Head Of Corporate And Shared Services

Contract Type: Fixed Term (2 years). Secondments will be considered.

Part time (21 hours per week)

Location: Edinburgh

Salary scale: Pro rata £41,544.60 – £47,061.60 (Full time equivalent Band 6 £69,241 – £78,436)

Benefits: Pro rata 24.3 days of annual leave including public holidays (full time equivalent is 40.5 days), Flexible working arrangements, Civil Service Pension Scheme arrangements, Life Assurance scheme, Employee Assistance Programme

The SPSO is the final stage for complaints about organisations providing public services in Scotland. SPSO’s remit is broad, the Ombudsman:

· is the final stage for complaints about most of the Scottish public sector;

· provides the independent review service for applications to the Scottish Welfare Fund;

· sets and monitors the application of statutory model complaint handling procedures and National Whistleblowing standards;

· is the Independent National Whistleblowing Officer for the NHS in Scotland.

Reporting to the Ombudsman and as part of SPSO’s Leadership Team, The Head of Corporate and Shared Services will have responsibility for the Corporate Services team including Information Governance, Information and Communications Technology, Finance, HR, the Executive Casework Team and Facilities Management and Security

The Head of Corporate Services will have responsibilities for:

· Strategy development and change management

· Reporting on and contributing to organisation performance delivery and monitoring

· Governance and risk management

· Efficiency, effectiveness and compliance

· Managing the delivery of Corporate services

· Supporting quality assurance and improvement

· Working in partnership with key stakeholders

The Corporate Services team has a key role in delivering high quality corporate services to the SPSO and others through a Shared Services approach. As the Head of Corporate Services, you will be responsible for working with managers, teams, and other external stakeholders to develop strategies, processes and systems that create excellence and continuous improvement in corporate services performance.

You will have a degree or equivalent experience or professional qualification with previous experience of financial management including supervision of an organisation’s finances and financial strategy. You will have a good understanding of governance and risk management and integration into business processes and experience of managing teams, change programmes and projects to deliver results and experience of contributing to development of strategic and business plans. You will have experience of working with internal and external auditors

Ideally, you will have an accounting or financial qualification, demonstrating experience of risk management and a working knowledge of wider public sector duties such as Data Protection, Freedom of Information, Climate Change, etc. It would also be desirable to have experience of managing an HR, IT and/ or facilities/ Health and Safety function.

If you are interested in joining an organisation that enjoys challenge and strives for continuous improvement, please visit www.spso.org.uk/working-us for an application pack.

For further information, please visit our website or contact 0131 243 0982 or recruitment@spso.gov.scot.

Closing date for applications: 5 pm, 14 February 2024

Please note that only applications sent directly to SPSO will be considered.

Interviews to be held on: 6 March 2024

All applicants will be notified of the outcome of applications by 26 February at the latest.

The selection process will include an assessment and interview, details of which will be shared with applicants selected for this stage by 26 February. Applicants selected for assessment and interview should be available to attend SPSO’s office for this stage of the process (unless otherwise indicated) and further details of these arrangements will be confirmed nearer the time.

Equal Opportunities Statement:

We are committed to providing equal opportunities in employment and in the service provided to complainants. No job applicant, staff member or person receiving a service from us will receive less favourable treatment on the grounds of sex, marital status, or racial grounds or on grounds of disability, age, sexual orientation, language or social origin, or of other personal attributes including beliefs or opinions, such as religious beliefs or political opinions.

We are totally opposed to discrimination. We are committed to conducting the business in a way that is fair to everyone. This may mean taking positive steps to ensure equal opportunities for staff involved in staff selection, staff management and service delivery.