Description Job Description Are you seeking an opportunity to work closely with a wide range of Ministers, local government elected officials, senior SG officials and officers from local government’s national body in Scotland (COSLA) on a regular basis? The Local Government Policy and Relationship Unit are looking for a Policy Official to join the team, supporting effective engagement between the Scottish Government and local government (mainly through COSLA), at both ministerial and official levels. The Unit has strategic oversight for ensuring the ongoing effectiveness of this relationship and oversight of governance arrangements of councils, including their performance and scrutiny, through sponsor team support for various public bodies. The role will involve the development and delivery of policies and initiatives that involve local government as well as cross-cutting work such as pulling together briefings that include multiple policy areas or providing advice and support on compliance with the Verity House Agreement to policy teams across the whole of Government. Local government is a key partner for the Scottish Government and Ministers have committed to effective partnership working as part of the Verity House Agreement. The Unit is responsible for coordination of the Verity House Agreement strategic engagement meetings between Ministers and the COSLA Presidential Team and Political Group Leaders. It also leads on the support provided by the Scottish Government to Mark Ruskell MSP to progress his Members’ Bill (the European Charter of Local Self-Government Incorporation Scotland Bill) to reconsideration stage. Responsibilities Supporting the work to ensure the Verity House Agreement is being embedded and delivered across the SG. Supporting the Senior Policy Officer and Team Leader to provide sponsor team support to the Accounts Commission and the Standards Commission. Leading on Local Government Political Restrictions Exceptions Adjudicator for Scotland sponsorship. Leading on the Councillor remuneration annual uplift SSI. Providing Secretariat support for the Ministerial-COSLA Presidential Team strategic engagement programme. Processing team mailbox queries, this involves providing core brief lines/contact details for routine queries and assigning others to members of the team. Lead on the Ministerial Summer tours including planning, liaising with Local Authorises and preparing briefings. MiCases, PQs, FOIs. Responsibilities Success Profile Success profiles are specific to each job and they include the mix of skills, experience and behaviours candidates will be assessed on. Technical / Professional Skills: Policy Context and Purpose – Developing – Level 1 You can find out more about the skills required here. Behaviours: Delivering at Pace – Level 3 Communicating and Influencing – Level 3 Seeing the Bigger Picture – Level 3 Working Together – Level 3 You can find out more about Success Profiles Behaviours, here: Behaviour levels - Success profiles: candidate guide - gov.scot How to apply Apply online, providing a CV and Supporting Statement (of no more than 1000 words) which provides evidence of how you meet the skills, experience and behaviours listed in the Success Profile above. It would be preferred if the supporting statement should ideally be split into equal sections, one for each of the above success profile criteria. In each section you should give examples of work you have completed that has allowed you to develop these criteria. If invited for further assessment, this will consist of an interview and written exercise. Assessments are scheduled for w/c 07/07/25 however this may be subject to change. Qualifications 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, 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. Working Pattern Our standard hours are 35 hours per week. We offer a range of flexible and hybrid working options depending on the needs of the role. If you have specific questions about the role you are applying for, please contact us. This post is based in Victoria Quay (Edinburgh) with the opportunity for flexible/hybrid working – the current expectation is to be in the office at least 2 days per week. This post will intermittently require in-person attendance at meetings in Victoria Quay, St Andrews House, Verity House (COSLA’s office in Edinburgh) and the Scottish Parliament. 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. The Unit sits within the Local Government Directorate. We are a small, close-knit directorate with just under 40 staff, organised into four units.