Strategic Policy Lead

Scottish Government OGD Recruitment; Glasgow; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Scottish Government seeks a Strategic Policy Lead to head a directorate-wide policy coordination function from the Director’s Office. You will align ministerial priorities with Directorate strategy, coordinate planning and performance information, and drive cross-divisional collaboration to deliver Priority outcomes.

The role requires extensive experience in governance and strategic policy, with strong stakeholder engagement across government and public sector networks.

Responsibilities

• Leading the Directorate's team of executive assistants, ensuring good information flow, smooth executive operations, strategic alignment of policy initiatives and supporting the Director to unblock issues and enable progress.
• Acting as a key connector between the Director, senior leadership and wider government by supporting the Director and wider Senior Management Team in collective leadership of the Directorate.
• Working in partnership with the head of DECC Operations to ensure Directorate strategy is underpinned by data and tested for deliverability.
• Developing a comprehensive understanding of Ministerial policy priorities and using this to inform Directorate strategy.
• Co-ordinating Directorate Policy and Programme Planning and associated reporting data to understand overall progress.
• Working with the Directorate and SLT to adjust strategy and priorities, drawing on strategic information to anticipate challenges and enable informed decision making.
• Providing the Director and others with advice and support relating to strategic duties and responsibilities, including cover at meetings.
• Championing a positive working environment where Civil Service values are promoted and adhered to.

Job description

This is an Expression of Interest (EOI) opportunity, available on a lateral move basis only. Applications are open to Core Scottish Government employees only.

Job Title – Strategic Policy Lead

Working Arrangement – Staff in roles compatible with hybrid working should spend 40% of their contracted working time working in person at their contractual workplace. More information can be found within Hybrid Working Policy .

Grade – C2

Advert type – level transfer

Duration – Permanent

Eligibility - Expressions of interest are invited from substantive colleagues on level transfer from Core SG only.

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

The Directorate plays a leading role in the Scottish Government's work to ensure our economy, climate and communities all benefit from the green industrial transition and are resilient to climate change. This includes developing a thriving decarbonised economy, with world class public utilities and the best outcomes for Scottish consumers. Scotland has some of the most challenging targets for carbon reduction in the world and the Scottish Government is committed to pushing Scotland to the forefront in addressing climate change while tackling cross-cutting issues such as creating a prosperous future for children and young people, and promoting homegrown growth and international investment

An exciting opportunity has arisen within the Energy and Climate Change Directorate to lead a team to support the Director to coordinate the Directorates delivery plan, ensuring that we are meeting our agreed outcomes and the needs of Ministers and identifying synergies or improvements we can make to our policy approach across the Directorate and wider DG.

This is a high profile role that requires close working with Senior Management, Ministers and stakeholders across government, the wider public sector and industry. The role provides direct support to the Director of DECC and will be a key part of driving change in the directorate, supporting new ways of working, delivering ministerial priorities and aligning deliverables within available resources.

We require a C2 Strategic Lead that sits within the Directors Office. This role is ideally suited for someone with relevant experience working within a DG or Directorate office where they will have gained substantial experience in co-ordinating a range of strategic policy and business information to support the Director and the wider Directorate in fulfilling their duties. This will include an ability to handle policy and project information, manage policy and programme communications and framing policy and programme plans.

You will have an excellent understanding of governance and business co-ordination and be able to work confidently across the SG, Ministerial and wider public sector networks to aid information flow, unblock issues and ensure the priorities of the Directorate continue to be progressed.

To operate effectively you offer strategic thinking, strong organisational and communications skills and the ability to influence and negotiate at a senior level. In this high-impact role you will work alongside Deputy Directors across 5 divisions to provide strategic oversight, policy and planning insight, and connectivity across the Directorate and Senior Leadership Team. You will play a pivotal role in aligning priorities, enabling informed decision-making, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement and collaboration.

Being flexible in your approach and comfortable working in new areas for short periods is required as undertaking short term projects across divisions or programmes to ensure delivery of key objectives is envisaged. It is therefore important you possess a broad range of business, project and planning experience and skills and a good understanding of core SG functions. You will actively display the values and behaviours set out in the Service of Scotland as you will lead the Strategy for the Directorate. You will be an active member of our Senior Leadership Team helping ensure that divisions are collegiate, priorities are collectively supported to meet the Directorates objectives, and that business and performance management are considered and prioritised at a Directorate level.

This post reports to the Director of Energy and Climate Change.

The Directors office is currently made up of 1 B3 and 2 B2s and also manages the EA support across the Directorate (currently 2 further B2s). As part of continuous improvement you are expected to work across boundaries supporting Deputy Directors to deliver and prioritise key objectives across the Directorate.

Responsibilities

Working closely with the Director, and in partnership with Deputy Directors and others, you will play a key role in ensuring that the strategic priorities for the Directorate are delivered. You will be responsible for:

• Leading the Directorate's team of executive assistants, ensuring good information flow, smooth executive operations, strategic alignment of policy initiatives and supporting the Director to unblock issues and enable progress.
• Acting as a key connector between the Director, senior leadership and wider government by supporting the Director and wider Senior Management Team in collective leadership of the Directorate.
• Working in partnership with the head of DECC Operations (who leads on corporate responsibilities (e.g. workforce planning and management, finance, assurance, accountable officer activities, business planning, business continuity, and risk management)) to ensure that Directorate strategy is underpinned by data and tested for deliverability.
• Developing a comprehensive understanding of Ministerial policy priorities, the strategic context andleadership and using this to inform Directorate strategy.
• You will be central to co-ordinating Directorate Policy and Programme Planning and associated Reporting data and bringing together advice on a range of performance information to understand the overall progress of the Directorate in meeting its strategic priorities.
• You will work with the Directorate and SLT to adjust the strategy and priorities for the Directorate as required, drawing on strategic, programme and policy information and horizon scanning to anticipate challenges, advising the Director on critical issues and enabling informed decision making.
• Providing the Director and others with advice and support relating to strategic duties and responsibilities and providing cover at meetings where required.
• Championing a positive, engaging working environment where Civil Service values are actively promoted and adhered to.