Head of Research and Commercial Development Service ( 5019)

Job summary

Would you like a job where you can lead the development and delivery of a new commercial research service for the National Records of Scotland (NRS) in a fast paced, high priority area?

This new research service represents a significant strategic opportunity for NRS to leverage its world‑leading archival, genealogical, demographic and census datasets to generate income that can be reinvested in public services. While these authoritative, historically verified assets create clear potential for high‑value research partnerships and commercial activity, realising this opportunity requires a dedicated operational leadership role to translate strategic intent into a structured, marketable, and sustainable service offer whilst ensuring that, alongside this new service, NRS continues to make data and information available to meet statutory responsibilities.

This dedicated lead role is essential to develop and implement the new service, drive income generation and funding diversification, and establish NRS as a credible research partner—particularly in support of UKRI recognition and future investment, using their skills to help market the service to the right audiences. This role will provide the coordination, external engagement, and governance needed to manage complex partnerships, protect NRS’s reputation for quality and integrity, and ensure the service delivers both financial return and public value. The role will report into the Director of Customer Services Operations and Archives and be part of the largest directorate within NRS, alongside working with other service and business areas across the organisation.

Job description

• Lead the design, development and implementation of the new research service.
• Set the vision and purpose for the new research service and using a range of communication channels to share this vision.
• Handle data and information sensitively in accordance with the business procedures and/or law.
• Engage with internal and external stakeholders and suppliers and customers, to gather insight, test and develop and implement the service to meet market demand.
• Work across NRS to engage with a range of service areas to develop research products.
• Collaborate with communications and marketing colleagues to ensure research products are effectively positioned, promoted and disseminated to maximise reach, demand and uptake.
• Partner directly with policy, procurement and finance colleagues to ensure that the new service meets statutory, compliance, policy and income requirements.
• Monitor the impact of the service both in terms of quality, financial impact and overall public value outcomes.

Person specification

Success profileSuccess profiles are specific to each job and they include the mix of behaviours, experience and technical criteria (if applicable) that candidates will be assessed on.
Technical / Professional Skills:

1. Connections and communication – Practitioner
2. Adaptability to change - Practitioner
3. Data and insight - Practitioner
4. Delivery and decision making as speed - Practitioner

You can find out more about the skills required, here: Core ODP Skills - Operational Delivery Profession

Experience

• Experience of leading the development and implementation of a new public-facing customer service across multiple teams, establishing governance, processes and stakeholder engagement arrangements.
• Experience of introducing commercial or income generating services with a knowledge of public sector obligations.

Behaviours:

1. Seeing the big picture – Level 4
2. Leadership – Level 4
3. Managing a quality service – Level 4

You can find out more about Success Profiles Behaviours, here: Behaviour levels - Success profiles: candidate guide - gov.scot

How to apply

Apply online, providing a CV and supporting statement (of no more than 1500 words) providing evidence of how you meet the behaviours, experience and technical skills listed in the Success Profile above. Both the CV and the supporting statement provided will be assessed against the criteria for the role.

If invited for further assessment, this will consist of an interview and presentation.

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.

Assessment schedule to be confirmed.

Sponsorship

Skilled Worker sponsorship is not available for this role. As a result, we are unable to appoint candidates who require Skilled Worker sponsorship now or in the future. Applicants must have an existing and ongoing right to work in the UK.

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

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Leadership
• Managing a Quality Service

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Connections and communication – Practitioner
• Adaptability to change - Practitioner
• Data and insight - Practitioner
• Delivery and decision making as speed - Practitioner

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £62,111, Scottish Government contributes £17,993 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements 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, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.Please apply using link provided.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of 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) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for 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

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Jane Milne
• Email : Jane.Milne@nrscotland.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : scottishgovernmentrecruitment@gov.scot