Executive Director - People and Culture

The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) plays a vital and visible role at the heart of Scotland’s justice system. As an independent, national organisation, we are entrusted with supporting fair, efficient and accessible justice for the people of Scotland.

The Executive Director: People and Culture is a strategic Executive leader who role models our values and behaviours with responsibility for shaping and leading organisational strategy. They will work across organisational boundaries, driving change and efficiencies to translate our vision into clear common goals, building a kind and inclusive culture, where all employees can contribute and feel valued to enable sustainable delivery of justice, now and into the future.

As a core member of the Executive Team, the Executive Director: People and Culture is the principal adviser to the Chief Executive, Executive Team and People Committee on people, culture and organisational delivery and effectiveness.

This newly created role is an exciting opportunity as part of the Executive team to lead the people of SCTS through the next stages of reform, developing organisational design across SCTS, setting principles and governance for how the organisation is structured and led. The postholder will lead on building a clear and strong organisational culture. Through enhancing organisational development focused on empowered leadership and collaboration at all levels, you will build high performing teams working to the organisational values of service, excellence and respect.

The organisation is responding to rising user expectations, financial pressures, and the expanding role of digital technology. The Executive Director: People and Culture will partner with the Executive Team to lead our reform agenda to ensure that SCTS’s people, structures and systems are aligned to strategic priorities, resilient to ongoing reform, and capable of delivering modern, sustainable and high-quality services in a complex and demanding environment.

Reporting and Governance

• Reports directly to the Chief Executive
• Member of the SCTS Executive Team
• Primary Executive lead for the People Committee of the SCTS Board
• Accountable for effective partnership working with PCS, our recognised trade union
• Provides strategic leadership of the People and Culture functions, integrating Human Resources and Education & Learning to deliver a cohesive, organisation-wide approach to workforce capability, development and cultural transformation.

Responsibilities

• Lead and shape an inclusive, high-performing organisational culture, embedding SCTS values, accountability, collaboration, trust and leadership consistency across the organisation.
• Provide strategic leadership for people and workforce planning, ensuring people priorities align with business objectives, service delivery and financial planning.
• Direct organisational development and design, ensuring structures, roles and governance support effective decision-making, organisational effectiveness and future business needs.
• Oversee workforce capability and readiness, including workforce planning, succession planning, future skills development and digital capability to support reform and transformation.
• Lead organisational change and transformation programmes, ensuring the organisation is equipped to deliver continuous improvement, digital transformation and strategic reform.
• Provide executive oversight of the employee lifecycle, including recruitment, talent management, learning and development, performance, reward and succession planning.
• Champion equality, diversity, inclusion, wellbeing and employee engagement, ensuring SCTS remains a safe, respectful and inclusive workplace where employee voice informs decision-making.
• Maintain effective employee and stakeholder relations, leading engagement with recognised trade unions, public sector partners, Scottish Government and external stakeholders to support shared priorities.
• Ensure compliance and governance standards are met, overseeing adherence to employment legislation, public sector requirements and workforce-related risk management.
• Lead a high-performing People function and model values-driven leadership, fostering continuous improvement, accountability, professional excellence and the development of others across SCTS.

Success Profile

Qualifications

Chartered Fellow of the CIPD (FCIPD) professional membership, or equivalent, is desirable.

Experience

• Senior Executive leadership experience at Director or Board‑equivalent level in a large, complex organisation
• Demonstrable success in leading organisational change, cultural transformation and organisational development
• Experience of advising Boards or governance committees on strategic people and organisational matters
• Significant experience of strategic workforce planning and leadership development
• Credible experience of trade union engagement in a complex or unionised environment

Behaviours:

• Leadership

• Seeing the big picture

• Communicating and influencing

• Working together

  You can find out more about Success Profiles Behaviours, here: Success Profiles - Civil Service Behaviours (publishing.service.gov.uk)

How to apply

Apply online, providing a CV and Supporting Statement (of no more than 750 words) which provides evidence of how you meet the skills, experience and behaviours listed in the Success Profile above.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools can be used to support your application, but all statements and examples provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, and presented as your own) applications will be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action.

Please see our candidate guidance for more information on acceptable and unacceptable uses of AI in recruitment.

If invited for further assessment, this will consist of an interview with presentation, leadership assessments and staff engagement panel.

Assessments are scheduled for w/c 12 October and final panel interviews are scheduled for 30 October , however this may be subject to change.

Recruitment Principles

As a government organisation, we adhere to the Civil Service Commission Recruitment Principles and we investigate any complaints received in relation to recruitment cases.

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.

About Scottish Courts & Tribunals Service

The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) exists to deliver efficient and effective justice across Scotland, supporting the judiciary and upholding public confidence in the justice system.

The SCTS is a non-ministerial department established by the Judiciary and Courts (Scotland) Act 2008. Its statutory function is to provide administrative support to the Scottish courts, devolved tribunals and the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG). The SCTS has a presence in communities across Scotland. Court and tribunal business is conducted daily across the country in some 60 locations.

The work of SCTS covers a broader range of issues than you may think. In providing support to Scotland’s courts, devolved tribunals and the Office of the Public Guardian, we deal with over a quarter of a million cases and applications each year. This touches the lives of many people on a daily basis – be that through formal court or tribunal business, fulfilling a civic duty as a juror, paying fees or fines, seeking help in managing the affairs of an incapable adult or dealing with the estate of a loved one who has passed away.

Behind each case or application is an individual – looking to the system to help them assert their rights, address wrongs or provide support in a time of need. Whilst delivering our core services is our top priority considering how we can improve and transform is also crucial if we are to keep delivering the highest quality service. We are always looking to improve the services we provide – through innovation and development.

Working pattern

Our standard hours are 37 hours per week and we offer a range of flexible working options depending on the needs of the role. Our Hybrid Working policy balances flexibility with the needs of the business. It enables employees, where roles and opportunities allow, to work partly remotely and partly within an SCTS workplace, while ensuring we remain connected as teams and continue to deliver resilient, high quality public services.

Security checks

Successful candidates must complete the Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS), before they can be appointed. BPSS is comprised of four main pre-employment checks – Identity, Right to work, Employment History and a Criminal Record check (unspent convictions).

Candidates will be expected to hold or be willing to obtain clearance to SC level.

You can find out more about BPSS on the UK Government website, or read about the different levels of security checks in our Candidate Guide.

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.