Policy Support Officer - B2 in Edinburgh

Edinburgh Full-Time No working from home possible

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Description

This opportunity is only open to applicants who are currently 'Priority Movers'. Applications from individuals not currently on the Priority Mover list will be rejected and not considered.

The Improving Access and Sector Growth Unit (IASG) is one of 3 units in the School Age Childcare Division focussed on developing School Age Childcare policy currently situated in the Directorate for Children and Families (DCAF). The unit consists of a C2 Unit Head, 2 C1 Team Leaders, 3 B3 Senior Policy Officers, 2 B2 Policy Officers (including this post) and a B1 Policy Support Officer.

The Scottish Government is committed to designing and delivering a system of school age childcare, providing care before and after school and during the holidays. School age childcare comprises breakfast clubs, after school clubs and holiday clubs which provide opportunities for children to experience a range of activities and supports and also provides parents and carers with opportunities to work, train and study. A well designed and implemented school age childcare system has the potential to make a significant contribution to meeting our child poverty targets by supporting more parents to enter or to sustain employment and by reducing household costs.

This post sits in the IASG Unit, which is taking forward 4 critical projects for the SACC Programme: Regulation, Access to Childcare Fund (ACF), Activities and Benefits Maximisation. This post will support the Activities project with the post holder taking a key role to support their line manager and Team Leader with managing the Extra Time Programme, which is a joint initiative with the Scottish Football Association, and well as taking forward and contributing to wider policy development of the project. The post holder will also provide effective line management to the B1 policy officer located the Activities Team. The post holder will have strong interpersonal and communication skills; have policy development experience, in addition to having a proven track record in grant management. The post holder will be proactive and use their initiative to manage competing priorities, and they will have experience in developing and maintaining relationships with internal/external stakeholders.

This post provides a great opportunity to work in a dynamic and high-profile area linking with other policy areas including tackling child poverty, fair work and employability, education and play. The role will predominantly lead and support the Extra Time Programme as well as providing supporting policy development for the wider Activities project.

Responsibilities

Key responsibilities:

Lead on the Extra Time grant management and finance functions, including: drafting grant offer letters, leading and analysing quarterly and biannual reports; monitoring claim forms; approving payments through Oracle.
Develop strong relationships with relevant external and internal stakeholders to progress policy development and delivery. This will Include working closely with the SFA project team and the SFA’s external evaluators to help shape and support the Monitoring and Evaluation of the Programme.
Contribute and offer support to ensure project reporting and governance is kept up to date to ensure key policy objectives and milestones are tracked and managed.
Prepare briefings, working with colleagues across the Division (including cross-policy portfolios where applicable) to ensure accurate and comprehensive information is provided to Ministers.
Prepare high quality responses to correspondence including Ministerial responses, commissions, FMQs, Parliamentary Questions and FOIs.
Have experience of providing high quality support to Ministers at meetings and events.
Provide effective line management to the B1 policy officer, actively encouraging and supporting them to develop and grow their strengths and skills.

Qualifications

Experience

Applicants should

have strong organisation and prioritisation skills, evidencing an ability to work collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders;
demonstrate strong skills and experience of grant management, including a good awareness of Finance procedures.

Previous line management experience would also be beneficial.

Working pattern

This role is a permanent level transfer position.

This is a permanent post and is available as a full-time role (ideally starting as soon as possible). Staff with alternative working patterns are also invited to apply. We will assess proposed working patterns against the business requirements for this post.

This is a location-neutral post, with a base at either Victoria Quay, Edinburgh or Atlantic Quay, Glasgow. In line with our current ways of working, our team follows a hybrid working approach, where colleagues use a mix of office based and remote working (working from home) depending on the requirements of the role and personal circumstances.

How to Apply

Applications for this position will only be accepted from substantive B2 grade employees.

Please submit a statement outlining your suitability for the role, relevant skills and experience, and what you would bring to the team (maximum 500 words).

Vacancies close at 23:59pm on Wednesday 26 August.

If you have questions about your application please contact Susan.wallace@gov.scot and Kerrie.Harkness@gov.scot

Selection Process

All applicants will be invited to an informal discussion with the hiring manager. There will be no formal testing or assessment.

Discussions are expected to be scheduled for w/c TBC.

Recruitment Principles

As a government organisation, we adhere to the Civil Service Commission Recruitment Principles and we investigate any complaints received in relation to recruitment cases.

Apply before: 26/08/2026 (23:59)