Details
Reference number
423908
Salary
£90,718 - £94,383
A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
GBP
Job grade
SCS Pay Band 1
Contract type
Permanent
Business area
Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service
Type of role
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
Edinburgh
About the job
Job summary
Lead the transformation of Scotland's courts system, as Executive Director – Court Operations, where your strategic vision and operational excellence can shape the future of justice in Scotland'
As the Executive Director - Court Operations, you bring visionary and strategic leadership, coupled with exceptional operational management skills. You are adept at overseeing large teams and substantial budgets, effectively managing Scotland's Courts.
You are a respected senior leader with a strong track record of driving transformational change and fostering collaborative cultures across a wide spectrum of stakeholders, including Criminal Justice Partners, the Judiciary, the Scottish Parliament, and the third sector. Your ability to break down silos and build leadership capacity enables you to lead complex, cross-sector initiatives that address critical societal challenges.
Your leadership ensures that SCTS delivers the people, infrastructure, and services needed to support the judiciary. You align resources to strategic priorities, champion innovation, and guide the organisation through evolving demands - enhancing access to justice, reducing delays and costs, and leveraging technology to improve outcomes.
Job description
Your primary focus and responsibility will be leading culture and change whilst ensuring the effective administration and delivery of all criminal and civil court business across Scotland. You will be a key member of the SCTS Executive Team.
Reporting directly to the Chief Executive, you will:
* collaborate with the judiciary and stakeholders, including criminal justice partners, government departments, legal professionals, and the business community, to ensure the justice system supports economic growth and public trust
* lead and manage change initiatives, strategically leveraging technology to drive innovation and efficiency
* stay abreast of emerging technological trends, integrating them at the right time and in the right way to SCTS' operations
* foster a culture of continuous improvement, encouraging the adoption of digital tools and other technological solutions that will enhance operational efficiency and ensure that SCTS remains resilient and responsive to future changes
* have operational responsibility for court operations across Scotland, providing the necessary people, buildings and services to support the Judiciary
* provide innovative leadership to 1,350 front-line employees across 51 locations, ensuring the ongoing delivery of high-quality and sustainable public services
* as a member of the SCTS Executive Team, be responsible for three Director-level reports (Civil Service Grade 6) and their senior management teams covering Sheriff & Justice of the Peace and Supreme Courts
* play a pivotal role in the Criminal Justice Reform agenda, implementing key initiatives such as the National Sexual Offences Court, digital evidence sharing, summary case management, and jury reform projects
* be responsible for a budget of £56M
* manage the civil justice system to provide a reliable dispute resolution mechanism, which is crucial for business confidence and investment
Person specification
Success Profile
Experience:
Leadership at Executive Team and Board level
* leading delivery of strategic change and reform at pace through periods of ambiguity and organisational uncertainty
* demonstrated excellence in communication, with a confident personal presence. The ability to tailor messaging and engagement style effectively across diverse audiences and stakeholder groups, to build appropriate organisational culture
* significant experience of leading the development and delivery of organisational strategy successfully in a large and complex organisation, within government, the public sector or private sector
* proven experience of achieving measurable outcomes across a range of specialist subject areas, through effective cross-boundary working and partnership with a wide range of stakeholders
* thinking flexibly and with impact to deliver the vision and strategic objectives, using highly effective performance management and governance frameworks and customer feedback to drive improvement and consistency of service
* proven ability to maintain high levels of personal resilience and sustained performance in fast-paced, demanding environments, demonstrating composure and effectiveness under pressure
Behaviours:
* Leadership (Level 5)
* Working Together (Level 5)
* Managing a quality service (Level 5)
* Changing and Improving (Level 5)
* Developing self and others (Level 5)
You can find out more about Success Profiles Behaviours here: Behaviour levels - Success profiles: candidate guide -
Benefits
Alongside your salary of £90,718, Scottish Government contributes £26,281 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%
Things you need to know
Selection process details
How to apply
Apply online, providing a CV and Supporting Statement (of no more than 1500 words) which provides evidence of how you meet the experience and behaviours listed in the Success Profile above.
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 you are shortlisted, you will be provided with full details of the next stages of the selection and assessment process. This will include an individual psychological assessment and an interview where you will be required to deliver a presentation. The topic and details will be provided to candidates invited to the interview stage.
Shortlisting is scheduled to take place on 17 September 2025.
Assessments are scheduled for the week commencing 22 and 29 September 2025 however this may be subject to change.
The Final Interview Panel will take place in person in Parliament House, Parliament Square, Edinburgh, EH1 1RQ on 24 October 2025.
Interview panel:
* Malcolm Graham, Chief Executive Officer, SCTS (CHAIR)
* Catriona Dalrymple, Director of Justice, SG
* Lindsey Miller, Deputy Crown Agent, COPFS
* Rob Malpass HRBP, SG
About us
The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) is a non-ministerial department established under the Judiciary and Courts (Scotland) Act 2008. Its statutory role is to provide administrative support to Scotland's courts, devolved tribunals, and the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG).
In addition to its core responsibilities, SCTS supports the Office of the Public Guardian and Accountant of Court, which safeguards vulnerable individuals under the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000. The Public Guardian also serves as the Accountant of Court. SCTS further provides staffing and administrative support to the Scottish Civil Justice Council, which advises on civil justice reform and drafts procedural rules, and the Scottish Sentencing Council, which promotes consistency and transparency in sentencing across Scotland's criminal courts.
The scope of SCTS' work is broad and impactful. Whether facilitating formal court or tribunal proceedings, supporting jurors, managing fees and fines, or assisting individuals dealing with the affairs of an incapable adult or a deceased loved one, SCTS touches the lives of thousands of people every day.
Handling over 250,000 cases and applications annually, SCTS is committed to delivering high-quality public services. Each case represents an individual seeking justice, resolution, or support. While maintaining excellence in core service delivery is paramount, SCTS also embraces innovation and continuous improvement to meet evolving needs and expectations.
* Our estate comprises 71 buildings across Scotland, including courts, vulnerable witness suites, tribunals and offices;
* Operates from 51 locations across Scotland;
* Covers Scotland's six sheriffdoms;
* Has a further 13 remote video witness suites;
* Tribunals make use of 70 further venues to accommodate hearings.
More information about SCTS can be accessed at: The role of the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service, Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service and our website
As part of the UK Civil Service, SCTS employees work in partnership with Ministers and senior stakeholders to deliver essential public services that make a meaningful difference to the people of Scotland.
As part of the UK Civil Service, we uphold the Civil Service Nationality Rules.
Working hours and pattern
The SCTS Executive Team work 37 hours per week and we offer a range of flexible working options depending on the needs of the role. From October 2025, the Scottish Government will require staff in hybrid-compatible roles 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.
Normal daily hours of work are 8.30am to 5.00pm Monday to Thursday and 8.30am to 4.30pm on Friday. Part-time and/or flexible working arrangements can be applied for.
As a senior civil servant, you will be required to work additional hours as it may from time to time be reasonable and necessary for the efficient performance of your duties.
Family Friendly Policies
The SCTS operates various family friendly policies including maternity, paternity, adoption, shared parental leave, flexible working hours and alternative working patterns.
Annual leave
The annual leave allowance for full-time employees is 30 days with an additional 11.5 days public and privilege holidays.
Security checks
BPSS
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).
Secure check
As Executive Director Court Operations, you will also require a higher level of security clearance ("Secure Check"). This arises out of the implementation of the disclosure provisions in terms of Part 6 of the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2010. It allows a civil servant to have access to top secret and secret papers relating to court hearings and information gathered by covert surveillance or infiltration by the security services, drug enforcement agencies and/or serious organised crime units. This is to ensure that the court can discharge its function of being able to process all types of criminal business which may come before it.
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
You can also access the Candidate Guide for further information on the recruitment and application processes.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Successful candidates must undergo a 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
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Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
* Name : David Beagley
* Email :
Recruitment team
* Email :
Further information
https://fa-evxn-