Organisational Design and Development Manager (5117)

Job summary

Do you want to step into a pivotal role where your contribution can influence our people, our performance culture and shape the future of Social Security Scotland?

We're looking for an Organisational Design and Development Manager to join our Organisational Design and Development (OD&D) team at an exciting stage in our journey as we move from a period of growth towards greater organisational effectiveness, efficiency, and sustainability.

In this role, you will partner with senior leaders to apply organisational design and development principles and practices to improve organisational performance, effectiveness and service delivery. Using a systems-thinking approach, you will design and implement solutions that shape structures, operating models, ways of working, leadership, culture, and capability, ensuring the organisation is equipped to deliver its strategic priorities.

You will lead and support a range of OD&D interventions, providing expert advice and constructive challenge to senior leaders while helping teams navigate change and address complex organisational challenges.

We are looking for someone who is curious, confident, and proactive, with strong communication and stakeholder management skills. You'll be comfortable working in a fast-paced environment, using evidence, insight, and organisation design expertise to identify opportunities for improvement and deliver impactful, sustainable change that improves outcomes for the people of Scotland.

Job description

• Work alongside the Organisational Design and Development Lead to shape, deliver and embed organisational design and development initiatives that improve organisational effectiveness, service delivery and performance.
• Lead the design and implementation of new organisational structures, ways of working and target operating models to deliver improved organisational outcomes.
• Contribute to the development and evolution of the organisation’s Approach to Performance, collaborating with stakeholders to design solutions that address challenges such as embedding a sustainable performance culture.
• Support leadership development that strengthens capability, drives delivery of the organisation’s objectives and shapes our organisational culture.
• Partner with HR Business Partners and colleagues across People and Place, alongside divisional leadership teams, to provide timely, high-quality consultancy on leadership and strategic capability development.
• Build strong, influential relationships with senior leaders to understand business needs and translate them into practical, impactful Organisational Design and Development solutions.
• Line manage a small team of consultants responsible for designing, developing and delivering high-quality, flexible and accessible leadership and strategic capability learning interventions.
• Provide clear, evidence-based advice on organisational impacts, risks and opportunities to inform strategic decision-making.
• Build internal capability in organisation design through coaching, training and toolkits. Contribute to the Civil Service OD&D community and share best practices.

Person specification

Qualifications
Professional qualification in Organisational Design, HR, or a related field, or equivalent experience.

Success Profiles
We use an assessment framework called ‘Success Profiles’ which lists the elements we test and provides detailed descriptions of each. Find out more about the framework here.

For this post, the following Success Profile elements will be assessed:

Experience:

1. Strong planning and organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines in a dynamic environment.
   
2. Building trusted, influential relationships with senior leaders to understand their needs and deliver responsive design solutions.

Behaviours:

• Seeing the Big Picture – Level 3
• Leadership – Level 3
• Changing and Improving – Level 3
  

You can find out more about Success Profiles Behaviours here.

Technical / Professional Skills:

Organisational Development and Design:

• Uses diagnostic methods (e.g. data analysis, interviews, focus groups, surveys) to assess the effectiveness of current design and to agree target design criteria.
• Applies a systematic process and approach to designing future operating models, teams, structures, and jobs.
• Develops and manages change implementation programmes and plans, engaging leaders, staff and stakeholders (doing with, not to).
• Consultancy skills and the ability to establish high support-high challenge relationships with leaders, and facilitate group processes to achieve outcomes.
• Understands learning theory and how to design, facilitate and evaluate learning plans and processes that apply different L&D approaches.
• Understands how to create a learning culture and environment that supports continuing professional development.

For more information on the above Technical Skills, please refer to the CIPD Profession Map.

Benefits

Annual Leave - You will receive 25 days annual leave on joining us. This will increase to 30 days after two full years of service. You will also have 11.5 public and privilege days of leave every year. We also offer Flexi-time. Any extra hours you've worked can be taken as leave when suitable.

A Civil Service Pension - This job comes with a Civil Service pension. New joiners to the Civil Service will join a career average pension scheme as standard. Read more here - www.civilservicepensionscheme.org.uk.

Healthy work life balance - We can offer the possibility of full-time, part-time, term-time, and job shares. We also encourage flexible working.

Discounts - You can enjoy a vast range of retail, travel and lifestyle discounts through our benefit scheme.

Personal support for you - Our Employee Assistance Programme gives you confidential, independent information and guidance 24/7.

Volunteering special leave - Up to six days paid special leave a year for volunteering. We support our staff to help causes important to them.

Great locations - Our bright and modern offices in the heart of Dundee and Glasgow have been designed with staff in mind. Both locations are ideal for public transport.

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

Expected Timeline (subject to change)
Sift - week commencing 12th October 2026
Interview – week commencing 2nd November 2026
Location - In Person at 220 High Street, Glasgow

To apply please submit an application form by clicking on the ‘Apply at Advertisers Site’ button.

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.The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).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 : Emma Jones
• Email : emma.jones@socialsecurity.gov.scot
• Telephone : 08001577194

Recruitment team

• Email : Recruitment@socialsecurity.gov.scot

Further information

https://www.socialsecurity.gov.scot/working-with-us/help-with-your-application