Job summary
Do you want an exciting opportunity to join the new National Social Work Agency (NSWA), established in early 2026?
This is an exciting opportunity to join the new National Social Work Agency (NSWA), which will be established in early 2026. The Agency will have oversight of social work – raising the profile and strengthening the cohesion of the profession across public, third and independent sectors, including students. It will advance social work practice and support implementation of national policy – driving support, change and continuous improvement in social work education and learning.
The NSWA will be an Executive Agency with responsibility for advising Ministers and policy teams with an interest in all aspects of social work policy and practice, including adults, children, and justice social work. Additionally, the NSWA will provide cross governmental policy input in areas including health and social care, mental health, children and families, prisons and all aspects of public protection.
This is a new agency with highly motivated staff, who take pride in their work and strive to ensure effective person-centred, and trauma responsive support is available for people of all ages in Scotland. The work is fast-paced, high profile, varied and rewarding.
We are seeking a highly experienced improvement professional to lead the National Social Work Agency’s work to promote partnership and collaboration with improvement agencies and partners.
The Improvement Lead will collaborate and build strong partnerships to align improvement work across agencies that supports the delivery of high‑quality social work services and practice across Scotland’s social work systems.
As part of the NSWA Improvement and Implementation Unit, you will help ensure improvement is embedded as a strategic driver of better outcomes by providing expert improvement advice and building capacity for improvement across the agency.
Our work aims to support evidence informed approaches to social work, with a highly valued and skilled profession that consistently delivers high quality services, and enhances the quality, equity and impact of social work services, systems and practice.
Role
- Lead national alignment of improvement activity, ensuring coordination across improvement agencies and sector partners to support shared priorities and high-quality, evidence-based social work. To support this, you will develop the structures, processes and relationships that enable effective partnership working between the NSWA, national improvement agencies impacting on social work, and other key stakeholders
- Provide expert improvement advice across the NSWA and work with relevant policy teams to use evidence, insight and improvement methodology to strengthen social work systems and practice
- Building improvement capacity and capability across the NSWA, supporting practical experience of improvement science and championing the use of improvement approaches, coaching and supporting the NSWA to deliver quality as a business strategy
- Work closely with the Implementation Team Leader to design, test and deliver programmes of improvement that support the social work workforce and respond to national priorities.
- Strengthen links with research and evidence partners, including universities and UK-wide research networks, to ensure improvement activity is informed by robust, innovative and current evidence.
- Contribute the NSWA’s leadership team to ensure delivery of the strategic priorities of the agency
- Contribute to a strategic overview of social work policy and practice, engaging and collaborating with other relevant areas across government to explore, support and progress joint policy outcomes
- Provide line management duties, including leadership, direction and support for team members.
Person specification
Experience
- Extensive experience leading the design and delivery of improvement programmes in complex social work and/or social care contexts.
- Strong track record of working across organisational boundaries to build and maintain effective partnerships with stakeholders that generates confidence, respect and collaborative working.
- Deep understanding of the Scotland’s improvement landscape and experience contributing to national reform and improvement priorities.
- Ability to lead and operate with confidence at a national level.
Behaviours:
- Changing and Improving - Level 4
- Communicating and Influencing - Level 4
Find out more about Success Profiles.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Communicating and Influencing
- Changing and Improving
Benefits
- 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%
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 and Experience.
How to apply
Press 'Apply now' above, 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 end of June however this may be subject to change. Recruitment Principles As a government organisation, we adhere to the Civil Service Commission Recruitment Principles and we investigate any complaints received in relation to recruitment cases.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
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 the Civil 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
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Contact point for applicants
Job contact
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