
Transport Scotland’s Infrastructure Projects Directorate is responsible for the design, assessment, promotion, procurement and construction of major transport infrastructure projects. These include the A9 Dualling Programme, A83 Rest and Be Thankful project and the A96 Dualling Inverness to Aberdeen, along with new projects emerging from the second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2). The Directorate also leads and advises on other procurement and contract management matters for Transport Scotland.
This is an exciting and challenging engineering position, contributing to maintaining Transport Scotland’s status as a centre of excellence for the delivery of major projects. The post will be within the Contracts Team which supports the Infrastructure Projects Directorate by providing expert advice on procurement, contract and commercial issues. The team is also responsible for the delivery of end-to-end procurements for the Directorate when required, as well keeping and updating contract and procurement document templates. This includes supporting the delivery of high profile and complex major transport infrastructure projects, many of which are high value/high risk.
The Contracts Team leads on the delivery of specialist advice to the Scottish Ministers and Senior Management within Transport Scotland on a wide range of particularly complex and sensitive procurement, contractual and commercial issues, and has an important role to play in supporting the delivery of sustainable procurement across Major Projects. The team also represents the interests of Transport Scotland on Scottish Government initiatives, such as the development of the Scottish Government National Civil Engineering Framework Dynamic Purchasing System and wider industry initiatives such as the Scottish Construction Accord.
The post holder will report to a C1 Contracts Team Leader and will work within a multi-disciplinary programme team; you will provide technical leadership and engineering expertise to support the delivery of projects, including the A9 Dualling Programme, through the procurement and construction phases. You will work closely with consultants, contractors, stakeholders and colleagues to ensure delivery aligned with project objectives on time, to budget and in a manner that delivers a quality solution safely and efficiently.
Whilst this post is for a role within the Contracts Team, flexibility will be required to work across the Directorate as priorities and workloads dictate.
You must hold a suitable degree in Civil Engineering or equivalent and be a chartered member of an appropriate professional body (e.g. CEng) and registered with the Engineering Council.
Proof of qualifications will be checked at the assessment stage.
Success profiles are specific to each job and they include the mix of behaviours, experience and technical criteria (if applicable) that candidates will be assessed on. The Success Profile will include the Professional / Technical skills, Experience and Behaviours.
You can find out more about the skills required, here: insert link to framework
Find out more about Success Profiles.
Apply online, providing a CV and supporting statement (of no more than 1500 words) providing evidence of how you meet the behaviours, experience and technical skills listed in the Success Profile above. Both the CV and the supporting statement provided will be assessed against the criteria for the role.
Please note, for this vacancy we will be carrying out an initial sift based on the following qualification requirement:
You must have suitable degree in Civil Engineering or equivalent and be a chartered member of an appropriate professional body (e.g. CEng) and registered with the Engineering Council.
Candidates who do not state the above will be sifted out at the initial sift. Only candidates who provide this information will be taken through to the full sift.
Candidates who pass the initial Qualification sift will then be sifted on the 4 Experience criteria. If invited for further assessment, this will consist of an interview and presentation where all criteria in the Success Profile above will be tested including the Behaviours.
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 (Presentation). Assessments are scheduled for w/c (TBC) however this may be subject to change.
As a government organisation, we adhere to the Civil Service Commission Recruitment Principles and we investigate any complaints received in relation to recruitment cases.
Transport Scotland is the national transport agency, seeking to deliver a safe, efficient, cost-effective and sustainable transport system for the benefit of the people of Scotland. Transport Scotland is accountable to Parliament and the public through Scottish Ministers, with a budget of around £4 billion per year. Transport is a vital feature of the Scottish Government's focus on increasing sustainable economic growth, and transport investments and policies have major impacts on the economy, people, and the environment.
The Scottish Government is the devolved government for Scotland. We have responsibility for a wide range of key policy areas including: education, health, the economy, justice, housing and transport. We offer rewarding careers and employ people across Scotland in a wide range of professions and roles.
Our staff are part of the UK Civil Service, working for Ministers and senior stakeholders to deliver vital public services which improve the lives of the people of Scotland.
We offer a supportive and inclusive working environment along with a wide range of employee benefits. Find out more about what we offer.
As part of the UK Civil Service, we uphold the Civil Service Nationality Rules.
Our standard hours are 35 hours per week and we offer a range of flexible working options depending on the needs of the role.
Transport Scotland staff in hybrid-compatible roles should aim to work in-person 40% of the time, either in an office or other agreed work location.
Successful candidates must complete the Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS), before they can be appointed. BPSS is comprised of four main pre-employment checks – Identity, Right to work, Employment History and a Criminal Record check (unspent convictions).
This post currently attracts a £7,862 annual engineer pay supplement, applicable after a 3 months competency qualifying period. The payment will be backdated to your start date in the role. Pay supplements are reviewed regularly and there is one currently underway. Changes will be communicated when the review is concluded.
You can find out more about BPSS on the UK Government website, and read about the Government Vetting Charter, or about all the different levels of security checks in our Candidate Guide.
Internal candidates may need to gain higher security clearance than they currently hold if successful in their application.
We are committed to equality and inclusion and we aim to recruit a diverse workforce that reflects the population of our nation.
Find out more about our commitment to diversity and how we offer and support recruitment adjustments for anyone who needs them.
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.
Find out more about our organisation, what we offer staff members and how to apply on our Careers Website.
Read our Candidate Guide for further information on our recruitment and application processes.
For more information on this role, please contact John Docherty by email at john.docherty@transport.gov.scot

The devolved government for Scotland is responsible for matters that are devolved from Westminster. Areas of responsibility include the economy, health, education, justice, rural affairs, environment, and transport.