Social Security Scotland

Details

Reference number

478356

Salary

£93,667 - £97,451

A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

GBP

Job grade

SCS Pay Band 1

Contract type

Permanent

Business area

SSS - Client Services Delivery

Type of role

Operational Delivery
Senior leadership

Working pattern

Full-time

Number of jobs available

1

Contents

• Location
• About the job
• Benefits
• Things you need to know
• Apply and further information

Location

Dundee, Glasgow

About the job

Job summary

Lead one of Scotland’s largest public service operations and help shape a social security system that supports more than a third of nation’s population.

Social Security Scotland is an Executive Agency of the Scottish Government responsible for delivering Scotland's devolved social security system in line with the Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018 and our Charter. We provide vital support to people on low incomes, disabled people, carers, young people entering employment and households requiring support with energy costs. Our mission is to ensure everyone receives the support they are entitled to with dignity, fairness and respect.

As Deputy Director of Client Services Delivery, you will lead large-scale operational services responsible for delivering benefits to hundreds of thousands of people across Scotland. Your primary objective will be to ensure the delivery of high-quality, person-centred, efficient and resilient services while driving continuous improvement and helping shape the future of social security delivery that improve outcomes for the people and communities of Scotland. You will work closely with Ministers, senior government officials and key partners across the public sector.

Job description

Provide strategic leadership for Social Security Scotland’s Client Services Delivery function, leading over 3,000 operational delivery and registered health and social care colleagues to deliver services aligned with the values of dignity, fairness and respect and Civil Service standards.

Ensure the effective delivery of client services across Scotland, maintaining high-quality, accessible and person-centred services in line with the Social Security Charter and organisational commitments.

As a visible and values-led leader, you will lead through others to build a high-performing, inclusive and engaged workforce. In line with the Civil Service Leadership Statement, Social Security Scotland Charter and People Strategy, you will drive a culture of openness, accountability, learning and collaboration, developing organisational capability, nurturing talent and strengthening leadership capacity to ensure the long-term success of the organisation

Lead operational performance, risk and service improvement, using client insight, stakeholder feedback and management information to drive continuous improvement, deliver value for money and safeguard organisational reputation.

Act as a key member of the Agency senior leadership team, at a shaping organisational strategy and transformation, while working collaboratively with Scottish Governments Social Security Directorate to deliver strategic and Ministerial priorities.

Build and maintain effective relationships with Ministers and senior stakeholders, providing assurance, performance reporting and strategic advice to support informed decision-making and public accountability.

• Oversee workforce, financial and business resilience planning, managing an annual budget of approximately £170 million, ensuring compliance with public finance requirements, maintaining operational capacity and capability, and leading robust business continuity and incident management arrangements to sustain critical services.

Person specification

Success Profiles

It is essential that you can provide evidence of the Experience criteria below within your CV and supporting statement as this will be used to assess your application at sift.

Experience:

We’re looking for candidates who can demonstrate:

Substantial experience providing strategic leadership within a large, complex service delivery organisation, setting strategic direction and delivering organisational objectives through multi-disciplinary teams.

Demonstrable success in leading large-scale operational performance and service improvement, balancing quality, efficiency and service user outcomes while responding effectively to changing priorities, demand and policy requirements.

Experience of leading across organisational boundaries to deliver outcomes, taking a whole-system approach to complex and dynamic challenges by building strategic partnerships, managing dependencies and risks, and driving sustainable improvements for service users.

• A strong track record as a visible and influential corporate leader, contributing to organisational success beyond your own area of responsibility, with experience of working collaboratively across a senior leadership team to shape strategy, drive change, improve organisational performance and build an inclusive, high-performing culture.

Behaviours:

You are expected to provide evidence of the following behaviours at Level 5. Behaviours will be assessed at interview stage:

• Managing a Quality Service
• Leadership
• Developing Self & Others
• Seeing the Bigger Picture

You can find out more about Success Profiles Behaviours, here: Success Profiles - Civil Service Behaviours (publishing.service.gov.uk)

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £93,667, Social Security Scotland contributes £27,135 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides .

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Find out more about what we offer.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements 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, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

How to Apply

Apply online, providing a CV and Supporting Statement (of no more than 750 words) which provides evidence of how you meet the Experience criteria. Both your CV and Supporting Statement will be used to assess your suitability against the criteria.

During the interview and assessment process we will test your Experience as well as the Behaviors aligned to this role.

Please see our candidate guidance for more information on acceptable and unacceptable uses of AI in recruitment.

If you are invited to the next stage, the assessment process will include an interview with a short presentation, an engagement panel, and psychometric testing – further details will be provided to you in advance.

Assessments are scheduled for weeks commencing 12 October and 19 October 2026, however this may be subject to change.

The Final Interview Panel will take place the week commencing 2 November 2026 in person at Social Security Scotland, Agnes Husband House, 17 South Union Street, Dundee, DD1 4BF. Interviews will be chaired by Karyn Lavelle, Social Security Scotland Chief Operating Officer. The other panel Members are:

• Nicola Rudnicki, Deputy Director for People and Place
• Veena Muthuraman, Social Security Scotland, Non-Executive Director
• Barry Matheson, Social Security Scotland, Non-Executive Director

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.

Interview Expenses

Any travel and subsistence expenses incurred during the selection process are the responsibility of the applicant

About Us

Led by Chief Executive David Wallace, Social Security Scotland is an Executive Agency of the Scottish Government and one of its largest public service organisations. We play a vital role in supporting people and families across Scotland, delivering benefits that improve lives and contribute to positive social outcomes.

Guided by the principles of dignity, fairness and respect, we are committed to ensuring everyone can access the financial support they are entitled to, in the right way and at the right time.

As an Executive Agency of the Scottish Government, Social Security Scotland operates within Scottish Government employment frameworks, with remuneration and reward arrangements aligned to Scottish Government Main Pay Bargaining and Senior Civil Service pay policy.

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.

As part of the UK Civil Service, we uphold the Civil Service Nationality Rules.

Working Pattern

Applicants on any working pattern are welcome to apply for this post. If you are interested in applying on a job-share basis, please make clear in your application if you wish to be considered as a pre-existing job-share partnership or if you are interested in moving into a job-share arrangement. We will assess proposed working patterns against the business requirements for the post and discuss all options with candidates.

Our standard hours are 37 hours per week, and we offer a range of flexible working options depending on the needs of the role, including Flexi-leave.

You will also be part of an ‘on call rota’ approximately one week in four offering incident management, media and ministerial support outside normal hours as part of the senior leadership responsibilities attached to this role.

The organisation operates on a hybrid basis, with a minimum office attendance of two days per week.

This role can be based in either Dundee or Glasgow, but regular travel will be required across all Social Security Scotland sites and to Scottish Government locations, such as Edinburgh other Glasgow sites to provide visible leadership, engage with key stakeholders and support collaborative delivery across the organisation.

If you have specific questions about the role you are applying for, please contact us.

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).

In addition to the standard pre-employment checks, this vacancy will also require all candidates to obtain National Security Vetting (NSV) at Security Check (SC) clearance level. This type of check normally includes meeting a minimum UK residency period, which for SC level is 5 years.

Further information about NSV checks can be found on the UK Government website - National security vetting: clearance levels - GOV.UK

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

Please see our landing page for more details - Deputy Director - Client Services Delivery - Scottish Government Jobs

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.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) criminal record check.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check .

See our vetting charter .

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Medical

Successful candidates will be expected to have a medical.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles .

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy .

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative.

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Karyn Lavelle
• Email : ChiefOperatingOfficer@socialsecurity.gov.scot

Recruitment team

• Email : SCSResourcing@gov.scot

Further information

https://fa-evxn-saasfaukgovprod1.fa.ocs.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/CX_1001/job/4553/?utm_medium=jobboard&utm_source=CivilServiceJobs