Lead Specialist, Racial Literacy

Overview

Education Scotland is the national improvement agency for Scottish education and an executive agency of the Scottish Government. Our role is to promote improvement through inspection and review, innovation and change, from the early years to adult learning and to provide support and challenge to the education system. We are committed to embedding our values of excellence, creativity, integrity and respect in everything we do.

Our corporate plan confirms Education Scotland’s commitment to work closely and collaboratively with all involved in improving Sc8otland’s Education system. Working closely with our partners across sectors in delivering our strategic priorities, we will work in partnership with our many stakeholders and demonstrate our values in all areas of our business.

The Lead Specialist role delivers the work of the Professional Learning and Leadership Directorate in Education Scotland. The role requires ongoing liaison and consultation with a range of teacher / practitioner networks, professional bodies and partner organisations, senior staff in local authorities and their educational establishments, universities and the Scottish Government. Lead Specialists are also required to liaise with a range of providers to commission and procure services on behalf of the organisation.

This specific Lead Specialist role is to support the embedding of anti-racist leadership and practice across the suite of programmes and lead the development and delivery of the Building Racial Literacy programme in the context of the Scottish Government’s Anti-Racism in Education Programme of work.

Responsibilities

• Produce and develop innovative plans for an enhanced, coherent approach to professional learning with a particular focus on race equality and anti-racism.

• Develop, deliver and enhance the Education Scotland Building Racial Literacy professional learning programme including liaising with a range of providers to commission and procure services on behalf of the organisation.

• Coordinate, lead and facilitate a range of professional learning programmes and opportunities as required.

• Engage with relevant research to inform the development of a coherent approach to professional learning and ensure that the quality of services is of the highest standard at all times.

• Contribute to the development, extension and promotion of the Education Scotland online professional learning resource, including the auditing of current provision at local, national and international levels, and the implementation and maintenance of endorsement processes, focusing on professional learning.

• Report progress, prepare and present papers and briefings for Education Scotland Professional Learning and Leadership Directorate, colleagues within Education Scotland and key stakeholder groups and organisations.

• Represent Education Scotland Professional Learning and Leadership Directorate on working groups and provide presentations at local, national and international conferences and other stakeholder and public events related to Education Scotland’s Professional Learning and Leadership and to professional learning more widely.

• Act on their own initiative to take appropriate action where necessary, on educational developments generally and, more specifically, those related to professional learning and undertake any other tasks consistent with the post.

Competencies

People Management

Leading Others

Communications and Engagement

Improving Performance

Essential Criteria

1. An excellent track record of innovation and development relating to the co-delivery of professional learning and the co-development of programmes with a range of stakeholders.

2. Secure knowledge of effective models and approaches to professional learning and leadership development and delivery, particularly related to anti-racism.

3. Evidence of success as a leader of learning within education at a local and/or regional level including a detailed knowledge of current national developments in the Scottish Education system, teacher education, leadership professional learning and anti-racist education.

4. Demonstrable profile of high quality, relevant personal and professional development in the area of educational leadership, which may include additional postgraduate qualification(s) at SCQF level 11.

Location

This role can be based out of one of our Education Scotland office locations in Glasgow, Livingston, Inverness, Dundee or Aberdeen.

Interview and Assessment

To be confirmed

Minimum time in post

You will be expected to remain in post for a minimum of three years unless successful at gaining promotion to a higher Band or Grade.

In the event that further posts are required, a reserve list of successful candidates will be kept for up to 12 months.

How to apply

To apply for this post, you will need to provide the information requested below via the online application process.

You must fully complete and submit an online application via the website before the closing date using evidence based examples to demonstrate your knowledge/skills (300 words). Remember, your answers should be clear, concise and reflect what actions you undertook. You may want to use the STAR(R) approach to respond to each criterion.

Additional information

For further information, please download and review the “Person Specification” which you will find below.

Person_Specification_Band_C_Updated_9.9.22_PDF

The post is a full-time role, but staff with different working patterns are invited to apply, and we will assess proposed working patterns against the business requirements for this post.

For information regarding this post please contact edshr@educationscotland.gov.scot

Important Information Regarding Interviews

In recognition of ongoing measures and guidance in response to Covid-19, a decision has been taken that all interviews will be conducted in a virtual/remote setting.

All applicants must ensure that they have a suitable space to complete the virtual interview via MS Teams and ensure that Wi-Fi/Broadband capacity will be sufficient to carry both audio and video feeds to undertake the interview.

Scottish Government's ambition is to be a world leading, diverse employer where people can be themselves at work. We want to help you demonstrate your full potential whatever type of assessment is used. If you require any adjustments to our recruitment process, please let us know via scottishgovernmentrecruitment@gov.scot

As part of any recruitment process, Scottish Government and associated public bodies collects and processes personal data relating to job applicants and applicants for public appointments.

Personal information you provide in the recruitment process will be made available to Scottish Government and our additional data processors.