Scottish Government
Head of Director's Office
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Provide the strategic leadership, assurance and business management that enables a high-profile Directorate to deliver its priorities, drive continuous improvement and navigate organisational change with confidence.
Join the Directorate for Business and Better Regulation within DG Economy as the Head of Director's Office. The Directorate works collaboratively across the Scottish Government, its agencies, stakeholders and delivery partners to support tourism and retail policy, enhance the visitor economy and deliver a programme of major events across Scotland during a period of organisational change and growth.
In this pivotal leadership role, you will lead the Director's Office team and oversee the delivery of a comprehensive range of business management functions, supporting effective governance, workforce planning, financial management, risk management and corporate assurance across the Directorate. Your primary objective will be to ensure the Directorate operates efficiently and effectively, providing strategic business leadership, organisational assurance and continuous improvement while supporting the Director and Senior Leadership Team to deliver their priorities and organisational change ambitions.
Please note that, due to the nature of the Directorate's responsibilities, this role will require occasional weekend and on-call working to support major events, civil contingencies and emerging business priorities.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Responsibilities:
- Lead, manage and develop a high-performing Business Support team, providing effective leadership, direction and coaching to ensure the delivery of high-quality business management services across the Directorate.
- Build and maintain strong working relationships with senior leaders and colleagues across the Directorate, DG Economy and the wider Scottish Government, as well as with Ministerial Private Office and the DG Office, ensuring effective coordination and communication.
- Lead and oversee complex attendance, performance and people management issues, providing expert advice and ensuring compliance with Scottish Government policies and procedures. Manage and deliver organisational development and workforce change activity, including restructuring initiatives, while monitoring associated risks and providing assurance and recommendations to the Senior Management Team (SMT).
- Respond flexibly to emerging priorities and high-profile issues, providing business management support and leadership across the Directorate as required.
- Support the Director in their role as DG Economy Civil Contingencies Lead, ensuring appropriate planning, coordination and response arrangements are in place.
- Support the Director in their role as DG Economy People Lead, ensuring appropriate planning, coordination and response arrangements are in place.
- Act as the Directorate's Senior Business Manager within Oracle Cloud, providing oversight of workforce, finance and business management processes.
- Lead recruitment and workforce planning activity across the Directorate, applying a sound understanding of Scottish Government HR policies and procedures to support strategic workforce decisions.
- Provide oversight and assurance of Directorate governance and accountability arrangements, including business planning, risk management, financial management and performance reporting.
- Provide strategic workforce planning advice to the Director and Senior Leadership Team, ensuring clear links are made between organisational priorities, resource requirements, risks and recruitment activity.
- Drive the continuous improvement of business processes, systems and ways of working, promoting efficiency, consistency and best practice across the Directorate.
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QUALIFICATIONS
Success profile: 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.
Professional / Technical Skills:
Operational leadership and management:
- Sets a compelling sense of direction and purpose for the team and builds costed, measurable plans to secure and maintain delivery excellence.
- Systematically manages risks which might impact on service delivery, using Risk Registers, Certificates of Assurance etc.
- Leads teams to ensure delivery is achieved within legal, regulatory and policy frameworks, and to promote a culture of compliance (where required).
Delivery and decision making at speed:
- Assesses and resets workloads as priorities change and supports the team to sustain resilience under pressure.
- Empowers team to make decisions and to intervene to help expediate processes to outcomes for customers, but within policy and risk tolerance (e.g. when things good enough to proceed).
- Designs efficient end-to-end processes that reduce steps, duplication and potential blockages.
Experience:
- Experience of leading operational transition within a business management role, with evidence of leading learning and development across teams.
Behaviours:
- Managing a quality Service – Level 4
- Working together – Level 4
- Developing self and others – Level 4
You can find out more about Success Profiles Behaviours here Behaviour levels - Success profiles: candidate guide - gov.scot
How to apply:
Apply online, providing a CV and supporting statement (of no more than 1000 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.
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.
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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.
If invited for further assessment, this will consist of an interview and presentation.
Assessments are scheduled for w/c 9 November 2026 however this may be subject to change.
Apply before 23:59 on 22 October 2026. This post is open to internal candidates and Common Citizenship Organisations only (external candidates and staff from UK Other Government Departments are not eligible to apply for this vacancy).
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.
About us:
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.
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, 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.
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, and read about the Government Vetting Charter, or about 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.
Equality statement:
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.
Further information:
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.
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