Gender Equality Policy Manager

Job Description

Are you passionate about equality and delivering real improvements to the lives of women and girls in Scotland?

The Gender Equality Team sits within Equality Division in the Directorate for Equality, Inclusion and Human Rights. We work with teams across government, and stakeholders, to deliver policy which tackles gender inequality and improves the lives of women and girls in Scotland. You will join the team at an exciting time as we develop our first equality strategy for women and girls, and support the recently established Deputy Director Programme Delivery Board to oversee the implementation of recommendations of the National Advisory Council on Women and Girls. Gender equality can be a high-profile and sensitive area of policy requiring a proactive and flexible approach to meet demands, but you will be supported at all times by your line manager and team. 

You will play an important role in the development of the strategy, helping to deliver participative approaches to policy development, and working with internal and external stakeholders to agree policy measures to advance women and girls' equality. You will also play a leading role supporting the Programme Delivery Board, which is chaired by the Deputy Director of Equality Division, applying programme and project management principles to support policy leads across government to deliver the recommendations of the National Advisory Council on Women and Girls, reporting directly to the First Minister and Cabinet Secretaries.

Responsibilities

• Work with stakeholders and women and girls with diverse lived experience to identify actions that can advance equality and rights for women and girls in Scotland.
• Work with public sector leaders, including Scottish Government colleagues, to test ideas to advance equality for women and girls, ensuring that actions in the strategy will be effective and feasible within the policy and fiscal landscape.
• Commission academic research to add to the evidence base for the development of the strategy.
• Use co-design methodology and diplomacy to develop a strategy that delivers shared goals and builds consensus between a range of stakeholders with differing views.
• Play a leading role supporting the Programme Delivery Board overseeing delivery of the recommendations of the National Advisory Council on Women and Girls, including preparing and circulating papers. 
• Support policy leads across government to apply project management and continuous improvement principles to the delivery of their recommendations.
• Provide quarterly progress reports directly to the First Minister and Cabinet Secretaries on recommendation delivery.
• Promote understanding of the principles of equality mainstreaming and the need for all areas of policy development to be gender competent.
• Support Ministers through the provision of timely and high-quality advice, briefing and speeches. Provide official support at meetings and engagements as appropriate. 
• Ensure the delivery, within deadlines and to a high standard, of Ministerial correspondence, Parliamentary Questions, Freedom of Information requests and other corporate business covering relevant aspects of gender equality policy, liaising closely with colleagues across government to obtain and provide concise and accurate information. 
• Supervise and provide developmental advice/support to more junior members of the team and potentially have direct line management responsibility for one team member. 

Success Profile

Success profiles are specific to each job and they include the mix of skills, experience and behaviours candidates will be assessed on.

Technical / Professional Skills:

1. Policy Context and Purpose (Developing).
2. Participation and Engagement (Developing).
3. Working with Ministers (Developing).

You can find out more about the skills required here: Policy Profession Standards Annex

Behaviours:

• Working Together (Level 3)
• Delivering at Pace (Level 3)

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 1500 words which provides evidence of how you meet the skills, experience and behaviours listed in the Success Profile above. If invited for further assessment, this will consist of an interview and presentation.
 Assessments are scheduled for w/c 1 September however this may be subject to change. 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.  We offer a range of flexible and hybrid working options depending on the needs of the role. If you have specific questions about the role you are applying for,  please contact us.

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.