Senior Policy Officer (Grade E3)

Our ambition is for Scotland to be the best place in the world to learn, educate, research and innovate, so that all of our nation can flourish. Our purpose is to create and sustain a world-leading system of tertiary education, research and innovation that changes lives for the better, enriches society and supports sustainable and inclusive economic growth. In this post, you will lead the Scottish Funding Council’s external facing work on equality and student mental health and wellbeing driving strategic policy, assurance and sector improvement. Key Responsibilities Lead a strategic partnership with the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to oversee the delivery of a set of agreed National Equality Outcomes (NEOs) in the tertiary sector. Working in partnership with the EHRC develop, implement and keep under regular review a new Memorandum of Understanding and action plan for the Strategic Partnership. Seek assurance of the delivery of the NEOs through the SFC's Outcomes Framework Assurance Model by working in partnership with the Assurance and Outcome team and the Student Interest, Access and Quality Team. Assess and report on the effectiveness of the reporting of the NEOs and progress made in institutional Public Sector Equality Duty Reports. Working with the National Equality Outcome Co-ordinator, oversee the development and implementation of a set of thematic reports that address persistent inequalities. Manage strategic relationships through the development of an engagement plan including key partners such as the Scottish Government, Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), colleges, universities and sector bodies. Identify, promote and share effective practice across the tertiary sector to drive continuous improvement in equality, mental health and wellbeing. Represent the Scottish Funding Council on national working groups, advisory boards and external stakeholder forums. Prepare high-quality briefings, reports, correspondence and recommendations for senior management, government and other stakeholders on equality, mental health and wellbeing matters. Line management for a National Equality Outcome Co-ordinator. Skills, Knowledge and Expertise It is important through your CV / Cover Letter that you give evidence of proven experience of each of the following essential criteria: Essential: Demonstrable experience of developing and implementing policy, programmes or initiatives to improve or address equality. Understanding of equality legislation, public sector equality duties and current equality, diversity and inclusion issues. Experience of building effective relationships and influencing a wide range of stakeholders, including senior leaders, government bodies and external partners. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret complex information and provide clear, evidence-based advice and recommendations. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including experience of preparing high-quality reports, briefings and correspondence for a range of audiences. Experience of leading and managing complex projects, delivering outcomes to agreed timescales and managing competing priorities. Experience of monitoring, evaluating and reporting on organisational or sector performance, including the use of data and evidence to inform decision-making. Proven ability to represent an organisation effectively in external forums, working groups and stakeholder networks. Degree level education (SCQF level 9) or equivalent experience relevant to the role as outlined by this job description. Desirable: Line management experience. Knowledge of the further and/or higher education sector and good understanding of the current Scottish political and government environment. Terms and Benefits · Normal full-time hours of work are 35 per week. We will consider flexible working arrangements. A flexi-time system is in operation. · Annual leave entitlement of 30 days pro-rata, plus public and privilege holiday entitlement of 13 days pro-rata. · A flexible approach to hybrid working, giving you flexibility to work from home anywhere in the UK for some of the time while also maintaining regular in-person contact with colleagues. · Annual pay review: approved within the framework of the Scottish Government’s Public Sector Pay Policy and negotiated with our recognised trade union, Unite. Salaries are reviewed annually in April for employees who commence employment prior to 1 October in the preceding year. · Eligibility to join the Civil Service Pension Scheme . With its low member contribution rates and generous employer contributions, this gives you a secure, inflation-proof pension for life with no investment uncertainty. Details of contribution rates together with further details of the pension benefits are available on the Civil Service Pensions website. There is also the option of a Partnership pension account. · Support for continuous professional development: as a part of SFC, we are dedicated to providing comprehensive support for continuous learning and professional development. Civil Service-Learning curriculum has thoughtfully designed to cater to various learning preferences, allowing employees to engage in a manner that best suits their needs. All our educational resources are conveniently accessible through the CSL website. · Support for health and wellbeing, including generous occupational sick pay, free access to confidential advice and support through our 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme, Special Leave (paid and unpaid), a contribution to learning outside work through our Lifelong Learning Fund, free winter flu vaccination, and access to occupational health support. · We provide support to SFC employees with Volunteering Days. · Support for travel to and from work, including a salary sacrifice cycle loan scheme, cycle storage and shower facilities, an interest-free loan for bus or rail season tickets and free office car parking for employees on a first-come basis. Although most salaried roles are advertised as full time positions (35 hours a week), we are happy to discuss part-time or compressed hours to suit a candidates circumstances. We also operate a flexible working scheme to work around a candidate's other commitments such as caring responsibilities. We will consider secondment applications for most salaried fixed-term or temporary positions and in many cases also for salaried permanent positions. If you are interested in applying on a secondment basis and this option is not explicitly mentioned in the job advert, please contact [email protected] for further information.