Job Description

Social Security Scotland currently has an exciting opportunity for an experienced Senior Digital Portfolio Manager who will provide leadership to the Strategic Portfolio Management team and ensure investment delivers the best possible outcomes for the people of Scotland.

In this pivotal role, you will set strategic direction for portfolio governance, provide senior leaders with clear, forward‑looking insight to support confident decision‑making, and lead a team of circa 15 portfolio specialists to manage risk, align priorities and enable effective delivery at scale across the organisation.

This is a Fixed Term Appointment opportunity for 47 months with the possibility of permanency dependent on business requirements.

Responsibilities

The Senior Digital Portfolio Manager leads a team of Portfolio specialists and ensures the strategic portfolio delivers the best possible outcomes. You will set direction for how the portfolio is tracked, governed and controlled, using an iterative and flexible approach to portfolio governance.

At this role level, you will:

• Lead the tracking and governing of digital projects
• Ensure the right controls are used
• Address risks and deal with, or escalate, issues
• Provide leaders with insights into the portfolio's future so they can make informed decisions
• Build and lead a diverse, skilled and motivated team of portfolio specialists
• Ensure the portfolio team is meeting the needs of the organisation
• Support the professional development of the portfolio community, including line management and coaching

Main Duties

• Lead the tracking and governance of the strategic portfolio, ensuring it is effectively governed and monitored end-to-end.
• Ensure appropriate controls are used across the portfolio (for example, governance and assurance processes and standards), and continuously improve them where needed.
• Identify, manage and escalate portfolio risks and issues—dealing with them directly where appropriate and escalating when required to enable timely decisions.
• Provide portfolio-level reporting and insight that supports effective oversight and corrective action by senior decision-makers.
• Provide leaders with forward-looking insight into the portfolio’s trajectory so they can make informed decisions (for example, on sequencing, resourcing, trade-offs and risk).
• Set and evaluate portfolio strategy and policies, ensuring the portfolio continues to meet business requirements and remains aligned to organisational objectives.
• Use data and analysis to shape planning, prioritise high-value work, and manage complex dependencies across the portfolio to maintain delivery confidence.
• Direct the stakeholder relationship strategy for portfolio teams, setting clear stakeholder objectives and ensuring teams are supported to meet them.
• Influence, negotiate and mediate with senior stakeholders to resolve issues, unblock delivery and enable progress across competing priorities.
• Communicate complex analysis and recommendations (positive and negative) using appropriate formats and clear narrative to drive action at both tactical and strategic levels.
• Build and lead a diverse, skilled and motivated team of portfolio specialists, creating an environment where people can perform at their best.
• Ensure the portfolio team meets organisational needs, adapting team focus, capability Reference: and ways of working as priorities evolve.
• Support professional development across the portfolio community, including line management, coaching and capability-building.
• Promote and support iterative and Agile ways of working across the portfolio, ensuring governance and assurance processes enable effective iteration and that teams and stakeholders understand why continuous improvement and iteration are critical to successful digital delivery.
• Lead portfolio-level demand, capacity and resource planning, developing and communicating portfolio road maps and digital change plans across the organisation to support prioritisation, alignment with operational needs, and successful adoption of change.

Success Profiles 
We use an assessment framework called ‘Success Profiles’ which lists the elements we test and provides detailed descriptions of each. Find out more about the framework here

For this post, the following Success Profile elements will be assessed:

Experience

1. Extensive experience defining and leading portfolio-level governance and controls for complex digital portfolios across Agile, Waterfall and hybrid delivery environments, ensuring proportionate assurance and continuous improvement.
   
2. Significant experience owning and managing portfolio-level risks, issues and dependencies, and providing forward looking insight that enables senior leaders to make timely, high impact decisions.
   
3. Significant experience leading a team of portfolio specialists and ensuring a portfolio of digital projects delivers the best possible outcomes.
   
4. A proven track record of influencing and negotiating with senior stakeholders, and clearly communicating complex portfolio analysis and recommendations to drive strategic alignment and action
   

Behaviours

• Leadership (Level 4)
  

You can find out more about Success Profiles Behaviours here: Success Profiles - Civil Service Behaviours (publishing.service.gov.uk)

Technical / Professional Skills:

This role is aligned to Head of Portfolio within the Government Digital and Data Profession. These skills will be tested during the Technical Assessment if you are successful at sift stage. They will not be assessed at application stage.

Please review the following to understand the skill expectations: Head of Portfolio - Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework

How to Apply
To apply, please submit your application online, including your CV and a Supporting Statement (of no more than 750 words), setting out how you meet the experience outlined 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.

An initial sift may be conducted using the first 'Experience' criteria. Candidates who pass the initial sift will have their applications fully assessed.

Successful candidates will be invited to a competency based interview which will assess the Experience and Behaviours noted above, and a Technical Assessment (comprising of a 10 minute presentation) which will assess certain Technical Skills from within the Head of Portfolio Framework. Full details will be shared with shortlisted candidates prior to interview.

Please note: there may be a telephone interview prior to the final interview stage.

We aim to provide feedback on request. However, where a large number of applications are received, it may not be possible to give feedback to candidates who are not invited to interview or assessment. Feedback will be available on request to all candidates who attend an interview or assessment.

Expected Timeline (subject to change)
Sift – week commencing 1st June 2026
Interview – week commencing 29th June 2026
Location – In Person in either Dundee or Glasgow

Reserve List
In the event that there are more successful candidates than posts available, a reserve list will be kept for up to 12 months.

About Us
Social Security Scotland is an Executive Agency of the Scottish Government. Our benefits help people from all walks of life in Scotland. We offer rewarding careers and employ people across Scotland in a wide range of professions and roles. We are committed to recruiting a diverse workforce that is representative of the clients we serve. Find more about us here.

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. 

Working Pattern
Our standard hours are 35 hours per week and we offer a range of flexible working options, depending on the needs of the role. We embrace a hybrid working style where all colleagues will spend time in either our Glasgow or Dundee offices. There is an expectation of a minimum 2 days per week in your assigned location, which will be either Glasgow or Dundee. If you have specific questions about the role you are applying for, please contact us.

Security Checks
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).

You can find out more about BPSS on the UK Government website, or read about the different levels of security checks in our Candidate Guide.

Equality Statement
Social Security Scotland are committed to equality and inclusion and we aim to recruit a diverse workforce that reflects the population of our nation.

Social Security Scotland are a Disability Confident Employer. We will consider and implement any reasonable adjustments you may require throughout the recruitment process and during the course of your employment, should you be successful in securing a post. If you feel you may require assistance with any part of our recruitment process, please contact us at recruitment@socialsecurity.gov.scot

Find out more about our commitment to diversity and how we offer support and recruitment adjustments for anyone who needs them.

Right to Work in the UK
Social Security Scotland is an approved sponsor under the UK Visa and Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker route. Please note that UK immigration guidance, including skill and salary thresholds and eligible occupations, is reviewed regularly and subject to change. If you require visa sponsorship, you should check the latest criteria to confirm whether this role meets current requirements before applying. You can find further advice on Gov.UK - Skilled Worker visa: Overview - GOV.UK

Further Information
The successful candidate will be expected to remain in post for a minimum of 3 years unless successful in gaining promotion to a higher Band or Grade.

Social Security Scotland’s recruitment processes are underpinned by the recruitment principles of the Civil Service Commissioner, which outline that selection for appointment be made on merit on the basis of fair and open competition - Recruitment - Civil Service Commission

If you feel at any time your application has not been treated in accordance with the values in the Civil Service Code and/or if you feel the recruitment has been conducted in such a way that conflicts with the Civil Service Commissioner’s Recruitment Principles, you can make a complaint, by contacting Social Security Scotland at recruitment@socialsecurity.gov.scot in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive you can contact the Civil Service Commissioner.

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.

If you experience any difficulties accessing our website or completing the online application form, please contact the Resourcing Team via recruitment@socialsecurity.gov.scot

Apply before 23:55 on 1st June 2026

Contact Name - Resourcing Team
Contact Email – Recruitment@socialsecurity.gov.scot