Cyber Security Officer

Closing date: 18 October 2023 at midnight

This is an exciting opportunity to join Education Scotland’s Digital Services team to provide Information and Cyber Security as we continue to embed the Scottish Approach to Service Design.

Working with the Lead Cyber Security Officer and the Technical Delivery Team in an agile multidisciplinary team, you will help ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of corporate digital systems, including Glow, the national Digital Learning platform for schools which has over one million provisioned users.

Further information and apply

Cyber Security Officer at various locations throughout Scotland (icims.com)

Travel Coordinator

Closing date: 5 October 2023 at midnight

This role sits within our Strategic Business Unit, with the main focus to provide administrative support for travel requirements across the organisation. Duties will include developing, maintaining, communicating and continuously improving processes and practices to support the central management of travel services. This should include health, safety and sustainability advice and guidance.

Further information and apply

Travel Coordinator at various locations throughout Scotland (icims.com)

Lead Cyber Security Officer

Closing date: 1 October 2023 at midnight

This is an exciting opportunity to join Education Scotland’s Digital Services team as Lead Cyber Security Officer to embed best practice and ensure a security by design approach.

Lead Cyber Security Officer is based within the Digital Services division of Education Scotland and will have lead responsibility for the management, assessment, and mitigation of information security risks within the organisation and across its programmes. You will use your information security and assurance expertise to provide expert advice across the organisation and to develop robust organisational security processes.

Further information and apply

Lead Cyber Security Officer at various locations throughout Scotland (icims.com)

Lay Member Volunteering

Closing date: Ongoing, no set deadline

Education Scotland is actively recruiting members of the public to join our school inspection teams as Lay Members.

Lay Members take a particular interest in aspects of school life, including relationships between staff and pupils and schools’ partnerships with parents and the local community. You will spend one day in the school. You will make a positive and valuable contribution to improving Scottish education bringing a new perspective to our work. You will contribute to the overall work of a school inspection team, resulting in a published report for parents. The report identifies strengths and areas for improvement and help schools to improve the experiences and achievements of children and young people.

We are looking for people form a variety of backgrounds, with different skills, experience and knowledge. Our Lay members team will benefit from a membership drawn from a range of life experiences.

Further information and apply

Word file: Role description (139 KB)

Word file: Application form (3 MB)

Fixed Term Appointment Opportunity: Interim Chief Inspector – Education Scotland

Closing date: 29 September 2023 at midnight

Applications are invited for the position of Interim Chief Inspector – Education Scotland. This is an 18 month Fixed Term Appointment at Senior Civil Servant Payband 1 (SCS1), with a starting salary of £86,400.

The Scottish Government is looking for an individual who is passionate about focussing on the needs of learners and those who support them, including parents, and the prioritisation of equity, equality and rights. Your defining mission will be to ensure improved outcomes for Scotland’s learners.

In March 2022, the Scottish Government’s response to Professor Ken Muir’s independent report on education reform, including the replacement of the Scottish Qualifications Authority, a new education agency for Scotland, and the establishment of an independent inspectorate of education.

The aim is for the independent inspectorate to be established in 2025. In the meantime, it is vital that inspection continues to effectively play its role in supporting quality improvement and assurance in Scottish education and that work on the future vision for inspection, within the new inspectorate, begins with stakeholders.

Further information about this role’s responsibilities, person specification, and how to apply can be found on Work for Scotland.

Education Scotland Secondment Opportunity: Strategic Director: Scottish Attainment Challenge

Closing date: 29 September 2023 at midnight

This 23 month secondment or fixed term contract offers an exciting opportunity for an individual to take on the role of Strategic Director: Scottish Attainment Challenge.

This is a key senior role, working closely with the Interim Chief Executive, fellow Strategic Directors and senior Scottish Government colleagues, providing strong focus on ensuring the effective development and leadership of the Scottish Attainment Challenge, as well as the wider delivery of the agency’s overall aims and objectives.

Overview

Education Scotland is the national improvement agency for Scottish education and an executive agency of the Scottish Government. Our role is to promote improvement through inspection and review, innovation and change, from the early years to adult learning and to provide support and challenge to the education system. We are committed to embedding our values of excellence, creativity, integrity and respect in everything we do.

This post will provide a high-profile national lead role for the organisation in leading the Scottish Attainment Challenge, and it is vital that the post holder commands sufficient personal authority and professional credibility in carrying out that role.

Leading by example and acting as a role model for staff and the education profession, providing visible and dynamic leadership to deliver high quality outcomes, is critical. The successful candidate will need to have a strong ability to engage with analytical and performance information at a strategic level, combined with a good understanding of approaches to quality improvement in education and collaborative leadership. Ideally, the successful candidate will have recent or current experience in a senior local authority role.

Role and Key Responsibilities

• Leading on the Scottish Attainment Challenge and leadership of Senior Regional Advisers and Regional Teams within Education Scotland.
• Working collaboratively beside wider stakeholders including Ministers, schools, local authorities, parent bodies and professional associations in a way that generates confidence, respect and collaborative working to ensure that the organisation delivers on all aspects of its remit.
• Providing authoritative advice to Scottish Government, Scottish Ministers and officials on all aspects of education policy.
• Assuring quality and improvement in education, making significant contribution to the organisation’s suite of improvement approaches in line with Education Scotland’s Framework document.
• Providing a source of responsive professional advice, support and constructive challenge on a wide range of education matters across all sectors.
• Working closely with the other Strategic Directors to align the work of the Regional and National teams as we move towards new ways of working in preparation for the new organisations.
• Ensuring that the work of ES is regularly kept under review to safeguard its credibility, integrity and independence; recognised for its lead role in supporting recovery and innovation within Scottish education during a period of education reform.

Location

This post can be based in our Glasgow, Livingstone, Dundee, Aberdeen or Inverness office locations, although as with most areas across the organisation, virtual and hybrid working is a regular part of the working week. Individuals on any working pattern can apply for any post.

Person Specification

It is essential that you can provide evidence of:

Leading collectively

• Being a visible corporate leader, influencing and supporting corporate activities and goals as a member of a senior team

Developing others

• Embedding an inclusive, learning culture in your teams, trusting and empowering others and enabling high performance and innovation.

Leading others

• Setting clear strategic direction and making high quality decisions which balance risk and stakeholder interests to deliver outcomes.

Understanding and developing self

• You will demonstrate a strong understanding of yourself as a leader as well as a passion for your work and your own continuous personal development. This includes acting as a role model for inclusive leadership by clearly articulating, with courage and humility, how your personal life experiences and background impact on your thinking and behaviour.

Post Specific

• Strong leadership skills including representing and providing direction to an organisation at the highest level, delivering results, building on relationships and capability, motivating and inspiring a team.
• Sophisticated negotiating and influencing skills and demonstrable personal resilience and highly developed interpersonal skills. Excellent communication skills, both written and oral.

Further Information

Word file: Secondment Application Form (969 KB)

Word file: Secondment Application Guidance Note (158 KB)

Word file: Secondment Diversity Monitoring Form (1.2 MB)

Those wishing to apply on secondment should seek further information about this opportunity is from Gillian Hamilton, Interim Chief Executive, Education Scotland (Gillian.Hamilton@educationscotland.gov.scot). Your application including a statement in support of your applications should be sent to edshr@educationscotland.gov.scot to by 23:55 on 29 September 2023.

Directors, deputy directors or colleagues in Band C within Scottish Government looking for a temporary promotion opportunity should email a statement in support of your application to Gillian Hamilton, Interim Chief Executive, Education Scotland (Gillian.Hamilton@educationscotland.gov.scot) and copy it to the senior staff team mailbox.

The statement in support of your applications, which should be no longer than 1500 words, should explain why this would be a great opportunity for you at this stage in your career and what you would bring to the role. The note should confirm that you have discussed the opportunity with your Director and /or Deputy Director and that they would be content to release you if the application is successful.

Selection Process

The selection process will be short and light touch. Candidates who are considered to have the skills and experience will be invited to an informal discussion with the recruiting manager and another Director. They will recommend the candidate considered most suitable for this secondment opportunity.