Job Description

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

The Workforce Planning & Organisational Development Lead shapes and delivers workforce planning and capability development across the Directorate, working closely with senior leaders, HR colleagues and teams to ensure decisions are data-driven, forward-looking and aligned to business priorities.

The role leads the development and embedding of robust workforce planning approaches, enabling effective organisational design and a more strategic, joined-up approach to resourcing and capability. Business priorities are translated into clear, deliverable workforce plans that support sustainable performance.

Strong analytical, strategic and influencing skills are essential to building effective relationships, providing credible challenge and supporting senior leaders to make informed decisions, while driving continuous improvement and ensuring governance requirements are met.

Responsibilities

Workforce Planning & Strategy

• Lead the organisation’s workforce planning approach, ensuring alignment with strategic and operational priorities.
• Develop workforce plans and forecasts, using data and insight to identify trends, risks and opportunities.
• Drive a shift from reactive recruitment to proactive planning and demand forecasting.
• Engaging with managers and leaders to analyse workforce data and identify trends or potential risk.
• Facilitating the collection of insights from multiple data sources such as succession planning, talent pipelines, and resource utilisation.
• Providing challenge and insight-driven recommendations that help the organisation shape its workforce strategies.

Organisational Design & Development

• Lead and support organisational design activity, ensuring structures enable delivery of business outcomes.
• Ensure workforce impacts of organisational change are understood and actively managed.
• Analysing organisational data and diagnostics to inform organisational effectiveness and engaging with key stakeholders to gather insights and support change.

Capability & Skills Planning

• Identify current and future capability needs, addressing skills gaps through targeted interventions.
• Support the development of career pathways, capability frameworks and succession plans
• Embed a longer-term, strategic approach to capability and skills development.

Strategic Resourcing Alignment

• Shape and implement strategic resourcing approaches that reflect workforce plans.
• Provide oversight and constructive challenge on workforce and recruitment activity to ensure alignment with workforce plans and value for money.
• Work collaboratively across HR, resourcing and finance to support a joined-up approach.

Stakeholder Collaboration

• Build effective relationships with senior leaders, HR Business Partners and functional leads.
• Act as a trusted adviser, providing evidence-based insight and constructive challenge.
• Enable informed decision-making by translating complex workforce data into clear, accessible insight for senior stakeholders.

Insight, Reporting & Continuous Improvement

• Lead the development of workforce reporting and insight to support strategic decision-making.
• Design, develop and maintain workforce dashboards, data models and analytical products using Power BI.
• Manage the deployment, governance and maintenance of reporting solutions through Microsoft Fabric and Power BI.
• Investigate and resolve data quality, reporting and refresh issues, working with data owners to improve source-data integrity.
• Manage Power BI Apps, user access and audience permissions, ensuring reporting products are secure and accessible.
• Develop and embed tools, frameworks and processes that improve the consistency, quality and efficiency of workforce planning and organisational development activity.
• Drive continuous improvement across workforce planning, organisational development and resourcing practices.

If you don't already hold existing CIPD membership you would be expected to work towards qualification whilst in post

Technical/Professional Skills

1. Analyse complex workforce data to identify trends, risks and opportunities.
2. Translate workforce intelligence into strategic recommendations.
3. Design, develop and maintain workforce planning reporting and analytical solutions using Power BI and Microsoft Fabric.

Experience

• Significant experience of workforce planning and organisational development
• Advanced experience developing and maintaining Power BI dashboards and reporting solutions.
• Experience of Microsoft Fabric, Power BI deployment processes and reporting

Working pattern

This role is a permanent level transfer position.

Our standard hours are 35 hours per week and we offer a range of flexible working options depending on the needs of the role, including Flexi-leave. Scottish Government staff in hybrid-compatible roles should aim to work in-person 40% of the time, either in an office or other agreed work location. If you have specific questions about the role you are applying for, please contact us.

How to Apply

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

Vacancies close at 23:59pm on Thursday 17 September.

If you have questions about your application please contact SSD_WFP@gov.scot

Selection Process

All applicants will be invited to an informal discussion with the hiring manager. There will be no formal testing or assessment.

Discussions are expected to be scheduled for w/c TBC.

Recruitment Principles

As a government organisation, we adhere to the Civil Service Commission Recruitment Principles and we investigate any complaints received in relation to recruitment cases.