Senior Assurance Auditor (2875)

Job summary

Would you like an opportunity to play a key role in the audit of food and feed law delivery by Food Standards Scotland and all of Scotland's Local Authorities?

Food Standards Scotland (FSS) have a small Audit and Assurance team who are responsible for providing assurance that the delivery of controls for food and feed in Scotland meet legal requirements and official guidance. This function is delivered through a risk-based audit programme delivered by a small team of auditors. This role is as one of these auditors, developing, undertaking and audit activities, including onsite visits with the aim being to provide assurance on the standard of delivery of food and feed law enforcement services by Local Authorities and FSS. The role is broad ranging and involves engagement and collaboration with a broad range of internal and external stakeholders and operational partners. This post is offered on a part-time basis (17.5 hours per week).

Job description

Responsibilities

• Meet legislative requirements for auditing and monitoring the delivery of official controls by Local Authorities and FSS.
• Examine and assess FSS and Local Authority food and feed law enforcement arrangements by undertaking assurance audits of their service delivery in accordance with relevant procedures, milestones and timelines, and by analysing performance monitoring data, acting as Lead Auditor for some of these audits.
• Prepare audit reports on the outcome of audits and make recommendations, take appropriate follow-up action to support FSS and Local Authorities in their implementation of timely and effective measures to address identified problems, and liaising with internal colleagues and external officials, as necessary, on the outcome of audits.
• Contribute to policy and strategy development on audit and monitoring of FSS and Local Authority food and feed law enforcement activity including analysis of information and add to the wider contributions to inform FSS enforcement related policy issues and the function and implementation of these.
• Keep up to date with key developments relevant to FSS strategic objectives, and be able to present relevant FSS policy at senior level meetings and events.
• Represent FSS at external meetings and presentations.

Person specification

QualificationsEnvironmental Health Officer or Food Safety Officer with an appropriate qualification recognised by REHIS/EHRB, and Lead Auditor qualification (e.g. UKAS ISO courses, or IRCA certified training programmes for Lead Auditor roles). Success profileSuccess profiles are specific to each job and they include the mix of skills, experience and behaviours candidates will be assessed on. Technical / Professional Skills:

• Connections and communication. Builds and uses relationships and networks to share insights, customer views, and learning about the issues affecting service and delivery effectiveness and impact. Ensures both self and teams apply best practice for diffusing hostility and managing conflict, and supports colleagues when incidents occur. Recognises the complexities of organisational service delivery, and communicates key issues and messages in an open, simple, and accessible way to stakeholders.
• Data and insight. Sources and analyses a range of data and insights (e.g. user-insights, socio-economic data) to inform options and make decisions. Leads the development of metrics, KPIs and dashboards to assess performance and improvements to services and operational delivery. Manages, supports and engages positively with inspections and audits - to gather data and evidence, and shape and act upon findings and recommendations.

You can find out more about the skills required hereExperience:

• Comprehensive and practical understanding of the legislation and official guidance relating to food law, and the regulatory systems for delivering official controls with direct experience of working in food law delivery within a Local Authority.

Behaviours:

• Working together - Level 3.
• Making effective decisions - Level 3.

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

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £47,730, Scottish Government contributes £13,827 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• 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

How to apply Apply online, providing a CV and Supporting Statement (of no more than 1000 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 and presentation. Assessments are scheduled for w/c23 February 2026, however this may be subject to change.

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a 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 : Tony Sykes
• Email : tony.sykes@fss.scot

Recruitment team

• Email : scottishgovernmentrecruitment@gov.scot