Policy Official

This is an exciting opportunity to work in a high profile area at the heart of the Education Directorate, in a varied and interesting post supporting the delivery of both longstanding and new policy.

The Teaching Workforce Unit is part of the Workforce, Quality and Wellbeing Division which plays a key role in the Scottish education system, leading policy on teachers, school leadership, health and wellbeing and equalities. The work of the unit is highly varied and offers an excellent opportunity to work in a fast paced environment with extensive engagement with other policy teams, Ministers, and education stakeholders. This Unit is responsible for delivering the Government’s 2026 manifesto commitments to take forward a Teacher Jobs Guarantee and to maintain Pupil Teacher Ratios.

The Teacher Workforce Unit leads on ensuring Ministers and senior officials have the information and assurance that they need to deliver the number of teachers required to meet Scottish Government commitments and deliver improved outcomes for children and young people. This requires a collaborative approach with key stakeholders (including teaching unions and local authorities) and the ability to understand and communicate complex modelling. The work is fast paced and rewarding with significant Ministerial engagement and real-world impacts. The team is supportive and encourages a collaborative problem solving culture.

The postholder will have responsibility for supporting the annual teacher workforce planning process, working closely with partners and stakeholders, and supporting the Senior Policy Official in developing and delivering policy. We are looking for a self-motivated individual, open to new challenges, and who would like to be involved in complex policy work in an area of key Ministerial interest.

The postholder will support the annual teacher workforce planning process, working closely with local authorities, teaching unions, Initial Teacher Education providers and other stakeholders to ensure Ministers and senior officials have the evidence and assurance needed to meet workforce requirements. The role involves analysing complex workforce data and modelling, translating findings into clear advice for Ministers, and supporting policy development and delivery. It also requires building and managing stakeholder relationships, often across differing viewpoints, to improve workforce planning, teacher induction and mentorship, and grant-funded programmes. This is a high-profile role with significant Ministerial engagement.

The role involves extensive stakeholder engagement, understanding complex datasets and supporting policy delivery. The postholder will have a key role in building relationships with external stakeholders, including leading on stakeholder relationships with Initial Teacher Education providers as part of the annual teacher workforce planning process, many of whom hold strong and mutually contradictory positions. The role will include working with large quantities of workforce data and simplifying it to create meaningful advice for Ministers. The post holder will support the senior policy official and team leader in engagement with education partners in the improvement of the teacher workforce planning process, teacher induction & mentorship, and delivery of grant funding.

This role sits within a structure of one team leader who the post holder will report to one Senior Policy Official and a Graduate Development Programme member.

Responsibilities

• Liaising with Initial Teacher Education providers to secure student teacher intakes data and building this into a detailed and accessible data collection to inform annual teacher workforce planning process.

• Providing secretariat to various meetings throughout the year and building and maintaining effective stakeholder relationships.

• Supporting the team leader to take forward the development of a new teacher workforce strategy.

• Taking forward work, on behalf of the team, to collaborate with marketing colleagues to develop a marketing campaign to enhance teacher recruitment.

• Supporting the senior policy official and team leader in engaging with Ministers, developing briefings and submissions.

• Lead on MiCases and FOIs and other business of government tasks, ensuring timely delivery and that deadlines are met.

Minimum Time in Post

You will be expected to remain in post for a minimum of three years unless successful at gaining promotion to a higher Band or Grade. 

You must discuss your intention to apply with your current line manager to help ensure release dates can be agreed.

Success Profile

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

Experience:

• Strong planning and organisational skills with ability to deliver a varied workload, responding quickly and flexibly to manage competing priorities.

• Experience of building and maintaining good working relationships with a range of stakeholders, both internally and externally.

Behaviours:

1. Delivering at Pace (level 3)
2. Making effective decisions (level 3)
3. Communicating and Influencing (level 3)
4. Working Together (Level 3)

You can find out more about Success Profiles Behaviours here, Behaviour levels - Success profiles: candidate guide - gov.scot