Our team

Under the leadership of the CEO, the Chief Executive’s directorate works to ensure that SFC is a high performing, well governed and effective organisation.

To contact SFC’s Chief Executive please email ceo@sfc.ac.uk.

The Institutional Performance Directorate is responsible for leading engagement with institutions as part of the assurance model that sets SFC’s expectations for delivery against the SFC Outcomes Framework, providing enhanced support to other teams across SFC in supporting sectoral and individual institutional transformation.  The IP Directorate is also responsible for policy in a range of areas focused on delivering against our statutory duties and strategic priorities, including: the assurance of institutional governance and fair work; protecting student interests; fair access; equality and securing the provision of high quality learning and teaching through Scotland’s Tertiary Quality Enhancement Framework (TQEF).

The Strategic Transformation and Skills Directorate is responsible for the delivery of the transformation programme that will lead to the successful transfer of national training programmes, including apprenticeships, from Skills Development Scotland (SDS) to a redesigned SFC. The transformation also includes the implementation of new duties given to SFC by the Tertiary Education and Training Act.

The Directorate also has responsibility for skills, work-based learning (including apprenticeships) and coherent provision.

The Finance Directorate is responsible for monitoring and assessing the financial health and sustainability of colleges and universities.

It is also responsible for managing SFC’s budget, providing financial services related to SFC’s running costs budgets, and liaising with the Scottish Government on the annual budget process.

The Investment and Research Directorate has responsibility for managing SFC’s investments across teaching, research and innovation, and capital. It has specific responsibility for managing the annual allocations and distribution of funding to colleges and universities.

The Directorate leads SFC’s involvement in the Research Excellence Framework, a period assessment of research quality in universities across the UK that drives the allocation of SFC’s investment in universities’ research funding. The next Research Excellence Framework (REF) assessment takes place in 2029.

The directorate is also responsible for SFC’s work in innovation where its investments create partnerships between academics and businesses. They include Scotland’s Innovation Centres, and Interface, an SFC-funded organisation that matches businesses’ need for innovation with relevant academic expertise.