Head of New Scrutiny Duties Development

Posted by: Environmental Standards Scotland

Employed By: Environmental Standards Scotland

Job Title: Head of New Scrutiny Duties Development

Salary: £80,172 per annum

Contract: Fixed contract

Location: Edinburgh

Application Deadline: 11:55 pm on Sunday 12th April 2026

JOB SUMMARY

Environmental Standards Scotland’s (ESS) role is to monitor, investigate and secure public authorities’ compliance with environmental law in Scotland. We also scrutinise the effectiveness of environmental law and policy in Scotland and how it is implemented and applied. In our investigative and analytical reports, we may also identify instances where we consider there to be gaps in environmental protection legislation.

ESS is an independent non-ministerial office, accountable to the Scottish Parliament and overseen by a non-executive board. It is part of the Scottish Administration and its employees are civil servants. Full details are available on the ESS website.

Our Strategy 2026-2031 sets out how we will work as an organisation to deliver our vision that ‘by holding public authorities to account, we will ensure that Scotland’s people and nature benefit from a high-quality, healthy environment through improved compliance with and better implementation of effective environmental law’.

ESS’ role is expanding to take on two new roles:

Scrutinising the Scottish Government’s delivery against the new statutory biodiversity and nature restoration targets which will be set under the Natural Environment (Scotland) Act 2026

Scrutinising local authorities’ reporting against climate change duties as set out in the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009

To deliver these duties and to manage this significant organisational change, ESS will be recruiting new posts over the next twelve months to establish a new team within the organisation to lead the development of work to deliver these two new roles.

JOB DESCRIPTION

This postholder will be part of ESS’ executive team (ET) and will report directly to the chief executive. The postholder will be responsible for leading and overseeing the establishment of a new team to develop and deliver ESS’ approach to the two new scrutiny roles listed above.

The role will be for two years.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

To support the chief executive and the board in the design, development and implementation of ESS’ approach to its new scrutiny roles by:

Providing day-to-day leadership and management of the new team

Developing and establishing the systems and structures necessary to deliver ESS’ two new roles and ensuring that they integrate effectively with the organisation’s existing roles

Establishing, developing and managing relationships with key external senior stakeholders in central and local government and the wider environmental sector

Contribute to good governance by identifying, monitoring and mitigating risks and providing effective reporting mechanisms to the executive team and board

identifying skill requirements and deploying and developing staff in the team through support, guidance, and coaching

Acting as a role model to ensure that a positive, supportive and inclusive culture is developed and maintained

Ensure that the team works effectively, and flexibly, with all other parts of ESS

contributing to the corporate leadership of ESS as a member of the executive team