C3 Head of Digital Maturity and Supporting Services - Social Security Scotland

Social Security Scotland is undergoing an ambitious period of digital transformation, building modern, resilient and user‑centred services that support people across Scotland. We are looking for an experienced and forward‑thinking digital leader to play a central role in shaping and delivering this vision.

This senior leadership position offers the opportunity to drive major Digital Maturity and Digital Transformation programmes, lead skilled technical teams, and ensure the sustainability and compliance of the services that underpin our digital operations. If you are motivated by public service, innovation and delivering meaningful impact for citizens, this role offers the chance to contribute to one of Scotland’s most significant national programmes.

This is a challenging leadership role with accountability for delivering a complex portfolio of Digital Maturity and Digital Transformation programmes, alongside responsibility for ensuring the operational sustainability and compliance of our supporting and enabling services.

Reporting to the Chief Digital and Information Officer (CDIO), you will support the wider Executive Leadership Team for the Digital, Delivery & Change Division and work collaboratively with senior leaders across the organisation.

Our vision is to be an exemplar for Digital Maturity across the Scottish Public Sector—combining innovation, modern engineering and industry best practice with resilience and remediation to build a modern, scalable digital ecosystem capable of meeting the future ambitions of Social Security Scotland and the wider sector.

Responsibilities:

Programme and Portfolio Delivery
You will be accountable for delivering a range of large and complex transformation, service improvement and capability‑building programmes, including technology‑enabled change, working across multiple delivery areas and teams.
This includes setting clear strategic direction, prioritising investment, maintaining portfolio oversight and ensuring that programmes align to organisational priorities and deliver measurable outcomes.

Senior Leadership and Delivery Assurance
The role includes senior leadership of multi‑disciplinary programme and project teams delivering change where there is significant financial, operational, reputational or political risk. You will bring extensive experience of leading complex programmes and portfolios, applying appropriate delivery methodologies and maintaining strong awareness of public sector change, reform and service delivery priorities.

Supporting Services Leadership
Supporting Services provides essential enabling functions for the division, covering workforce management, budget management, financial processing, business support, communications, statutory compliance and operational risk. As Head of Supporting Services, you will be accountable for delivering this remit, including statutory compliance activities and effective strategic financial management of the division’s operational budgets and delegations.

Public Service Reform (PSR) Contribution
You will contribute to Public Service Reform priorities at both strategic and operational levels. This includes identifying opportunities to realise efficiencies, reduce operational expenditure, and share technical and operational standards, tooling, technology and operating models across the wider Scottish Public Sector to support broader transformation.

Main Duties:

• Lead and continuously evolve a strategic portfolio of transformation and improvement programmes, ensuring alignment with organisational strategy, emerging priorities and available capacity.
• Provide strategic direction of a complex portfolio of Digital Maturity programmes, ensuring delivery aligns with target outcomes, resources and budgets are effectively managed, and cross‑cutting risks and dependencies are identified early.
• Oversee internal assurance and ensure all programmes and major projects follow agreed change delivery standards, governance and reporting frameworks, with robust resourcing plans in place.
• Act as the senior escalation point and decision‑maker for risks, issues and resourcing challenges beyond programme level, representing the portfolio at the Change Delivery Board.
• Lead or directly manage agile and technical delivery teams for high‑risk or technically complex programmes when required.
• Ensure all programmes have clear benefit realisation strategies with effective monitoring and reporting of value delivered.
• Represent Social Security Scotland across cross‑government forums, influencing national standards and ensuring organisational needs and lessons learned shape wider public‑sector approaches.
• Act as a senior leader for innovation and continuous improvement in programme delivery, working with stakeholders to anticipate future demands and ensure delivery approaches remain resilient and fit for purpose.
• Lead strategic financial management and forecasting for the division, overseeing budget sub‑delegations, ensuring strong financial controls and acting as the primary escalation point for budget challenges.
• Ensure divisional compliance with statutory obligations, including the Scottish Public Finance Manual, and lead the annual Internal Certificate of Assurance process.
• Oversee divisional operational risk and issue management, escalating significant risks into the corporate structure where necessary.
• Lead Supporting Services functions, ensuring compliance with statutory, audit and performance requirements.
• Drive a culture of continuous improvement and innovation, identifying opportunities to improve outcomes, increase efficiency and reduce operational overheads.

Success Profiles
We use an assessment framework called ‘Success Profiles’ which lists the elements we test and provides detailed descriptions of each. Find out more about the framework here.

For this post, the following Success Profile elements will be assessed:   

Experience 

1. Experience of leading enterprise scale transformation and change programmes, including service modernisation, process improvement and technology enabled change, with a clear understanding of how these programmes support long term organisational outcomes and efficiency. This includes accountability for significant capital, revenue and workforce budgets and alignment with wider corporate priorities.

   
    

2. Experience of directing large and complex programmes and portfolios involving significant organisational, operational and technical challenge. This includes responsibility for developing or overseeing business cases that demonstrate measurable benefits, efficiencies and value for money, and applying appropriate delivery approaches to ensure successful outcomes.

Behaviours 

• Seeing the big picture – Level 4
• Leadership – Level 4

You can find out more about Success Profiles Behaviours here.  

Technical / Professional Skills:   
You will demonstrate the following skills within the Project Delivery Competencies - Government Project Delivery. 

1. Governance - Expert
2. Resource management  - Expert
3. Business change and implementation  - Expert

How to Apply 
To apply, please submit your application online, including your CV and a Supporting Statement (of no more than 1000 words). Your CV and Supporting Statement should clearly demonstrate how you meet the Experience, Behaviours and Technical Skills required for the role as outlined in the Success Profile above. Be sure to provide specific examples of work that you’ve done that showcase your relevant experience. 

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 invited for further assessment, this will consist of an interview and presentation. 

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the CV and personal statement on the first Experience criteria. Candidates who pass the initial sift will have their applications fully assessed. 

Candidates who are successful at sift stage will be invited to attend an Interview and Assessment which will further assess the Experience, Behaviours and Technical skills listed in the job advert. You will receive full details of the skills to be assessed and the assessment methods to be used.

We aim to provide feedback on request. However, if we receive a large number of applications it may not be possible for us to provide specific feedback on your application. We will provide feedback on request to candidates who attend an interview/assessment.

Expected Timeline (subject to change) 
Sift – week commencing 1st June 2026
Interview – week commencing 22nd June 2026
Location – In person in Glasgow

Reserve List 
In the event that there are more successful candidates than posts available, a reserve list will be kept for up to 12 months. 

About Us 
Social Security Scotland is an Executive Agency of the Scottish Government. Our benefits help people from all walks of life in Scotland. We offer rewarding careers and employ people across Scotland in a wide range of professions and roles. We are committed to recruiting a diverse workforce that is representative of the clients we serve.  Find more about us here.   

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 and we offer a range of flexible working options, depending on the needs of the role. We embrace a hybrid working style where all colleagues will spend time in either our Glasgow or Dundee offices. There is an expectation of a minimum 2 days per week in your assigned location, which will be either Glasgow or Dundee.  If you have specific questions about the role you are applying for, please contact us.

Equality Statement 
Social Security Scotland are committed to equality and inclusion, and we aim to recruit a diverse workforce that reflects the population of our nation.    

Social Security Scotland are a Disability Confident Employer. We will consider and implement any reasonable adjustments you may require throughout the recruitment process and during the course of your employment, should you be successful in securing a post. If you feel you may require assistance with any part of our recruitment process, please contact us at Recruitment@socialsecurity.gov.scot.

Find out more about our commitment to diversity and how we offer and support recruitment adjustments for anyone who needs them. 

Further Information 
This role is only available to existing permanent civil servants who have successfully completed their probation period within Social Security Scotland, the broader Scottish Government or Other Government Departments. 

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 successful candidate will be expected to remain in post for a minimum of 3 years unless successful in gaining promotion to a higher Band or Grade.   

If you experience any difficulties accessing our website or completing the online application form, please contact the Resourcing Team via recruitment@socialsecurity.gov.scot

Apply before 23:55 on 4th May 2026 

Contact Name  - Resourcing Team
Contact e-Mail - recruitment@socialsecurity.gov.scot