Description Job Description Are you looking for an opportunity to develop your leadership skills? Enhance your skills around stakeholder management and gain experience in the complex, dynamic and politically sensitive environment of health and social care? Then this may be the opportunity for you. The Planned Care Policy Team is looking for a Senior Policy Manager to fill this high profile and fast-paced role. You will take on an important and demanding role, providing key support and direction to a strong team in order to support the delivery of key policy and ministerial priorities to promote the recovery of planned care across NHS Scotland. The Planned Care Policy & Performance team sits within the Performance and Delivery division of the Chief Operating Officer directorate within DG Health and Social Care. The overarching aim of the work is central to the NHS recovery plan which seeks to address the backlog in care and meet ongoing healthcare needs for people across Scotland. You will work in collaboration with several stakeholders across the Directorate including Clinical Prioritisation /Cancer and Unscheduled Care Teams. You will also work closely with the Centre for Sustainable Delivery (CfSD) including Regional Performance Leads and National Improvement Programme Leads, to deliver planned care actions set out in the NHS Recovery Plan in relation to increasing activity and diagnostic procedures to address the backlog of care. You will also be involved in the work to tackle waiting times through the National Treatment Centres programme, supporting the allocation of additional waiting times funding and encouraging Boards to embed long term sustainable solutions. Responsibilities Updating on NHS Board performance, policy risk and policy implementation. Ensuring adherence to timescales, quality advice to Ministers and proactive and defensive lines to take on waiting list policy. Clear and concise communications drawing out key policy deliverables and objectives and how the Scottish Government is delivering these. Supporting improvements in waiting times as part of the NHS reform project. Able to consider Boards activity plans and determine the impact the Board is delivering. Implementation of the waiting times guidance review (December 2023) and supporting PHS to deliver key system changes that will help standardise waiting times across Scotland. Supporting the management of a large budget to deliver waiting times. Able to track delivery of progress against budget lines, support forecasting, drafting of financial letters and allocations. Leading project improvements with Boards including specific national plans such as Imaging, Endoscopy, Ophthalmology and Gynaecology ensuring projects are being delivered and are on track. Strong ability to identify and flag risks early. Strong people management skills, supporting the team learn and develop in a face paced area, provide clear guidance and direction and helping the team to prioritise key tasks. You will have Line Management responsibility for one Policy Support Manager, ensuring regular monthly conversations are held and staff have the capacity, capability, information and skills to deliver the work required. 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. Experience: Strong planning and Leadership skills, including the ability to balance competing priorities to meet deadlines in a high pressure, fast paced environment. Behaviours: Making Effective Decision – (Level 3) Changing and Improving - (Level 3) Communicating and Influencing - (Level 3) Developing Self and Others (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. If invited for further assessment, this will consist of an interview and in-tray exercise. Assessments are scheduled between 10/03/2025 the 17/03/2025 and 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. 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.