Job Description

This opportunity is only open to internal Scottish Government applicants who are currently 'Priority Movers'. Applications from individuals not currently on the Priority Mover list will be rejected and not considered.

This Senior Policy Adviser sits across the School Infrastructure Team and the Resilience and Preparedness team in the School Infrastructure, Organisation and Resilience Unit in the new Education Directorate.

This Senior Policy Adviser sits across the School Infrastructure Team and the Resilience and Preparedness team in the School Infrastructure, Organisation and Resilience Unit in the new Education Directorate. The Unit plays a key role in the Scottish education system, leading on policy on school estate organisation, school buildings, preparedness and system resilience.

The work of the teams is highly varied and offers excellent opportunities to work in a fast-paced environment with extensive engagement with other policy teams, Ministers and external stakeholders. We are committed to having a positive, inclusive working culture, and applications on any working pattern are welcome. You will be encouraged and supported to take up development opportunities and expand your skills.

This post will be the senior policy lead for overall estate improvement and crisis preparedness. You will be responsible for delivering key Ministerial priorities on a number of school estate issues and improvement projects e.g. Barra and Vatersay Community Campus, and priorities in relation to crisis preparedness, as well as lead for co-ordination of resilience response (including SGORR) across the Directorate.

Responsibilities

• Support the development of the Barra school capital build project, working with Heath Directorate, Infrastructure Division, local stakeholders and others to realise the best possible outcome for the local community and ensure vfm from SG investment.
• Support work on preparedness and planning across the Directorate for future emergencies/threat, feeding into wider resilience work across SG. This will include work to respond to the recommendations of the Covid Inquiries, and ongoing work to respond to requests from the Inquiries as needed.
• Monitor and report on school estate resilience issues, gathering information from local authorities, supporting risk assessments and contributing to responses on matters such as severe weather, building condition and operational continuity, and feeding into SGORR.
• Lead for other issues relating to overall school estate improvement, responding flexibly to new priorities, and link with other SG areas (e.g. net zero, heat in buildings, cladding, sustainability).
• Draft high quality analysis, briefings, correspondence and contributions for Ministers, senior officials and corporate processes (including PQs, FOIs, MiCase and directorate reporting).
• Provide reliable policy and project support functions, including maintaining action logs, and ensuring timely delivery against team priorities.
• Engage and maintain effective working relationships with partners across local authorities, agencies and internal SG teams to support policy development, delivery and consistent application of school estate guidance as well as with Scottish Futures Trust and Partners

Working pattern

This role is a permanent level transfer position.

How to Apply

Applications for this position will only be accepted from substantive B3 employees.

Please submit a statement outlining your suitability for the role, relevant skills and experience, and what you would bring to the team (maximum 500 words).

Selection Process

All candidates will be invited to an informal discussion with the Hiring Manager.

Informal discussion dates tbc.

Further Information

If you have specific questions about the role, please contact john.nicol@gov.scot

Read our Candidate Guide for further information on our recruitment and application processes.