Head of Business Management and Directorate Support Unit

Do you want to play a key role in transforming how the Scottish Government delivers its corporate services? In this exciting position, you’ll support the Director and Senior Leadership Team to shape strategy, drive performance and help make the Corporate Transformation directorate an outstanding place to work.

The Corporate Transformation Directorate sits within DG Corporate, the part of Scottish Government responsible for providing the corporate services which underpin much of the work that government does. The Corporate Transformation Directorate was established in 2021 to increase our capacity to deliver transformational corporate change and improve our ability to serve the people of Scotland. 

Our Directorate is currently undergoing a restructure to create the Corporate Operations Directorate, which will bring together existing corporate support functions and systems linked to the delivery of corporate services into a single team. This role will be crucial to support the Director and Senior Leadership Team in establishing our new team structure, ways of working, culture and services as we develop the shape of each division. Working closely with the Director, in partnership with our Senior Leadership Team and across the directorate as a whole, you will play a key role in transitioning to our new structure, shaping how we work together to make the Corporate Operations directorate a great place to work. 

You will be responsible for a wide range of duties across business planning, finance, risk, people, as well as business performance, coordination and assurance. This role is also responsible for the management of the Director’s office and plays a vital part in making sure the Directorate is a high performance / high engagement team and is meeting its corporate and statutory obligations. You will directly manage a team of 7 people, including the Business Management team and the Director’s Executive Assistant.

Responsibilities 

The post holder will be expected to play an instrumental role in ensuring the smooth running of the Director’s office and the Directorate as a whole by leading on:

• Directorate operations and providing strategic support on corporate performance, corporate assurance reporting, business planning, business continuity and risk management.
• Provide direct support to the Director on the creation of the new Directorate, Corporate Operations, driving pace on actions and comms, and managing staff feedback and engaging experts to ensure colleagues have the support they need.
• Advising the Director on corporate and operational matters. Drafting and responding to Director level corporate requests and providing strategic and tactical advice as required.
• Significant work to provide briefing and speaking notes for the Director. This will largely be in the form of slide decks. A facility with PowerPoint and diagrams/charts is essential. Effectively translating strategic discussion into visuals that tell that story. Key to this is an interest in helping to shape that story, to drive Corporate Transformation.
• Lead a suite of operations for the Director’s Office function, managing the Executive Assistant and maintaining standard operating procedures in support of the Director’s objectives. Guide Executive Assistant to manage inbox, allocate and follow up tasks and actions on behalf of Director, including providing guidance to Senior Leadership Team on appropriate responses to corporate requests. 
• Leading on engagement at Senior Leadership Team in Learning & Development, Finance, response to People Survey, and resourcing and recruitment. Driving forward actions and decisions. In time you will be able to articulate the Director’s preferences to ensure business is conducted at pace and in line with their wishes. 
• Responsibility for driving the implementation of the Directorate People Plan, ensuring alignment with organisational priorities.
• Building and maintaining connections with key teams and networks across government to enable cross boundary working and co-ordinated delivery.
• Acting as the main point of contact for the Director’s office, advising colleagues on best practices and developing guidance for the wider directorate where appropriate. 

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

1. Comprehensive understanding of the corporate context, and of supporting the senior leadership team to set a clear strategic direction and high standards on a range of governance and accountability issues, such as business planning, risk and financial management.
2. Experience of leading the delivery of high-quality, consistent service while supporting your team’s development and growth.
3. Self-starter with strong planning, prioritisation and organisational skills, as well as a proven ability and resilience in responding quickly and flexibly to changing demands whilst ensuring business as usual activities are delivered on time and to quality.
4. Combines strong interpersonal, written and storytelling abilities to lead impactful communication and influence at all levels—particularly with senior stakeholders including Directors, Senior Leadership Teams, Directors General and Ministers.

Behaviours:

• Changing & Improving - Level 4
• Delivering at Pace - Level 4
• Seeing the Big Picture  - Level 4

You can find out more about Success Profiles here: 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. 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 w/c 13th October however this may be subject to change. About usThe 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. 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. 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, or read about the different levels of security checks in our Candidate Guide.  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. Apply Before: 5th October 2025 (23:59) - This role is open to internal candidates and Common Citizenship organisations only.