Non-executive Board Member Social Security Scotland

Role

Non-executive Members

Remuneration

239 per day plus reasonable expenses.

Term of appointment
The initial term will be for three years with an option to extend up to a maximum of eight years in total.

Location

Our meetings are hybrid - they will be held in our offices or remotely using Microsoft Teamsalthough there is an expectation of regular in-person attendance. Meetings usually take place at Social Security Scotlands Head Office Agnes Husband House 17 South Union Street Dundee DD1 4BF. We also hold meetings at our Glasgow office at 220 High Street Glasgow G4 0QW.

Number of Vacancies

Up to 3

Closing Date

11:59pm on 29 April 2026

About the Role

Social Security Scotland is recruiting up to three Nonexecutive 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:

Thesuccessful candidate will bring evidence of the following core skills and abilities. You dont 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 some people may bring experience from public service delivery the third sector or private sector you dont need this to apply. What we value is people who notice whats 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 Nonexecutive 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 Committees 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.
• Further detail on the responsibilities of the Audit and Assurance Committee Chair can be found in theAudit and Assurance Committee Handbook.

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 recentannual 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.

Information Evening

We will be holding an online information session on Wednesday 22 April from 17.45 18.45 for anyone interested in applying for the upcoming Non-executive Member vacancies. This session will provide prospective applicants with an overview of the organisation and the role and expectations of Non-executive Members. It will be an opportunity to ask questions and gain an insight into the role to help individuals consider whether the role is right for them.

If you would like to attend please contact the Governance Team atfor joining details. Please note all requests to attend must be received by 12 noon on Tuesday 21 April.

Social Security Scotland Structure

Details of the current Executive Advisory Body board and Audit and Assurance Committee can be found on our Corporate website. This includes Member details Terms of Reference and Minutes from previous meetings.

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 valuesunderpinning 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 Governments 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.

Further details about the role

Time commitment

The minimum time commitment for Non-executive Members is up to 24 days per year(plus an additional 3 days for induction support in your first year).

Frequency of Meetings

The Executive Advisory Body meet approximately every six weeks. The Audit and Assurance Committee meet quarterly with an additional meeting scheduled each year to discuss and approve the Annual Report and Accounts prior to sign off by the Accountable Officer.

There are also occasions when Non-executive Members are invited to take part in additional meetings and events linked to organisational priorities.

Application Process

Application

To make an application you will need to submit:

• A recent CV
  Your CV should set out your life or career history with key responsibilities and achievements.

• A supporting statement
  Your supporting statement should be no longer than 1000 words and sets out how you consider your personal skills qualities and experience provides evidence of your suitability for the role with particular reference to the criteria in the person specification.

To apply for the role please:

• Register for the Scottish Government Jobs site and login
• Open the advert and click apply
• Fill in some basic contact details
• Upload your CV and supporting statement to the online
• system
• You will be asked to provide equality and diversity information along with completing a Conflicts of Interest and Political Activity declaration
• Submit your application to us

The equality and diversity information will be used to monitor the effectiveness of this recruitment exercise which is why we need certain personal details about you. The information you provide will be treated in the strictest confidence and used for statistical/monitoring purposes only.

Please ensure you include a supporting statement and your CV as part of the application so the panel have all the information they need to assess your application against the criteria in the person specification.

If you need any assistance with your application or require an alternative format please get in touch with .

Conflicts and Political Activity Declaration

Members of our Executive Advisory Body and Audit and Assurance Committee are expected to adhere and uphold theCode of Conduct for Board Members of Public Bodies at all times. Before you apply you should consider carefully any outside interests and/or any public or political roles you hold or political campaigns you have supported that may call into question yourability to take up post as a Non-executive Member.

When you submit your application you will be asked to complete a number of questions declaring any potential conflicts of interest or political activity.

Declaring a potential conflict of interest does not necessarily prevent you being interviewed or taking up post. Conflict of interest information will be provided to the panel and all candidates will be asked about potential conflicts as part of the interview. This includes discussing any conflicts and how you would manage them. This is a routine part of the assessment for all applicants.

Right to Work

All applicants must have the legal right to work in the UK before taking upappointment. This opportunity is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals from the EU Switzerland Norway Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020

• Turkish nationals and certain family members of Turkish nationals who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Shortlist

Your application will be acknowledged by the Social Security Scotland resourcing system. A presift will then be carried out by the resourcing team to ensure applications meet the essential criteria before being passed to the panel for full assessment against the Person Specification.

Please refer to the timeline in the pack for an overview of the recruitment process.

If you do not receive acknowledgement of your application within 48 hours please contact us at .

Assessment

If you are shortlisted you will be invited to attend an interview at our Dundee office.

Assessment will include both an interview and a short communication exercise.

Selection Panel

There will be two panels involved in the selection process: an interview panel and a separate panel for the communication exercise and these will be held concurrently. The interview panel will include the Chief Executive David Wallace alongside other Members of the Executive Team Non-executive Members and an external panel member.

Interview

For the role of Non-executive Member applicants will be asked during interview to demonstrate how their skills knowledge and experience match those required.

To note interviews will take place in person at our Dundee office. By exception we will consider reasonable requests for virtual interviews or in our Glasgow location.

Offer

Regardless of the outcome we will notify all candidates by email as soon as possible.

Recruitment Timeline

Please note these are only indicative dates at this stage and could be subject to change. If you are unable to meet these timeframes please let us know by emailing .

• Advert Closing Date 11:59pm on 29 April 2026
• Expected Shortlist Announcement week commencing 11 May 2026
• Interview date week commencing 18 May 2026

Expected induction for all successful candidates will commence from July 2026.

Those joining the Audit and Assurance Committee will formally take up their role from August and Executive Advisory Body members will formally begin their attendance from September.

Contact Us

Please read through this information pack carefully before submitting your welcome applications from a broad and diverse range of people and you do not need to have previous board experience.

We are looking for people who can bring their own strengths and life experiences to these roles and who recognise that valuable insight can come from many different paths.

If you have any questions about the roles that are not covered here please feel free to contact the Governance Team at who will be happy to provide further information.

If you need support with the application process itself or have any practical queries about submitting your application please get in touch with our resourcing team at who can guide you through each step.