EOI - Level Transfer - Strategic Director (SCS1) Corporate Services, Education Scotland

Education Scotland is Scotland's national improvement agency for education. We play a key role in supporting quality and improvement across Scotland's education system, ensuring that children, young people and adult learners benefit from high-quality learning experiences and outcomes.

Education Scotland is currently operating within a period of significant transformation and organisational reform, culminating in the establishment of a fully reformed organisation from March 2027. This is an exciting and pivotal time to join the Executive Team and help shape the future direction, capability and performance of the organisation. The Strategic Director (Corporate Services) will provide executive leadership across our corporate services and enabling functions, ensuring that the organisation has the governance, workforce, financial and operational infrastructure required to deliver its statutory responsibilities and national priorities successfully.

The role forms a key part of Education Scotland's Executive Team and will work closely with the Chief Executive, fellow Strategic Directors, Scottish Government officials and a wide range of internal and external stakeholders to support the successful delivery of Education Scotland's Corporate Plan, reform programme and long-term organisational objectives.

This is a critical Executive Team leadership role at the heart of Education Scotland's ongoing transformation and future success. The Strategic Director (Corporate Services) provides strategic leadership across corporate governance, organisational performance, workforce planning, financial stewardship and business management. The postholder will ensure the organisation has the capability, capacity and corporate infrastructure required to deliver effectively during a period of substantial reform and beyond.

The Strategic Director (Corporate Services) provides executive leadership for the corporate services, governance and business management functions of Education Scotland and is responsible for:

• Leading the development and delivery of Education Scotland's corporate strategy, planning and performance framework, ensuring organisational priorities are translated into effective outcomes

• Providing Executive-level leadership for governance, assurance, risk management and organisational accountability arrangements

• Holding overall responsibility for corporate enabling services, including Finance, Human Resources, Digital Services, Corporate Services and Business Support

• Acting as the organisation's senior lead for financial stewardship, workforce planning, organisational development and corporate resource management

• Supporting the Chief Executive and Executive Team through strategic leadership, advice and decision-making, while maintaining effective relationships with Scottish Government, Ministers and key stakeholders

• Leading the corporate readiness, governance and organisational change activity required to successfully deliver Education Scotland's reform programme and future operating model.

• Operating successfully at a senior leadership level within a large, complex organisation, providing strategic leadership and direction
• Leading corporate services and organisational performance functions, including governance, business planning, risk management and assurance
• Delivering significant organisational change, transformation or reform programmes while maintaining effective service delivery
• Providing strategic leadership across workforce planning, organisational development, financial management and stakeholder engagement to support organisational objective

During 2027/28, once the main phase of reform activity has concluded, we intend to undertake a review of organisational capacity, service delivery requirements and workforce needs, with a view to implementing a longer-term hybrid working approach broadly aligned to Scottish Government principles.

In the meantime, attendance requirements for this role will be determined by business need and the demands of the reform programme.

Your expression of interest should be sent by midday on Friday 13 November 2026. The expression of interest, which should be no longer than 1,500 words, should explain why this would be a great opportunity for you at this stage in your career and what you would bring to the role. The note should confirm that you have discussed the opportunity with your Director and that they would be content to release you if the application is successful.

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.

Selection Process