Description Are you interested in managing a busy Correspondence Team that is integral to the success of the Rail Directorate in Transport Scotland? This Directorate is responsible for Scotland's rail policy and delivery, including: Developing rail policy and strategic planning, including aligning it with wider social and economic policy Delivering major projects alongside industry partners Promoting and investing in the development of sustainable rail freight Managing economic regulation of the railways, and monitoring and advising on the affordability of the rail programme Leading rail engagement with UK Government including development of Rail Reform legislation Responsibilities The Rail Correspondence Team carries out a wide range of work in support of the Rail Governance and Regulation, Operations and Delivery, Strategy and Futures and Commercial and Business Planning teams, including the preparation of Ministerial, Chief Executive and general correspondence responses, FMQ, all Parliamentary Question responses and responding to Freedom of Information/Environmental Information Regulation and SPICe requests. You will lead the rail correspondence team in its handling, quality assurance and timely close-out of the high volume of correspondence received by the Directorate. You will also engage with a range of internal and external stakeholders. The post will report to the Head of Rail Business Support Team. • Line management responsibility for a team of four Correspondence Officers, including identification of training required and coaching team members throughout their development as team members. • Responsible for ensuring that all rail related correspondence is responded to within the required timescales and to the required standard and quality, monitoring and tracking performance in regards to response times and quality, taking action where required, and escalating issues to Head of the Rail Business Support Team. • Responsible for maintaining the accuracy and currency of the information utilised in the preparation of case responses, including working closely with the Rail Strategic Communications Manager to ensure that the Directorate Core Briefs contain relevant and current information. • Responsible for co-ordinating the preparation of cross-directorate briefing / briefing contributions for officials meetings with Ministers, Ministerial attendance at Cabinet, Committees, public meetings and stakeholder events are available within the timescales required, liaising with the Directorate colleagues, Rail Leadership Team, and Private Office regarding content. • Responsible for ensure that there is Correspondence team cover during core business hours to respond to any enquiries related to correspondence cases including Ministerial supplementary questions and FMQ follow ups. • Ensure the team is equipped to manage/process spikes in volumes of correspondence following a key Ministerial decision or policy change. • To engage with colleagues across Transport Scotland and Private Office with respect to handling of correspondence and identify areas of best practice that will be beneficial to Rail Directorate and wider Transport Scotland. • To work closely with the Strategic Communications Manager to ensure that cross cutting issues are identified and appropriate communications mitigations measures are put in place. Qualifications There are no formal qualifications for this post. Success Profile Success profiles are specific to each job and they include the mix of skills, experience and behaviours candidates will be assessed on. Experience: Experience of preparing written communications including collating and presenting information from multiple sources. Behaviours: 1. Leadership 2. Delivering at Pace 3. Working Together 4. Changing and Improving You can find out more about Success Profiles Behaviours, here: Behaviour levels - Success profiles: candidate guide - gov.scot How to apply Apply online before midnight 25th March, providing a CV and Supporting Statement of no more than 1500 words which provides evidence of how you meet the skills, experience and behaviours listed in the Success Profile above. If invited for further assessment, this will consist of an Interview and Written exercise Assessments are scheduled for w/c 28 April 2025 however this may be subject to change. About Us Transport Scotland is the national transport agency, seeking to deliver a safe, efficient, cost-effective and sustainable transport system for the benefit of the people of Scotland. Transport Scotland is accountable to Parliament and the public through Scottish Ministers, with a budget of over £4 billion per year. Transport is a vital feature of the Scottish Government's focus on increasing sustainable economic growth, and transport investments and policies have major impacts on the economy, people, and the environment. 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. 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 For further information on this vacancy please contact Hilary Cameron by email at hilary.camerontransport.gov.scot 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.