Personal Assistant to Chief Financial Officer
Scroll down to find the complete details of the job offer, including experience required and associated duties and tasks.
Job Reference: schooltalent/TP/33365/2502
Number Of Positions: 1
Contract Type: Part Time Permanent
Contract Details: This position is equivalent to 0.6FTE
Salary: This is a pro rata salary
Working Hours: 21.75 hours
Location: Edinburgh
Closing Date: 10/04/2026
Department: Finance
Region / Division: ESMS
Job Role: Operational/Professional Services
The Role
Erskine Stewart’s Melville Schools are currently recruiting for a Personal Assistant (PA) to the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) to join the Finance Department on a permanent basis from May 2026 (subject to satisfactory pre‑employment check). The post holder will work 21.75 hours per week (equivalent to 0.6FTE), with a pro rata salary of £19,779 per annum. If you have exceptional organisational skills and the ability to efficiently manage a multitude of competing priorities in a complex environment, this role could be for you.
Key Responsibilities
- Assisting the coordination of governance process – including scheduling, document collation and version control for statutory, regulatory and audit‑related activities
- Act as a first point of contact for the CFO’s office, communicating professionally and effectively with all key internal and external stakeholders, including senior and executive leaders of the school, external partners, auditors, regulators, insurers and commercial contracts
- Assist with the organisation of strategic projects, workshops, consultations and planning sessions led by the CFO
- Prepare, administer and maintain a wide range of digital and physical records and documents to a professional, high standard
This role is a permanent, on‑site role and requires a high level of flexibility, responsiveness and ability to manage sensitive and complex matters. Occasional overtime may be required as agreed with your line manager in advance.
Eligibility
ESMS is unable to sponsor the employment of international workers in this role. International applicants will therefore be unable to apply for and secure a Skilled Worker visa. The successful candidate will only be able to take up this role if they can demonstrate an alternative right to work in the UK.
Benefits
- A generous holiday allowance
- Enhanced sick pay
- Family friendly policies, including enhanced maternity leave
- Use of the schools’ swimming pool and fitness room outside school hours
- Membership of the ESMS Discount and Benefits Scheme, including a range of discounts at 130,000 retail and entertainment locations
- Fee remission from Nursery to S6
- Free school lunches
- Free sports club membership, including access to pool and fitness suites
- Generous pension
- Death in service benefit
- Employee Assistance Service
- Cycle to work scheme
- Car leasing salary sacrifice scheme
- Annual professional review process
- Regular salary reviews
- Funding towards professional qualifications
Values
We are looking for individuals who can embody and promote ESMS values of Kindness, Confidence, Resilience, Integrity, and Curiosity while role‑modeling behaviours in line with our school pillars of Ambition, Innovation, and Community.
Safeguarding and Legal Statements
ESMS is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. Applicants must undergo child protection screening, including checks with past employers and Disclosure Scotland. All staff working at ESMS have direct access to young people; therefore all posts within the school are considered exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.
Contact
Any enquiries about this position should be directed to the ESMS Recruitment Team at .
The closing date for applications is 12pm on Friday 10 April, 2026. We anticipate interviews will be held shortly after.
About ESMS
Welcome to the ESMS, a vibrant family of independent schools, set in beautiful grounds in the heart of Edinburgh. We offer a co‑educational nursery and junior school, single‑sex but closely twinned secondary education, and a co‑educational sixth form. We are a consistently award‑winning school, with an educational legacy that stretches back more than 300 years. Our schools have always been pioneers of rounded education. Children’s education is underpinned by our values: kindness, confidence, resilience, integrity and curiosity. From virtual reality headsets in the classroom to developing one of the first outdoor learning programmes in Scotland, we are always searching for new ways to develop the whole child. The people that work for us are passionate, pioneering and strive for excellence in everything they do. We value the incredible contributions they make to school life, we invest in their careers and we support their ambitions so that they flourish professionally and personally. xwzovoh
Attachment
- PA to Chief Financial Officer – Job Description.pdf
…