Senior Policy Officer - Inquiries

Job Description

Are you looking for a role where you can use your strong stakeholder management skills and policy experience?

You will join the Civil Contingencies Strategy team within Civil Contingencies Division co-ordinating and developing resilience policy in Scotland. The team works collaboratively with other teams across the division and with a wide range of disciplines across the Scottish Government, including other policy leads, analysts, and Scottish Government Legal Department. In addition it works with Welsh Government, the Northern Ireland Executive and UK Government.

The team coordinates the division’s contributions and responses to the UK and Scottish Covid Inquiries, and is seeking to expand that remit by taking on greater ownership of civil contingencies related recommendations from other relevant inquiries, including the Manchester Arena Inquiry and the Grenfell Inquiry, to inform effective civil contingencies policy. The team also support wider divisional goals to strengthen relationships with local government and wider partners, all underpinning its desire to develop resilient communities in line with the National Performance Framework.

Responsibilities

• Developing and managing our divisional coordination of various civil contingencies-related inquiries, including Project management, Policy analysis and Information management.
• Preparing high quality ministerial advice in relation to relevant inquiry recommendations. 
• Leading and ensuring effective engagement with internal stakeholders to provide effective divisional contributions to corporate inquiry processes. 
• Leading effective engagement with external stakeholders, to provide a good understanding of Civil Contingencies Division activity in relation to Civil Contingencies-related Inquiry recommendations. 
• Supporting the wider team’s duties in relation to the coordination of Civil Contingencies Division’s relationship with UK Government and other Devolved Administrations.

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 - Level 1
2. Working with Ministers - Level 2 

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

Behaviours:

• Communicating and Influencing  - Level 3
• Leadership – Level 3
• Working Together – 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 1000 words) which provides evidence of how you meet the skills, experience and behaviours listed in the Success Profile above.

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.

If invited for further assessment, this will consist of an interview and presentation.

Assessments are scheduled for 25/09/25 onwards, 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. From October 2025, the Scottish Government will require staff in hybrid-compatible roles 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.

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.

We operate location flexibility with members of the team being based across Perth, Glasgow and Edinburgh offices.  Apply Before: 8 September 2025 (23:59) - This role is open to internal candidates and Common Citizenship organisations only.