Chief Executive

The Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council, known as the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) is Scotland’s tertiary education and research authority. We invest £2 billion annually of public money in tertiary learning and teaching, skills and apprenticeships, student support and participation, research innovation and knowledge exchange.

Directly accountable to Scottish Government Ministers and the Scottish Parliament, our purpose is to sustain a world-leading system of tertiary education, research and innovation that enables students to flourish, changes lives for the better and supports social, economic and environmental wellbeing and prosperity.

The tertiary education sector is undergoing significant change. SFC has a strong track record of delivering reform, building trusted relationships with government, funded bodies and a range of partners to secure a more sustainable system for the future. The Scottish Government has recently published a consultation paper seeking views on further change in the post-16 funding body landscape. Each of the options places SFC at the heart of future delivery and we look forward to building on the strong foundations we have with our partners to shape and deliver the government’s reform ambitions.

More information on the consultation is available on the  Scottish Government website:

Post-school education and skills reform legislation: consultation – gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Our Chief Executive, Karen Watt, retired in early July 2024, and we seek an exceptional strategic leader to build on her transformative impact. We are looking for a leader who will combine proven analytical and financial skills with the ability to influence effectively at the highest levels of government, while leading a culture of continuous improvement and inclusion internally.

This role offers a unique opportunity to steward significant parts of the reform agenda and have lasting impact on tertiary education in Scotland.

For more information and to apply please click here and our advising consultants, Gatenby Sanderson can also provide a confidential and informal opportunity to discuss the role. Please do feel free to contact Fatima Al Hasanee on fatima.alhasanee@gatenbysanderson.com

 Closing date: 12pm on Monday 16^th September 2024