Catherine Young
Project manager

"My role... involves scoping the project to ensure it addresses the key issues and developing suitable methods to capture the information we need."

I’ve been working for Audit Scotland for around eight years now. I joined on a temporary basis and knew right away it was where I wanted to stay. I was attracted by the high profile of the organisation and the potential impact the work has on the way in which public services are delivered in Scotland. The commitment, enthusiasm and friendliness of the people who work here also really impressed me. I was successful in my application for a permanent post as project officer in the Health and Community Care directorate. After three years I was promoted to performance auditor and then last year I was promoted to project manager.

The variety of projects on which I have worked has greatly enhanced my skills and given me the opportunity to develop lots of new skills. I hadn’t been involved in audit before joining Audit Scotland so it has been, and continues to be, a great learning and development experience. There have been many training opportunities and my colleagues have always been very supportive; there’s a definite commitment within the organisation to help staff develop to their full potential. We tend to work in project teams at Audit Scotland, and I find this teamwork dimension very enjoyable.

My role as project manager is to manage specific performance audit projects and ensure we deliver high-quality work on time. This involves scoping the project to ensure it addresses the key issues and developing suitable methods to capture the information we need. It also involves undertaking fieldwork such as interviews with staff at audited bodies. This is a great opportunity to get out and about and meet with people working within the services; it also provides a sound understanding of the complex issues that our projects cover. As project manager, it’s also my responsibility to pull together the project findings and write the national report which goes to the Parliamentary Public Audit Committee.

Overall, I really enjoy the variety of the work and I’m gaining valuable experience every day. The role of project manager offers a great chance to work on interesting and challenging high profile projects and it is very rewarding to know that Audit Scotland’s work can have a positive impact on public services in Scotland.