Job Description

Disclosure Scotland delivers a critical safeguarding service providing criminal record checking services to individuals and organisations to support safer recruitment and protect vulnerable groups. We are currently undergoing a digital transformation to develop and continuously improve services based on user needs. We are transforming the way the government provides this critical public service to safeguard children and vulnerable adults. To enable this transformation we are working collaboratively across the business to deliver and improve our services using agile methodologies. We’ll design and deliver innovative, resilient and enabling technologies, products and services to meet our current and future requirements.

This post requires a person who has a proven strategic and operational leadership experience and excellent leadership skills. The role requires a knowledge of service delivery, application management and support, cyber security and associated policies, leading a highly effective team through digital service delivery.

Reporting directly to the Director of Policy and Digital Innovation you will support the successful delivery of the Digital Strategy and the Organisation Strategic objectives.

As the service owner you will be accountable for the quality, performance, benefits and outcomes of a service. You will provide clear end-to-end direction, prioritisation, risk management and decision making for teams in line with department, policy and user outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement digital strategies, ensuring alignment with organisational goals and leading teams through digital technology transitions.
• Oversee the day-to-day operation of digital platforms, IT infrastructure, and service management, including cyber security and application support.
• Coordinate with internal departments, external vendors, and partners to ensure seamless service delivery. Manage third party supplier contributions to all Programmes as appropriate.
• Ensure a user-centric approach to digital services, enhancing the experience for both internal staff and external customers.
• Assist in the development of the Annual Delivery Plan and monitor overall progress, including reporting to leadership team, Portfolio Board and DS Board.
• Manage the Digital budget on behalf of the Director of Policy and Digital Innovation, monitoring all expenditures and costs and providing adequate mechanisms to allow for benefits measurement.
• Deputise for the Director of Policy and Digital Innovation and other Directors as and when appropriate.
• Lead multi-disciplinary teams (product managers, developers, analysts), fostering a high-performance culture and empowering staff.
• Ensure all delivery activity complies with organisational frameworks for governance, information management, assurance and change
• Prepare clear, concise and authoritative performance reporting for senior leadership and Executive Management Team, supporting informed decision‑making.
• Drive continuous improvement in delivery performance, including identifying opportunities for automation, improved tooling and more efficient operating models
• Identify the different Government Digital and Data (GDD) roles that are required to support your service and can apply knowledge to work with the staff in these roles.
• The escalation point for major operational issues and champion operational management across the community. You can work closely with leaders of operational delivery teams in Government Digital and Data (GDD).

Success Profile

Success profiles are specific to each job and they include the mix of skills, experience and behaviours candidates will be assessed on.

Technical / Professional Skills:

This role is aligned to the Service Owner Job Role within the Product and Delivery Job Family.

You can find out more about the skills required, here.

These skills are assessed by technical assessment, designed to represent the role. Candidates reaching this stage will receive a Technical Assessment Candidate Pack which outlines the specific skills to be assessed, plus the method of assessment.

Experience:

1. Proven, senior-level experience in operational leadership, digital transformation, and IT service management. Proven experience in directing digital projects or programmes, developing long term vision and objectives and their articulation into credible business cases that align with the strategic direction and priorities of Scottish Government or another organisation as well as developing roadmaps and delivery plans on time and on budget through clear leadership and decision making with agile development teams.

2. Strong knowledge of Agile frameworks, project management, and technology governance. You can provide multiple examples of leading agile teams through the distinct phases of a product lifecycle to deliver large-scale digital projects or programmes which have significant user requirements, business, and technical challenges and/or the need for cross-siloed thinking, maximising the opportunities offered by digital technology.

3. Excellent communication skills and the ability to lead cross-functional teams, including project managers, technical leads, and developers. A and proven ability to motivate self-organising agile teams, delegate decision making to the most effective level, and empower teams to deliver to the best of their abilities.

4. Proven ability to manage significant capital and revenue budgets. Expertise in gathering, analysing, and using user insight and performance data to design, proven technical literacy and continually improve digital services to ensure responsiveness to changing needs and technical developments including assessing risks, scoping resource requirements, managing budgets, and operating costs to ensure value for money and sustainable development of teams and services.

Experience and behaviours are assessed at sift, along with a more in-depth assessment at interview.

The Technical / Professional skills will be tested via assessment at interview stage.

Behaviours:

2. Changing and Improving – Level 4

You can find out more about Success Profiles Behaviours, here

How to apply

Apply online, providing a CV and Supporting Statement (of no more than maximum 1000 words ) which provides evidence of how you meet each of the experience and behaviours listed in the Success Profile above.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools can be used to support your application but all statements and examples provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, and presented as your own) applications will be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action.

Please see our candidate guidance for more information on acceptable and unacceptable uses of AI in recruitment.

If invited for further assessment, this will consist of an interview and a Technical assessment where the behaviours, experiences and technical skills outlined in the Success Profile will be assessed.

Skilled Worker Sponsorship not being offered

Skilled Worker sponsorship is not available for this role. As a result, we are unable to appoint candidates who require Skilled Worker sponsorship now or in the future. Applicants must have an existing and ongoing right to work in the UK.

Assessments are scheduled for Early October however this may be subject to change.