Policy Officer (Strategy, Policy, & Performance) - EAL13151

Vacancy Information

Hourly rate of pay: £22.76 - £25.36

Temporary position for 6 months.
Days and Hours of Work:
Monday - Friday
Days of working are negotiable, starting and finishing times are flexible, and flexi time is applicable.
To start asap.

Policy Officer (Fixed Term for 6 Months)
Join a new team at an exciting time for Community Planning in East Lothian.

We are looking for an enthusiastic and proactive Policy Officer to join East Lothian Council's newly formed Strategy, Policy and Performance Team.

This is an excellent opportunity to contribute to high-profile policy, performance, improvement and partnership work that supports better outcomes for East Lothian's communities. The successful candidate will principally support Community Planning activity and implementation of East Lothian's Local Outcomes Improvement Plan, while also contributing to wider corporate policy, performance, equality and improvement priorities across the Council.

Key Responsibilities

• Support delivery of East Lothian's Community Planning and Local Outcomes Improvement Plan priorities.
• Coordinate and support strategic partnership groups and governance arrangements.
• Assist with performance monitoring, reporting and impact assessment.
• Undertake policy research, analysis and evidence gathering to inform decision-making.
• Develop reports, briefings and presentations for senior officers, elected members and partnership groups.
• Build effective relationships with partners across the public, third and private sectors.
• Support community engagement, participation and partnership working activity.
• Contribute to policy development, service improvement and organisational change initiatives.

About You

You will have excellent communication, analytical and organisational skills, together with experience of policy, performance, improvement, partnership working or a related field. You will be comfortable working across organisational boundaries, managing a varied workload and turning evidence into practical recommendations.

This is a unique opportunity to join a newly established team and help shape the future of Community Planning, policy, performance and improvement in East Lothian.

Fixed Term: 6 months

Home / Hybrid Working Consideration
Applications for home or hybrid working will be considered for this post in accordance with East Lothian Council’s Home Working and Worksmart Policies which can be found here. Home or Hybrid working options can be discussed with candidates invited for interview.

Please Note:
All home/hybrid workers must live in the UK. Where an application for home-working is supported, it will be subject to a satisfactory trial period. Employees will be expected to attend Council offices for the duration of induction, and be on site in East Lothian workplaces, as required. Employees with a hybrid working arrangement in place will be office based and able to work from home, with permission, on an ad hoc basis.

Job Details

To provide high-quality policy development, performance and improvement support across East Lothian Council, with a focus on equality, community planning, performance management and general corporate policy. Lead and coordinate corporate consultation responses, overseeing cross‑service contributions, ensuring consistency with corporate policy positions, and delivering timely, robust submissions on behalf of the organisation. You will support the Team Manager and contribute to delivering the Council’s strategic priorities, statutory duties and continuous improvement agenda.

Please download the Job Outline/Person Specification (available under 'Job Attachments') for the full range of tasks and duties associated with this job. You will need to refer to these in order to complete the application form. You must ensure you meet every 'essential' criteria stated on the Person Specification to be considered for interview.

The East Lothian Way
The ‘East Lothian Way’– values and behaviours we expect our employees to demonstrate in their everyday work. Should you be invited to interview, you may be asked questions based on these behaviours. Please refer to the document via the link to familiarise yourself with them.

Job Requirements

Relevant Qualifications
Degree level or equivalent experience) in a relevant discipline (e.g. public policy, social sciences, public administration and/or able to demonstrate equivalent knowledge, skills and competencies gained through relevant experience.

Level 1 Disclosure Clearance
This role requires Level 1 Disclosure Clearance to allow access to the Public Sector Network. ELC will submit a Police Act Disclosure application on behalf of the preferred candidate and receipt of the subsequent certificate will be required prior to commencement.

Please note:
If you have spent more than 3 months working or living out with the UK in the last 5 years then you will also be required to present a copy of an overseas criminal record check. Details of how to apply and contact details can be found on the GOV.UK website.

Additional Information

For additional East Lothian Council employment information please click on the following link:
www.eastlothian.gov.uk/nonteachinginfo

If you have any difficulties creating an account on MyJobScotland or applying for this post please contact the MyJobScotland support team via this link https://www.myjobscotland.gov.uk/contact-us.

If you require further information about this vacancy, please call 01620 827868, or email us on recruitment@eastlothian.gov.uk

Please note: We do not accept CV's (either electronically or by mail). All our vacancies must be applied for by fully completing the on-line application form. Although there is an ‘import data from my CV’ function on MyJobScotland, this only imports very limited data and should not be relied upon to complete the application form. If, for example, due to a disability, you are unable to complete the on-line application form you can contact us for a paper application via the telephone number or email address above.