Refugee Integration Senior Policy Officer
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- United Kingdom
- Work type
- Hybrid
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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 - Refugee Integration Senior Policy Officer
Business Area/Directorate - Asylum and Ending Destitution Together Strategy Team is part of the Asylum & Refugee Integration Unit (A&RI unit).
Location - Victoria Quay or Atlantic Quay
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
Grade - B3
Advert type - Level Transfer
Duration - Maternity cover until August 2027.
Eligibility - Expressions of interest are invited from substantive colleagues on level transfer from core SG only.
Sponsorship: 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.
Expressions of interest are invited for the role of B3 Refugee Integration Senior Policy Officer in the Asylum & Refugee Integration Unit; Refugees, Resettlement and Asylum Division; Equality, Inclusion & Human Rights Directorate.
The Asylum and Ending Destitution Together Strategy Team is part of the Asylum & Refugee Integration Unit (A&RI unit). The team is made up of one C1, three B3s, two B2s and a B1 (who works across the unit). The team works as part of the wider unit to achieve the vision of a welcoming Scotland where refugees and people seeking asylum are able to rebuild their lives from the day they arrive, as set out in the New Scots refugee integration strategy.
The team leads on asylum policy, the Ending Destitution Together strategy, arrivals through the Gaza medevac scheme and a range of other policy areas in support of the New Scots Refugee Integration strategy and delivery plan. The postholder will lead on several high-profile areas of work that require regular updates to be provided to Ministers but is also expected to work flexibly in picking up new responsibilities as new issues emerge. The team regularly responds to a high volume of reactive work, and the post holder will have the opportunity to contribute to a wide range of tasks to develop their skills and experiences at B3 level.
We are a friendly and welcoming team, and we value learning and development, supporting staff to grow their experience and reach their full potential.
Key responsibilities:
The role combines a mix of policy and operational duties. The post-holder will lead on policy work regarding access to legal aid and support to reduce housing pressures as a result of the UK’s asylum system. These projects include a mix of stakeholder management, grant management and secretariat work to progress the issues and both have scope for the post-holder to shape the work. In 2025, Scotland welcomed 10 families through the Gaza medevac scheme and a further 10 families are expected to arrive during Autumn 2026. The postholder will be part of a small team within SG to ensure all planning is in place for the evacuations. Additional bespoke project/policy work may be identified during the year depending on changes in UK policy and new emerging issues within Scotland so flexibility and a can-do approach are essential.
- Coordinate work to identify barriers to refugees and people seeking asylum accessing legal aid, including providing secretariat support to a working group established to assess barriers, ensuring effective engagement and delivery of agreed outputs.
- Support work relating to reducing housing pressures in Glasgow, including providing secretariat support to the Glasgow Refugee Housing Coordination Group, facilitating coordinated action across partners and managing three grants established to contribute to this workstream.
- Support delivery of the Gaza Medevac response, including monitoring progress across local authorities hosting Gazan families, identifying emerging risks and supporting issue resolution, engaging with UK Government on plans for future arrivals and drafting and providing ministerial updates.
- Undertaking other bespoke project or policy work in response to new issues that emerge as part of the team’s coordinated work to support refugees and people seeking asylum in Scotland.
- Deliver effective support to Ministers, including providing official support at ministerial meetings, drafting briefings, responding to commissions, PQs, FOIs and other relevant business.
Success Profile
Success profiles are specific to each job and they include the mix of behaviours, experience and technical criteria (if applicable) that candidates will be assessed on.
Experience:
Desirable:
Experience of producing clear, concise and high-quality written work.
Good interpersonal skills with an ability to work effectively as part of a small team and to build relationships with a range of internal and external stakeholders, including senior officials and Ministers.
Good planning and organisational skills with the ability to work flexibly to manage a varied workload to meet competing deadlines.
- Attention to detail and the ability to concisely summarise complex information.
Behaviours
- Seeing the Big Picture – Level 3
- Communicating and Influencing – Level 3
- Working Together – Level 3
- Delivering at Pace – Level 3
You can find out more about Success Profiles Behaviours, here: Behaviour levels - Success profiles: candidate guide - gov.scot
Working Pattern
This role is a temporary position with an expected commitment until August 2027.
This post is a full-time role, but we welcome applications from staff with different working patterns, proposed working patterns will be assessed against the business requirements for this post.
Our standard hours are 35 hours per week and we offer a range of flexible working options depending on the needs of the role, including Flexi-leave. Scottish Government staff in hybrid-compatible roles should aim to work in-person 40% of the time, either in an office or other agreed work location. If you have specific questions about the role you are applying for, please contact us.
Further Information
Further information about this opportunity is available from kirsty.legrice@gov.scot
How to Apply
Please submit a CV and an Expression of Interest (maximum 500 words) outlining your suitability for the role, relevant skills and experience, and what you would bring to the team. Please align this to how you meet the behaviours, experience and technical skills listed in the Success Profile above.
Vacancies close at 23:59pm on Thursday 26 November.
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.
Please see our candidate guidance for more information on acceptable and unacceptable uses of AI in recruitment.
If invited for further assessment, this will consist of a light-touch interview, scheduled for w/c TBC.
For any questions relating to your expression of interest please contact
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.
About us
The Scottish Government is the devolved government for Scotland. We have responsibility for a wide range of key policy areas including: education, health, the economy, justice, housing and transport. We offer rewarding careers and employ people across Scotland in a wide range of professions and roles.
Our staff are part of the UK Civil Service observing the Civil Service Code and working for Ministers and senior stakeholders to deliver vital public services which improve the lives of the people of Scotland.
We offer a supportive and inclusive working environment along with a wide range of employee benefits. Find out more about what we offer.
As part of the UK Civil Service, we uphold the Civil Service Nationality Rules.
Security checks
Successful candidates must complete the Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS), before they can be appointed. BPSS is comprised of four main pre-employment checks – Identity, Right to work, Employment History and a Criminal Record check (unspent convictions).
You can find out more about BPSS on the UK Government website, or read about the different levels of security checks in our Candidate Guide.
Equality statement
We are committed to equality and inclusion and we aim to recruit a diverse workforce that reflects the population of our nation.
Find out more about our commitment to diversity and how we offer and support recruitment adjustments for anyone who needs them.
Further information
Find out more about our organisation, what we offer staff members and how to apply on our Careers Website.
Read our Candidate Guide for further information on our recruitment and application processes.
Apply before: 26/11/2026 (23:59). This role is open to substantive grade staff from core SG only.
