Senior Improvement Adviser - AHP

Published: 14 May 2021

Location: Any Care Inspectorate office

Salary: £48,453-£53,502

Hours: 35 hours per week

Contract: Permanent

 

About the role

We are looking for a colleague with a strong background in a variety of health and social work roles and a passion in quality improvement to join the new Health and Social Care Improvement Team (HSCIT) on a permanent basis.

Reporting to the AHP Consultant but working closely with the Care Inspectorate’s Chief Nurse, under the umbrella of Improvement Support and with close collaboration with Scrutiny and Assurance the post holder will provide specialist skills and knowledge in AHP with a focus on falls, frailty, rehabilitation and reablement.

You will work internally to strengthen the capability and confidence of inspectors across inspection, complaints, and registration teams, in specific topic areas, supporting their learning and development and keeping the evidence base of practice current and develop resources to support the health and wellbeing of people experiencing care for use both internally and externally.

You will build and develop strategic partnerships across the health and social care landscape to support the delivery of health and wellbeing improvement advice and quality improvement support.

About you

Educated to degree level in a relevant field, registered with the aligned professional body together with the NES Scottish Improvement Leader (ScIL) programme (or willingness to work towards), or an equivalent improvement qualification, you will have significant immediate influence in working across the health or social care sector. You will also work strategically across several organisations.

You will have significant specialist subject matter expertise and be able to combine it with an understanding of quality improvement theory/change management and its practical application in health and social care settings.

Current work delivery methods will be timely reviewed against the Covid-19 national position and public health guidance. Whenever face to face work activities recommence, the role may require extensive travel and involve some overnight stays and unsocial hours.

To apply

You’ll find more information in the:

For an informal chat please contact Heather Edwards, AHP Consultant on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

If you believe that you are a suitable candidate for this post, please download and complete an application form, (and equal opportunities form where you are an external applicant), and submit it by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by 8am on Monday 31 May 2021.

Interviews for this role are anticipated to take place on either 15 or 16 June through MS Teams.

 

Downloads: 3921

Senior Improvement Adviser (Registered Nurse)

Published: 28 May 2024

Job title: Senior Improvement Adviser (Registered Nurse)           

Salary: £55,530 to £61,314 (Pro rata)

Hours: Part Time 17.5 hours

Location: Flexible (Any Care Inspectorate office)

Contract: Permanent  


About us

We are the national regulator and scrutiny body responsible for providing assurance and protection for people who experience care services, their families, carers and the wider public, as well as supporting delivery partners to improve the quality of care for people in Scotland. Our vision is that people across Scotland experience high quality care that meets their needs, rights and choices.

We are a scrutiny body that supports improvement. We inspect individual care services, and we also work with other scrutiny bodies to inspect the social care and social work services people are experiencing in their local areas.

Our desire is to achieve an effective and balanced way of working, that enables us to meet organisational needs and achieve a work-life balance that promotes wellbeing and collaboration opportunities. We are moving towards the expectation that all staff will work collaboratively, within and across teams, in person, for approximately 40% of their working week.

About the role

We are looking for a colleague who is a registered nurse with a passion for quality improvement to join the Health and Social Care Improvement Team (HSCIT) permanently.

Our team have quality improvement and health expertise. We use this to work strategically and operationally, with internal and external colleagues and frontline care staff. We do this so that people who experience care achieve improved health and wellbeing outcomes that matter to them.

About you

You will have all round knowledge of the health and wellbeing of adults and older people and be educated to degree level or equivalent in Nursing.

You will have significant specialist subject matter expertise and be able to combine it with an understanding of quality improvement theory/change management and its practical application in health and social care settings.

On appointment as Improvement Support Adviser (Registered Nurse), you will be a secondary authorised officer and be registered with the appropriate registration body, in this case NMC.

Registration

The successful applicant will be registered with NMC.

Next steps

You’ll find more information in the job profile and person specification.

If you would like more information or an informal chat about the role, please contact Lynn Flannigan at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

To apply

If you believe that you are a suitable candidate for this post, please download and complete an application form and equal opportunities form and submit it by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by 08:00 on Monday 17 June 2024.

It is anticipated that interviews will be held no sooner than 2 July at our Dundee Headquarters office.

 

Downloads: 3626

Senior Intelligence Analyst

Published: 14 December 2018

Role: Senior Intelligence Analyst

Contract: Temporary or secondment up to 31 July 2025

Salary: £49,227 - £54,441

Hours: 35 hours per week

Location: Flexible (any Care Inspectorate Office)


About us

We are the national regulator and scrutiny body responsible for providing assurance and protection for people who experience care services, their families, carers and the wider public, as well as supporting delivery partners to improve the quality of care for people in Scotland. Our vision is that people across Scotland experience high quality care that meets their needs, rights and choices.

We are a scrutiny body that supports improvement. We inspect individual care services and we also work with other scrutiny bodies to inspect the social care and social work services people are experiencing in their local areas.

Our desire is to achieve an effective and balanced way of working, that enables us to meet organisational needs and achieve a work-life balance that promotes wellbeing and collaboration opportunities. We are moving towards an expectation that all staff will work collaboratively, within and across teams, in person for for approximately 40% of their working week.

Starting salary  

New entrants will start on the grade minimum for the role. However, we have a generous total rewards package, which you can find more about on our website. 

About the role

This post within our established intelligence team plays a key role in developing and delivering our intelligence–led ways of working. This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced and highly competent analyst to take on a national role, and an opportunity to use your talents to make a real difference to people using care services across Scotland.

The Senior Intelligence Analyst will be a technical specialist, who will lead and oversee the production of a variety of analytical products. They will manage aspects of the intelligence team’s day-to-day work and provide line-management support and development for a small team. They will be proactive in identifying opportunities to develop intelligence-led working both within the Care Inspectorate, and with the many external organisations with whom we collaborate.

About you

You will be educated to SCQF level 9 in a subject which includes a significant numerical component, you will ideally come from a background which includes statistical analysis, intelligence analysis, data science, operational research or business intelligence. You will be expected to work with colleagues at all levels in the Care Inspectorate therefore, in addition to your advanced technical and analytical capabilities, you must have excellent interpersonal skills, and be capable of conveying complex findings clearly both verbally and in writing.

Next steps

You will find more information in the job profile and person specification.

For an informal discussion about the post, please contact Ingrid Gilray, Intelligence and Analysis Manager by email (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) in the first instance.

You can visit our website to see the benefits of working with us including information on our offices across Scotland. 

If you believe that you are a suitable candidate for this post, please download and complete an application form and equal opportunities form and submit it by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by 08:00 on Monday 2 September.

We expect interviews to take place no earlier than 12 September 2024.

Downloads: 9134

Service Manager (early learning and childcare)

Published: 05 September 2024

Job title: Service Manager - Early Learning and Childcare

Salary: £35,730 (£71,460 FTE)

Hours: Part-time (10 days per 4-week period)

Location: Flexible (Any Care Inspectorate office)

Contract: Temporary for 18 months (with the possibility of further extension)


About us

We are the national regulator and scrutiny body responsible for providing assurance and protection for people who experience care services, their families, carers and the wider public, as well as supporting delivery partners to improve the quality of care for people in Scotland. Our vision is that people across Scotland experience high quality care that meets their needs, rights and choices.

We are a scrutiny body that supports improvement. We inspect individual care services and we also work with other scrutiny bodies to inspect the social care and social work services people are experiencing in their local areas.

Our desire is to achieve an effective and balanced way of working, that enables us to meet organisational needs and achieve a work-life balance that promotes wellbeing and collaboration opportunities. We are moving towards an expectation that all staff will work collaboratively, within and across teams, in person, for approximately 40% of their working week.

About the role

Due to flexible retirement, we are looking to recruit a temporary part-time Service Manager to join our Early Learning & Childcare Team.

This role will oversee the work of Team Managers, who manage Inspectors to carry out scrutiny activity of early learning and childcare services including shared inspections with Education Scotland. Team Managers and Inspectors also play an important role in supporting quality assuring care services and providing professional advice to assist in developing the quality of service delivery. Acting as relationship managers, they provide support and challenge to local authorities, and providers of multiple services with the aim of supporting continuous improvement.

The successful candidate will manage projects and support the work of the directorate including overseeing the quality assurance of our scrutiny work. The role also involves liaison with external stakeholders, promoting the work of the organisation and contributing to national initiatives.

The role holder will be expected to support the Scrutiny and Assurance Directorate to ensure that the Care Inspectorate meets its responsibilities as defined by the Public Services Reform Act 2010 and other relevant legislation.

This senior role works with other leaders and colleagues to support significant cultural change, consolidate excellence in the Care Inspectorate’s activities and continue to invest in our competent, confident workforce in a way that puts collaboration at the core of our work.

About you

You will have significant experience in services for early learning and childcare and experience of scrutiny and assurance activity. You must be able to work well with colleagues to achieve shared aims, support innovation and make best use of resources. You will demonstrate the ability to provide leadership and direction to a diverse, multi-disciplinary team of professional staff and be highly effective in working creatively and collaboratively across organisational and professional boundaries.

Adept at challenging traditional thinking in a positive and constructive way, you will be an articulate and positive communicator, both verbally and in written form, with the ability to engage, influence and lead the development of a wide range of key stakeholder relationships, both internally and externally.

You will also be politically astute and demonstrate a broad knowledge of trends and relevant issues within health, social care, and education.

  • You will be educated to SCQF level 9 (e.g. degree, graduate diploma/certificate, etc.)
  • You will have a secondary Authorised Officer qualification - either PDA (Professional Development Award), RoCA (Regulation of Care Award), EFQM (European Foundation for Quality Management) or PSIF (Public Sector Improvement Framework)

We are looking for someone who has:

  • Proven track record of effective management and leadership of staff in the area of health, social care, or education.
  • Demonstrable experience of strategic planning and delivery of services and supporting and embedding sustainable business and transformational change.
  • Extensive experience of collaborative and values-based leadership including working with partners.

Next steps

You’ll find more information in the job profile and person specification.

If you would like more information or an informal chat about the role please contact the recruitment team in the first instance - please include a contact telephone number and times that would be best to reach you in your email.

If you believe that you are a suitable candidate for this post, please download and complete an application form and submit it by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by 08:00 on Monday 23 September 2024.

It is anticipated that interviews will be held in the week commencing Monday 7 October.

Professional Registration Information

As a Service Manager you will support the Scrutiny & Assurance and Strategy & Improvement directorates to ensure that the Care Inspectorate meets its responsibilities as defined by the Public Services Reform Act 2010 and other relevant legislation.

The successful applicant must be registered with a professional body (this can be NMC, GTCS, NMC, HCPC or the SSSC).

For SSSC registration, there is a specific registration category for Care Inspectorate Authorised Officers (AO). There will be two levels of AO registration (Primary AO and Secondary AO), and identification of types of work undertaken (Social Care and Children & Young People).

If you are a SSSC registrant, on appointment as a Service Manager you will be required to register with SSSC as a secondary AO under both types of work (Social Care and Children & Young People) or be registered with another appropriate registration body (NMC, GTCS, HCPC).

We would expect non-SSSC staff to hold or gain the appropriate AO qualification (in this case EFQM would be the minimum qualification).

Downloads: 3384

Share your thoughts on our equality outcomes

Published: 01 October 2024

Help us improve equality outcomes in care services

Introduction 

We are currently consulting on our equality outcomes for 2025-2029 under the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED). Your feedback is important because it helps us:

  • Make Better Decisions: We want to ensure that the voices of people from all backgrounds, especially those with protected characteristics, are heard and considered.
  • Legal Compliance: We are committed to meeting the requirements of the Equality Act 2010 by working to eliminate discrimination, advance equality, and foster good relationships between diverse groups.
  • Better Outcomes: By listening to a wide range of voices, we can design policies and services that are more effective and fairer for everyone.
  • Be Transparent and Accountable: We want to show how we consider equality considerations in our decision making.
  • Build Trust: By engaging with communities, we hope to build trust and confidence.

Your feedback plays a vital role in shaping our equality outcomes and improving social care and social work services in Scotland. By hearing from people who receive care, as well as their families and carers, we can better understand the needs of diverse groups. This helps to drive improvements, supporting social care and social work services to meet everyone’s needs, including people from underrepresented groups.

We invite you to share your views and help shape a more inclusive and equitable future.

 

Our ongoing commitment to Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion  

The Care Inspectorate’s Corporate Plan 2022-2025 places a strong focus on equality. The plan is committed to delivering high-quality care for everyone, improving outcomes for all, and ensuring that every individual’s rights are respected and realised. It prioritises promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion in every aspect of its work.

By actively engaging with diverse communities and gathering public feedback, the Care Inspectorate seeks to identify and address any potential areas for improvement to ensure care is both fair and accessible to everyone. It further empowers care providers to enhance their accountability and responsiveness to the diverse communities they serve. This commitment will:

  • Ensure fair treatment and equal opportunities for everyone.
  • Shape policies that directly impact care services.
  • Help us better understand the needs and experiences of different communities.

Our people

We have a dedicated team leading the consultation on equality outcomes. The team are committed to actively engaging with diverse communities, collecting meaningful feedback, and identifying areas where we can improve. By focusing on equality outcomes, we aim to reduce inequalities, promote fairness, and enhance the quality of care. This dedicated effort reflects our commitment to creating an environment where everyone’s needs and rights are respected and met. 

How to participate

You can share your views by completing our online survey

Step-by-step guide: 

  1. If you have a link to the form, click on it.
  2. Once the form is open, read the questions clearly. 
  3. For multiple-choice questions, click on the option you want to select. 
  4. For text questions, click in the text box and type your response
  5. If there are any checkbox options, click the boxes next to the answers you want to choose.
  6. Submitting the Form: After you have filled out all the required questions, look for the “Submit” button located at the bottom of the form. 
  7. Click “Submit” to send your responses. 
  8. You will receive a confirmation message after submission. 

Conversation Cafes  

  • Thursday 10 October 11:00-12:30. This conversation café is for professionals (for example providers or people working in health and social care) 

  • Thursday 24 October 13:30-15:00. This conversation café is for people who experience care/loved ones/unpaid carers. 

Conversation Cafes will be held online via Microsoft Teams. You can book your place here.

Resources and information 

Contact information 

Phone number: 0345 600 9527 

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

Privacy Policy 

Read more about our Privacy policy here.

Downloads: 286

Solicitor

Published: 21 February 2022

Salary: £42,954 - £47,505 pro rata

Location: Flexible

Hours: 21 hours per week

Contract:     Temporary until 20 February 2024


About us

We are the national regulator and scrutiny body responsible for providing assurance and protection for people who experience care services, their families, carers and the wider public, as well as supporting delivery partners to improve the quality of care for people in Scotland. Our vision is that people across Scotland experience high quality care that meets their needs, rights and choices.

We are a scrutiny body that supports improvement. We inspect individual care services and we also work with other scrutiny bodies to inspect the social care and social work services people are experiencing in their local areas.

About the role

Reporting to the Head of Legal Services, you will have the opportunity to play an influential role in the regulation and improvement of care services. You will provide legal advice to operational staff within the Care Inspectorate. You will provide legal support for a wide range of team based corporate projects and contribute to the development of policy and guidance. You will also undertake some appearance work, representing the Care Inspectorate at Court hearings and inquiries.

About you

The ideal candidate will be confident, articulate and have excellent communication skills. You will have at least 2 years’ post qualifying experience but could be an experienced solicitor interested in a challenging and varied post. You should have Sheriff Court experience, preferably in relation to statutory licensing or regulatory matters and you will hold, or be entitled to hold, a full Practising Certificate issued by the Law Society of Scotland.

To apply

You’ll find more information in the:

For an informal chat about the role please contact Kenneth McClure, Head of Legal Services on 07979 060716 or email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

If you believe that your expertise and motivation make you suitable for this post, please download and complete an Application Form (and an equalities monitoring form where you are an external applicant) and return by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  by no later than 8am on Monday 14 November 2022.

 

Downloads: 1775

Strategic Data Officer

Published: 23 April 2021

Job Title: Strategic Data Officer

Salary: £30,495 – £31,740

Location: Flexible (Any Care Inspectorate office)

Contract: Temporary until 31st July 2025

About us


We are the national regulator and scrutiny body responsible for providing assurance and protection for people who experience care services, their families, carers and the wider public, as well as supporting delivery partners to improve the quality of care for people in Scotland. Our vision is that people across Scotland experience high quality care that meets their needs, rights and choices.


We are a scrutiny body that supports improvement. We inspect individual care services and we also work with other scrutiny bodies to inspect the social care and social work services people are experiencing in their local areas.


Our desire is to achieve an effective and balanced way of working, that enables us to meet organisational needs and achieve a work-life balance that promotes wellbeing and collaboration opportunities. Our hybrid working policy gives you the flexibility to mix working from home with attendance at your base office and other work locations, spending no more than 60% of your working time working from home, measured over a 4-week period.


Starting Salary


Please bear in mind that new entrants start on the grade minimum for the role. However, we have a generous benefits package which you will find on our website.


About the role

This is a national role and an exciting opportunity for a motivated and enthusiastic individual to use their current IT skills and develop new analytical and data skills to make a real difference for people experiencing care across Scotland. You will support the Intelligence team in delivering key analytical support to our strategic inspection programmes, working closely with a multi-disciplinary team of Care Inspectorate colleagues and those from external agencies.

You will support the Intelligence team in providing an analytical function throughout the inspection process through the improvement and maintenance of data collection tools and by identifying and summarising key inspection findings and preparing accurate statistical reports for a range of internal and external audiences.

About you

You should be educated to SCQF level 7.

The Intelligence Team will offer training and support for the specialist software and skills required for this role. However, you will need to be confident working with raw data and comfortable working with Microsoft Excel. The successful candidate will pay close attention to detail in order to clean and validate data and identify opportunities to improve data quality.

As well as having good literacy skills, you will have an aptitude for working with facts and figures to a high degree of accuracy. Excellent IT skills are a pre-requisite, enabling you to present complex information in a meaningful way.

You will be expected to work with colleagues across the Care Inspectorate and other external organisations, and so must have excellent interpersonal skills and be prepared to develop a sound understanding of the inspection data to respond effectively to the requirements of the role.

Next Steps

You’ll find more information in the job profile and person specification.

For an informal discussion about the above posts, please contact Francesca Colaco by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

If you believe that your skills, experience and motivation make you a suitable candidate for this post, please complete the online application form by 08:00 on Monday 9 December 2024. CVs will not be accepted.

It is anticipated that interviews will be held Wednesday 18 December 2024 at our Dundee office.

Downloads: 2994

Team Manager – Adults

Published: 12 November 2021

Location: East of Scotland                    

Salary: £48,453 - £53,502 (140 hours over 4 weeks)

Contract: Permanent or secondment


About the role

We are looking for a full-time team manager to manage a team of inspectors in our adult’s specialism in the Edinburgh area.

Our team managers support their team of inspectors to manage the inspection workload, consider risk factors and maximise performance. They also manage enforcement activity and support service development and improvement. Team managers work closely with our registration and complaints teams to ensure effective regulation of care services.

Team managers have a relationship manager role with a number of local authorities and national providers. They are expected to take part in and keep up to date with national initiatives and development to support the work of the team. Team managers also provide professional development to the team of inspectors that they manage.

About us

As a national regulator and scrutiny body, we inspect care across communities, report on the quality of care people experience, and ensure it is as good as it can be. We are a scrutiny body that supports improvement.

We inspect care services individually. We also work with other scrutiny bodies to inspect the social care and social work services people are experiencing in local areas.

We champion high-quality care whenever we encounter it across the thousands of inspections we carry out each year, and we work closely with all care providers to support them to improve all the time. We collaborate with other organisations too, supporting improvement across public services. Our work plays a big role in reducing health and social inequalities between people and communities.

About you

You will be educated to degree level or equivalent and hold an appropriate professional qualification and be committed to your own continuous professional development.

You should have significant experience of operational scrutiny activity and professional regulatory practice within health, social care, or other relevant sectors. You will have experience of implementing improvements and managing change.

You will need to be able to provide leadership and direction to a diverse team of professional staff. You will need to demonstrate a significant knowledge of working with inspection and regulation of care as well as a commitment to the principles of the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010 and the principles of better regulation.

Why join us?

This is an exciting time to join the Care Inspectorate, with an opportunity to be at the heart of change as we consider the recommendations of the Independent Care Review.

We strive to be a great employer, knowing that competitive salary, leave and pension schemes are only part of that. We pride ourselves on the values we hold, person-centred; fairness; respect; efficiency and integrity - all supported with a culture of care and kindness. We’re proud to be a progressive, supportive employer, and equality, diversity and inclusion are important to us. 

All new entrants will start on the grade minimum for the role however we have a generous benefits package which is highlighted below.

Flexibility and agility are important to us. That’s why we have a number of policies in place that support flexible working and time off when you need it, such as flexi-time, flexible hours, home working, carers leave and special leave. The inspector role is flexible with 140 hours over a four week period.

Our annual leave allowances are generous, starting at 32 days (in less than 1 years’ service by 1 April) and climbing to 42 days after 5 years of service.

All our employees are eligible to join the Local Government Pension Scheme, which is a defined benefit career average scheme. Employee contributions range between 5.5% and 10% depending on earnings and are matched by employer contributions of 17%.

To apply

You’ll find more information in the:

Those who have applied in the last 6 months need not apply however this does not preclude current team managers from using the internal transfer process

For an informal chat about the job role, please contact the HR team at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and a member of the team will arrange for you to receive a call back from one of our Service Managers.

If you believe that your expertise, skills and motivation make you suitable for this post, please complete an application form (and an Equalities Monitoring Form where you are an external applicant) and return by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. no later than 8am on Monday 29 November 2021.

It is anticipated that interviews and selection will take place no earlier than 16 December 2021 . 

Downloads: 3163

Subcategories

The early learning and childcare expansion… 

Role: Inspector - Early Learning and Childcare (ELC)

Location: Forth Valley, Borders, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, Edinburgh & Glasgow

Salary: £31,083 - £39,069 plus excellent benefits

Hours: 140 hours to be worked over a 4-week period

Contract: Permanent or 2-year secondment (would be considered)

Join us and make a difference – for you, for everyone

It’s our job to ensure care for everyone, everywhere in Scotland is as good as it can be. If you are as passionate about high-quality care as we are, and you’re experienced in your field, we’d love to hear from you.

About us

As a national scrutiny body that supports improvement. We inspect care services and partnerships across Scotland, report on the quality of care people experience, and support improvements in services to facilitate improvements in outcomes for people.

We inspect care services individually. We also work with other scrutiny bodies to inspect the social care and social work services people are experiencing in local areas.

We champion high-quality care whenever we encounter it across the thousands of inspections, we carry out each year, and we work closely with all care providers to support them to improve all the time. We collaborate with other organisations too, supporting improvement across public services. Our work plays a big role in reducing health and social inequalities between people and communities.

We are looking for talented people to join us in making a difference - specialists who understand how to put people’s needs, rights and choices at the heart of delivering social services – and how to lead improvement too. Our 600 staff work with services across the public, voluntary and private sectors. We have offices across Scotland and many of our staff work from home.

About you

Whether early or established in your career, you will share our determination that care, social work and justice services should work well for people – every time. You’ll be confident about what good-quality care looks like and how to deliver it. You’ll be good at analysing information and evidence. You will have excellent writing skills for narrative inspection reports that are clear, concise and focused on outcomes. You will be confident in working with a wide range of people and at supporting and advising on improvement.

You’ll currently be working, or have significant experience in, social care, social work, health, children’s services, early learning, child protection, or community learning and development. You will be registered or eligible to register with a professional body like the SSSC, NMC or GTC.

About the role

Our care inspectors work with care services: childminders, nurseries, care homes, care at home, housing support and a host of other specialist services. A specialist in your field, you may have helped lead a service and have a strong track record in delivering quality. You’ll be adept at leading improvement and influencing others. You will work with people experiencing care, and care service providers, managers and staff.

Why join us?

We strive to be a great employer, knowing that competitive salary, leave and pension schemes are only part of that. We pride ourselves on the values we hold, person-centred; fairness; respect; efficiency and integrity - all supported with a culture of care and kindness.

We believe in collective leadership and innovation. You’ll have a lot of autonomy to manage your own work and use the professional skills you’ve honed during your career – but in new ways. Starting on day one, our learning and development support will help you become confident in the craft of scrutiny and in supporting improvement. Because a lot of your role is about sharing effective practice across Scotland, the impact you can have on experiences and outcomes for people is significant. You will draw on management and leadership skills you’ve developed in the past.

We’re proud to be a progressive, supportive employer – we’re happy to talk about flexible working with you and we’re members of the Disability Confident Scheme, aiming to make the most of the talents disabled people can bring to the workplace.

New appointments will normally be placed on the minimum grade for the role; a higher starting salary may be offered in exceptional circumstances only.

ELC expansion

The Scottish Government is committed to expanding the provision of funded Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) from 600 hours to 1140 hours per year by 2020. The expansion of ELC is aimed to support the reduction in the poverty-related attainment gap and improve long term outcomes for children and families.

Due to the ELC expansion programme we are looking for 7 further ELC Inspectors in addition to the “business as usual” Inspector campaign launched recently.

Principles and aims

The priority for the expansion to 1140 hours is to improve children's outcomes and close the poverty-related attainment gap. In addition, the expansion aims to support parents into work, study or training. The Scottish Government's four principles of the ELC expansion are: quality, flexibility, affordability, and accessibility.

The Scottish Government has stated that quality is 'at the heart' of the expansion and that achieving a high-quality ELC experience for children is a key objective.

Use and provision

A 2018 survey found that the main reason why parents use funded ELC is that they consider it beneficial for their child's learning and development. In addition, parents reported using the funded hours to either work, increase the number of hours they work, or look for work.

Funded ELC in Scotland is delivered by a wide range of providers including nurseries, crèches and playgroups, from across the public, private and third sectors. A small number of childminders also deliver funded ELC, but the Scottish Government hopes this number will increase under the expansion to 1140 hours.

Criteria to apply

  • We require you to hold a relevant qualification (minimum SCQF Level 9), register with either the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) or any other relevant professional body and undertake PVG checks.
  • You must also be prepared to do a Professional Development Award in Scrutiny and Improvement (Social Services) at SCQF level 10 with appropriate support from the organisation.
  • You will have a minimum of three years recent and demonstrable management experience in a relevant field. You must also be willing to travel with overnight stays as required.

Before you apply

  • Please contact the relevant body directly to resolve any queries you have regarding registration or eligible qualifications for registration (SSSC, NMC and so on) before submitting your application.
  • For an informal chat about the job role, please contact (Who?) You or Kim Connolly, Team Manager on 07766133161
  • For all other queries, please contact Human Resources at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

To apply

  • If you are interested, please see the minimum criteria to apply as an Inspector and the specific guidance and directions to apply. Thereafter, click on the gateway questions link to apply.
  • Your completed application form (campaign number C39 only forms) and equal opportunities form should be returned to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.no later than Monday, 14 October 2019 at 8.00am.
  • We anticipate that selection days will take place in the week commencing Monday, 18 November 2019.