Non-executive Board Member

About the Role

Social Security Scotland is recruiting up to three Non-executive Members to support the governance, scrutiny and strategic direction of the organisation as we deliver a range of devolved benefits across Scotland.

As we continue to mature, these roles will have a key role to help shape a major public service at a key point in its development.

All members will be appointed to our Executive Advisory Body, and two appointed members will also serve on the Audit and Assurance Committee, one of whom will take on the role of Chair.

Person Specification

Core Criteria:

The successful candidate will bring evidence of the following core skills and abilities. You don’t need to meet every element to be a strong applicant; what matters is demonstrating your strengths across the core criteria in a way that reflects your own experiences:

• Ability to provide effective strategic challenge and advice to develop and enhance executive thinking. This does not necessarily mean previous boardroom experience. What matters is the ability to ask probing questions, share your perspective, and help the organisation think differently.
• Ability to support and inspire performance improvement. While some people may bring experience from public service delivery, the third sector or private sector, you don’t need this to apply. What we value is people who notice what’s working well and what could be better.
• Excellent communication skills, with the vision to understand what Social Security Scotland can achieve and advise on how to make it happen.

Desirable Criteria:

Alongside the core criteria, which are the most important criteria for the role, we have also outlined some desirable criteria. You do not need to meet these to apply, and you do not need to meet all of them to be a strong candidate. We value diverse experience and know people bring strengths from many different backgrounds. The desirable criteria simply highlight additional perspectives that can further support our governance and understanding of the environment we work in.

• Experience or understanding of areas such as finance, risk, cyber or digital would be helpful, as would experience within a public sector delivery organisation, as these perspectives can strengthen our governance and understanding of the context we operate in.
• The ability to demonstrate political acuity, with an awareness of the wider strategic, organisational and stakeholder landscape we operate within, would also be beneficial. 

Specialist Criteria - Chair of the Audit and Assurance Committee

Sufficient evidence of the core criteria is required from all candidates. We are appointing three new Non-executive Members, one of whom will also meet the specialist criteria for the Audit and Assurance Committee Chair role.

For the Chair of the Audit and Assurance Committee, we are seeking candidates with strong expertise in financial reporting, controls and risk management given the Committee’s critical role in providing assurance and oversight. This will include:

• Experience operating at senior management level across financial stewardship, audit, risk and related functions, including the ability to review audit findings and assess the effectiveness of internal control frameworks.
• Understanding of risk identification, mitigation and reporting for assurance purposes.
• A clear focus on good governance, including the ability to lead a committee and ensure it operates effectively in fulfilling its assurance role. 
• Experience in supporting organisations through periods of change, including strengthened scrutiny of financial performance and organisational accountability.

The specialist criteria is optional if you are not applying for the role of Audit and Assurance Committee Chair. You may apply solely as a generalist candidate and do not need to provide evidence for the specialist criteria unless you wish to.

If you have noted relevant finance or audit experience, you will be considered for the Audit and Assurance Committee Chair role unless you request otherwise within your supporting statement.

About Social Security Scotland

Overview

Social Security Scotland is an Executive Agency of the Scottish Government. Scottish Ministers are responsible for defining the overall policy and resource framework within which we operate. We are accountable to Ministers, and Ministers are accountable to Parliament for our functions and performance. All our work is underpinned by Our Charter which sets out what the people of Scotland can expect from us.

Our management and budgets are separate from the Scottish Government; our Chief Executive is accountable for managing our performance and the budget required to deliver a high-quality service based on our values of dignity, fairness and respect.

Our Framework Document sets out clear lines of accountability between the Accountable Officer of Social Security Scotland, through our Portfolio Accountable Officer, up to the Principal Accountable Officer for Scottish Government and Scottish Ministers.

Our role in the social security system

Social Security Scotland is responsible for delivering a range of devolved benefits that provide support to people across Scotland, including families, disabled people, carers, young people entering work, and older citizens. We administer benefit applications, make decisions, and ensure payments are made accurately and fairly, treating people with dignity, fairness and respect.

We are also at a particularly significant point in the development of both our organisation and the wider Scottish social security system. As we continue to mature, the challenges and opportunities we face are evolving rapidly. This creates an exciting moment for new Non-executive members to join us — an opportunity to be part of a major public service as it strengthens, matures and builds greater capability for the future.

Our role is to provide a safe, secure and compassionate service that ensures people receive the support they are entitled to and can access services in a way that best meets their needs. 

Diversity and Inclusion

Our values of dignity, fairness and respect are at the heart of everything we do. That includes making sure everyone has a positive experience when using our service. We support people with additional communication needs to ensure they can understand their eligibility for benefits and are able to apply for them. 

Our most recent annual report gives an overview of how we are doing things differently as we work to support people on low incomes, disabled people, carers, young people entering the workplace, people who need help paying for a funeral and to help people heat their homes. We are committed to bringing greater diversity into our workplace, an environment which is inclusive and embraces different backgrounds, skills, perspectives and ways of thinking.

We are looking for Non-executive Members who will uphold our values and understand the importance of diversity and inclusion in modern Scotland.

Executive Advisory Body

The purpose of the Executive Advisory Body is to: 

• Provide strategic advice, scrutiny and constructive challenge to the Chief Executive and his Executive Team.
• Encourage performance improvement and promote good governance. 
• Help ensure Social Security Scotland delivers on its purpose and the values underpinning the delivery of social security in Scotland.
• Support effective oversight by advising on risk and governance.

The role of a Non-executive Member, on the Executive Advisory Body is both: 

• Advisory – helping to set the overall direction for Social Security Scotland within the scope of Scottish Government’s strategic priorities and 
• Acting as a ‘critical friend’ – providing support and constructive feedback on performance and delivery. 

Audit and Assurance Committee

The purpose of the Audit and Assurance Committee is to: 

• Support the Accountable Officer in responsibilities related to risk, governance, control and assurance, providing constructive challenge and objective scrutiny. 
• Review and evaluate the overall risk management process, ensuring it remains appropriate and effective. 

The role of a Non-executive Member, on the Audit and Assurance Committee is to: 

• Provide scrutiny of risk, control, governance and assurance arrangements.
• Bring external expertise to support evaluation of audit activity.
• Support the Accountable Officer by offering assurance over internal controls, governance systems and organisational performance.