Non-executive Board Member - Social Security Scotland in Dundee

Remuneration: £239 per day plus reasonable expenses.

Term of appointment: The initial term will be for three years with an option to extend, up to a maximum of eight years in total.

Location: Our meetings are hybrid - they will be held in our offices or remotely using Microsoft Teams, although there is an expectation of regular in-person attendance. Meetings usually take place at Social Security Scotland’s Head Office, Agnes Husband House, 17 South Union Street, Dundee, DD1 4BF. We also hold meetings at our Glasgow office at 220 High Street, Glasgow, G4 0QW.

Number of Vacancies: Up to 3

Closing Date: 11:59pm on 29 April 2026

About the Role: Social Security Scotland is recruiting up to three Non‑executive Members to support the governance, scrutiny and strategic direction of the organisation as we deliver a range of devolved benefits across Scotland. As we continue to mature, these roles will have a key role to help shape a major public service at a key point in its development. All members will be appointed to our Executive Advisory Body, and two appointed members will also serve on the Audit and Assurance Committee, one of whom will take on the role of Chair.

Person Specification:

• Core Criteria: The successful candidate will bring evidence of the following core skills and abilities. You don’t need to meet every element to be a strong applicant; what matters is demonstrating your strengths across the core criteria in a way that reflects your own experiences:

• Ability to provide effective strategic challenge and advice to develop and enhance executive thinking.
• Ability to support and inspire performance improvement.
• Excellent communication skills, with the vision to understand what Social Security Scotland can achieve and advise on how to make it happen.

• Desirable Criteria: Alongside the core criteria, we have also outlined some desirable criteria. You do not need to meet these to apply, and you do not need to meet all of them to be a strong candidate:

• Experience or understanding of areas such as finance, risk, cyber or digital would be helpful.
• The ability to demonstrate political acuity, with an awareness of the wider strategic, organisational and stakeholder landscape.

• Specialist Criteria - Chair of the Audit and Assurance Committee: Sufficient evidence of the core criteria is required from all candidates. We are appointing three new Non‑executive Members, one of whom will also meet the specialist criteria for the Audit and Assurance Committee Chair role:

• Experience operating at senior management level across financial stewardship, audit, risk and related functions.
• Understanding of risk identification, mitigation and reporting for assurance purposes.
• A clear focus on good governance, including the ability to lead a committee.
• Experience in supporting organisations through periods of change.

About Social Security Scotland: Social Security Scotland is an Executive Agency of the Scottish Government. Scottish Ministers are responsible for defining the overall policy and resource framework within which we operate. We are accountable to Ministers, and Ministers are accountable to Parliament for our functions and performance. Our work is underpinned by Our Charter which sets out what the people of Scotland can expect from us.

Our role in the social security system: Social Security Scotland is responsible for delivering a range of devolved benefits that provide support to people across Scotland. We administer benefit applications, make decisions, and ensure payments are made accurately and fairly.

Diversity and Inclusion: Our values of dignity, fairness and respect are at the heart of everything we do. We are committed to bringing greater diversity into our workplace, an environment which is inclusive and embraces different backgrounds, skills, perspectives and ways of thinking.

Information Evening: We will be holding an online information session on Wednesday 22 April from 17.45 – 18.45 for anyone interested in applying for the upcoming Non-executive Member vacancies. This session will provide prospective applicants with an overview of the organisation, and the role and expectations of Non-executive Members.