Team Leader (Legislation) – Community Right to Buy in Glasgow

This is an Expression of Interest (EOI) opportunity, available on a lateral move basis only. Applications are open to Core Scottish Government employees only.

Job Title

C1 Team Leader (Legislation) – Community Right to Buy

Business Area/Directorate

Land Reform, Rural and Islands Policy Division within Directorate for Local Government and Communities

Working Arrangement

Staff in roles compatible with hybrid working should spend 40% of their contracted working time working in person at their contractual workplace. More information can be found within Hybrid Working Policy .

The Directorate for Local Government and Communities currently has staff based in Victoria Quay (Edinburgh), Saughton House (Edinburgh) and Atlantic Quay (Glasgow), with most of the Land Reform Unit based in Edinburgh.

Regular in-person presence in Edinburgh will be required to support Ministers in taking a Bill through Parliament. The successful candidate should be prepared to be contractually based at either Saughton House or Victoria Quay, and will be expected to work from both of those offices regularly. Occasional travel to Atlantic Quay, Glasgow may be required.

Grade

C1

Advert type

Level Transfer

Duration

Permanent- for use with level transfers only

Eligibility

Expressions of interest are invited from substantive colleagues on level transfer from core SG only.

Skilled Worker Sponsorship not being offered

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.

Overview

Community land ownership has been a priority of successive Governments since devolution. Measures to support community ownership of land have been prominent in the 2003, 2016 and 2025 Land Reform (Scotland) Acts and the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015. Community land policies directly support Scottish Government’s objectives for community empowerment, community wealth building and place-based policy.

The current Community Land Team is responsible for a number of policies designed to empower communities at a local level. These include:

• Community Right to Buy (CRTB) – a group of four policies through which eligible community bodies can apply to Ministers to register an interest giving them first refusal on land that comes up for sale and, in some cases, buying land where the landowner does not wish to sell it. The team is responsible both for CRTB policy and for a significant volume of casework relating to Ministers’ statutory role in this process.

• The Scottish Land Fund (SLF) a multi-million fund celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2026. Scottish Ministers have overall responsibility for the policy, including appointing the independent committee who take funding decisions. The fund is administered by National Lottery Community Fund and Highlands and Islands Enterprise; the team manages the relationship with those bodies.

• Community Asset Transfer (CAT), a scheme through which eligible communities can request that public bodies (including local authorities) transfer assets to direct community control. Scottish Ministers are responsible for CAT policy and deciding on appeals against decisions made by other public bodies.

Scottish Government recently reviewed CRTB policy and a number of improvements require primary legislation. The Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Rural Affairs has agreed to take these forward in a standalone Bill. This Bill is subject to final agreement at Cabinet level and has not yet been communicated publicly; colleagues should therefore not disclose the possibility of this Bill to anybody outwith Scottish Government.

This postholder will therefore work closely alongside the current Community Land Team to lead the Bill through the Parliamentary process. Close and collaborative working with the team and the current Community Land Team Leader will be essential.

The current Community Land Team Leader will depart their role over the course of 2027. At this point C-band responsibilities across all Community Land matters will be reviewed and it is likely the new postholder will take responsibility for some current Community Land matters in addition to the Bill, subject to further discussion with the Unit Head and DD. Although the Bill work is time limited, this role is therefore permanentgiven the opportunity to take on further work in the medium to long term.

The Community Land Team sits within the wider Land Reform Unit, a grouping of around 15 friendly, welcoming and hard-working colleagues. Other teams in the unit are responsible for implementation of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2025, sponsorship of the Scottish Land Commission, policies to increase transparency about land ownership and control, and other statutory duties Scottish Ministers have under the 2016 Land Reform Act.

The unit takes a flexible approach to managing work pressures and cross-unit work is common. In addition to leading on specific deliverables, all unit members are expected to support their colleagues through busy periods, periods of leave and on cross-team deliverables such as briefing requests and stakeholder engagement. In turn, the post holder can expect to be supported by the wider unit throughout their own busy periods and in particular during key parliamentary stages of the Bill.

The unit sits within the Land Reform, Rural and Islands Policy Division and the newly formed Directorate for Local Government and Communities.Both the Division, Directorate and Directorate General for Communities and External Affairs place strong emphasis on supporting a positive people culture, high performance, learning and development.

This is an opportunity to lead the delivery of a Bill that will support communities across Scotland. You will have the chance to work with a group of supportive and friendly policy and casework experts, as well as legal and parliamentary colleagues across Scottish Government. Bill work requires very close working with Ministers and SpAds, as well as engagement with stakeholders such as the Scottish Land Commission, Scottish Land and Estates, Community Land Scotland, and MSPs from across the political spectrum.

We are seeking an individual who embraces close work with stakeholders, Ministers and colleagues, who has a flexible, supportive and pragmatic working style, and who can use their policy and legislative experience to deliver positive change.