits identification and tracking for the DDaT workstream, ensuring that the transition delivers not just operational continuity but measurable improvement in SFC’s digital and data capability.

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 SKILLS, QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• Proven experience leading programme delivery in complex, multi stakeholder environments involving organisational change, service transition or operational separation, not solely technology implementation.

Demonstrable experience of managing programmes with significant cross organisational dependencies, including working across institutional boundaries where interests may not be fully aligned.

Strong programme governance capability, including structured planning, dependency management, risk and issue escalation, financial tracking and stage gate reporting to senior leadership and boards.

Experience of managing or overseeing managed service arrangements, outsourced delivery or transitional service agreements, with an understanding of how to protect the receiving organisation’s interests.

Experience leading and developing multidisciplinary teams, including business analysts, and coordinating work across technical specialists who do not report directly to the postholder.

Ability to communicate complex technical and programme information clearly to non-technical audiences, including at board and committee level, with strong written and verbal communication skills.

Strong organisational and planning skills with the ability to balance competing priorities across a programme with a fixed statutory deadline and multiple parallel workstreams.

Understanding of digital, data and technology operating models in a public service context, including familiarity with agile and structured delivery methodologies.

DESIRABLE SKILLS

• Experience of TUPE transfers or workforce transition as part of an organisational change programme.
• Familiarity with Microsoft Power Platform, Dynamics 365 or similar enterprise platforms in an oversight or programme management (rather than technical delivery) capacity.
• Experience working within or alongside Scottish Government, its agencies or the wider Scottish public sector.
• Programme management qualification (MSP, PRINCE2 Practitioner or equivalent).
  
  

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 30 days pro-rata, plus 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 P

olicy 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.