Person specification
Job title: Personal Assistant
Attributes
Experience
Essential
- Extensive secretarial/office experience.
- Experience of interpreting the business conducted at meetings and producing accurate minutes to reflect discussion and decision.
- Experience of providing administrative support at senior level.
- Experience of preparing basic reports for submission to senior members of staff.
Desirable
- Ability to develop and produce correspondence and emails on behalf of the Director.
Education, qualifications and training
Essential
- Educated to SCQF level 5 (i.e. standard grade or equivalent).
Desirable
- Hold a relevant qualification in administration, and/or secretarial studies at SCQF Level 7 or above (e.g. HNC/D or equivalent.)
Skills and knowledge
Essential
- Excellent communication and negotiation skills
- Excellent organisational, planning and decision making skills.
- Ability to manage conflicting priorities and work to tight deadlines/plan and prioritise workloads.
- Experience of developing processes and procedures
- Good working knowledge of IT packages including Microsoft Applications and database input.
- Ability to translate plans into action
Key performance outcomes
Effective communication
Essential
- Ability to prepare written communication to a high standard.
- Ability to express ideas clearly and concisely and to adapt communication to suit different audiences.
- Ability to form constructive working relationships with people at all levels in the organisation.
- Regularly communicates with and ensures they are accessible to colleagues and key contacts.
- Ability to communicate decisions to colleaguesand key contacts.
Objective decision making
Essential
- Demonstrates ananalytical and systematic approach to problem solving.
- Encourages and supports decisions of colleagues and key contacts.
- Considers Care Inspectorate values in relation to the impact of their decisions.
- Considers the wider contextin which the Care Inspectorate operates.
Desirable
- Ability to express and present complex information.
Planning and organising
Essential
- Ability to react to changing priorities and manage conflicting demands.
- Ability to forward plan and prevent any operational difficulties.
- Uses a systematic approach to make efficientuse of time and manage workload.
- Recognises the need to be flexible in order to meet changing priorities.
- Follows directions and procedures.
Flexibility
Essential
- Demonstrates a flexible, positive approach to work.
- Listens to feedback and ideas from people and will take appropriate and considered action.
- Adapts well to change, adjusting priorities as required.
- Ability to apply skills flexibly as required.
Personal accountability and responsibility
Essential
- Contributes to the development of operational processes and systems.
- Demonstrate initiative, drive and determination to complete tasks and achieve objectives.
- Improve the development and quality of services.
- Takes responsibility for decisions and actions taken.
- Maintains a high standard of work and actively seeks out continuous improvement.
- Demonstrates initiative within own area of expertise.
- Takes responsibility for identifying and addressing areas of personal and professional development.
Please note – these are key performance outcomes to be used to recruit into the role.
Job profile
Job title: Personal Assistant
Responsible to: Executive Support Officer
Principal working contacts
- Executive Support Officer
- Members of the Strategy and Improvement Directorate
- Strategic Management Team
- Senior Managers
- Executive and Committee Support Manager Executive and Committee Support Team Corporate Support Team
- Scottish Government and other external bodies and partners
Job purpose
To provide high quality, confidential PA support to the Executive Director of Strategy and Improvement.
Key responsibilities
- Check and prioritise all email correspondence and meetinginvitations on behalf of the Executive Director.
- Develop and administer a system for dealing with enquiries and correspondence on behalf of the Executive Director, including composing responses to routine correspondence.
- Monitor progress of the preparation of replies by colleagues to correspondence to the Executive Director, within appropriate timescales.
- Manage and co-ordinate the Executive Director’s diary, making appointments and arranging meetings, events, booking venues, organising catering and hospitality for visitors as necessary.
- Make all travel and accommodation arrangements for the Executive Director.
- Prepare and circulate agendas and paperwork for meetings, as required.
- Attend meetings as required at our head office and at various locations across Scotland, in order to take notes/minutes and prepare action records.
- Assist in the preparation of PowerPoint presentations/speeches as required.
- Establish good working relationships in regular communication with other officers of the Care Inspectorate, external partners, Scottish Government and members of the public.
- As part of the wider Executive Support team, provide PA support cover in the absence of the other PAs.
- Carry out your duties in accordance with our Health and Safety policies, procedures, guidance, practices and legislative requirements, taking reasonable care for your safety and that of others who may be affected by what you do or fail to do while at work.
Relationship management
- Ensure productive and smooth working arrangements and protocols between staff delivering directorate support and all other Care Inspectorate employees.
- Develop and maintain constructive and co-operative working relationships with internal and external stakeholders to ensure effective and efficient directorate support.
- Demonstrate a commitment to the CareInspectorate’s aims,vision and values and to the Care Inspectorate’s overall objective of improving care in Scotland.
- To ensure effective communication of the CareInspectorate's work with people who experience care, carers, relatives and advocates.
Other duties
This job may require some travel and may involve some overnight stays and unsocial hours.
This job description is a broad picture of the post at the date of preparation. It is not an exhaustive list of all possible duties and it is recognised that jobs change and evolve over time. Consequently, the post holder will be required to carry out any other duties to the equivalent level that are necessary to fulfil the purpose of the job, and to respond positively to changing business needs.
Person specification
Job title: Applications Manager
Attributes
Experience
Essential
- Significant experience in leading digital/ software development in medium/large scale public sector projects, familiar with supporting cloud based applications.
- Demonstrate excellent technical expertise in areas including applications development and have a well-rounded understanding of computer systems and networks with the analytical skills needed to identify and troubleshoot issues that arise within applications and use problem-solving skills to determine the best solutions for these issues.
- Proven experience of designing, building and delivering working solutions which meet customer needs.
- Proven experience in a range of Internet / Intranet based technologies.
- Experience of formal Project Management Methodologies. (Agile, Prince2)
Desirable
- Experience of working with other regulatory bodies or partner scrutiny bodies.
- Experience of working with Azure PaaS and DevOps environments.
Education, qualifications and training
Essential
- Educated to SCQF level 9 in IT or graduate qualification in a software engineering or related field.
- Evidence of continuous professional development.
Desirable
- Membership of a Professional body, appropriate to Software Engineering
- Project Management qualification
Skills and knowledge
Essential
- Ability to provide user-centric solutions, which users find simple and intuitive to use.
- Ability to challenge and test traditionally held views about web development, and contribute suggestions for continual improvement within IT.
- Have high attention to detail and accuracy.
- Excellent written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills across all levels in the organisation.
- Proven ability to multitask in a fast pace environment to deliver effective outcomes and meet targets on time.
- Ability to prioritise workload.
- Ability to evaluate the impact of decisions on stakeholders and include this in the decision making process.
- The ability to analyse complex issues related to digital applications and provide effective solutions
- An ability to adapt to evolving technologies and the ability to bring innovative solutions to digital application challenges
- Ability to make fully evaluated and firm recommendation and proposals to the IT Management Team
- Strong decision-making and quality leadership skills to effectively motivate, develop and lead the team to complete necessary tasks.
- Experience in reporting and providing status updates to senior management.
- Experience in budget management.
- Understand organisational motivations including problems, goals, and objectives.
- Drive continuous improvements in process maturity.
- Facilitation skills: ability to facilitate workshops with all staff levels.
- The ability to build relationships and collaborate with other teams, fostering a positive working environment
Desirable
- Ability to align the application roadmap with the IT strategy
- Ability to support the ongoing development of strategic plans.
Key performance outcomes
Service improvement
- Uses knowledge and experience to gather and consolidate information in order to make appropriate changes and improvements.
- Aware of trends and changes and maintains professional knowledge and skills.
- Encourages and promotes new ideas.
- Ability to identify gaps in performance and make appropriate suggestions for improvement.
- Demonstrate initiative, drive and determination to complete tasks and achieve objectives.
Leading others
- Ability to provide leadership, a clear sense of purpose and direction.
- Ability to take a flexible, pragmatic approach to support to effectively achieve performance objectives i.e. interim redeployment of team members.
Team working
- Adapts to the team and builds team spirit.
- Listens, consults others and communicates proactively.
- Demonstrates integrity.
- Contributes to the shared vision and purpose and shares this effectively.
- Involves the team in decision and actions.
- Ability to work effectively with members of a multi-disciplinary team to deliver business improvement.
Effective communication
- Listens to, understands and communicates complex and multi-stranded information from a range of sources, adopting effective questioning techniques to elicit and appreciate a range of views.
- Ability to negotiate with others in a way that suits the situation, demonstrating a high level of theoretical and practical knowledge.
- Ability to express ideas clearly and concisely, explain intricate and complicated concepts and ideas.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Equally at ease in technical discussions with IT colleagues as well as business discussions with senior managers and employees.
- Ability to select appropriate communication style and methods depending on the needs and abilities of the audience.
- Ability to explain IT concepts and issues in a clear way, without using technical jargon.
- Ability to advise, persuade and influence people in a professional and effective manner.
Objective decision making
- Demonstrates analytical and systematic approach to problem solving and decision making.
- Ensures the Business Analysis team has the appropriate support, resources, and authority levels to make decisions quickly and easily.
- Encourages and supports decisions of team members.
- Considers Care Inspectorate values in relation to the impact of their decisions and considers the wider context in which the Care Inspectorate operates.
- Ability to work autonomously.
- Ability to make appropriate and realistic judgments based on professional expertise, relevant, up to date and verifiable information.
Planning and organising
- Ability to plan, execute, track and report on delivery progress against requirements.
- Works in a systematic, methodical and orderly way.
- Regularly reviews workloads, goals and targets with team and prioritise where necessary.
- Uses 1-1 supervision to support team members to plan workloads.
- Delegates effectively to others and optimises resources to achieve desired results.
- Focuses on customer needs and satisfaction.
- Sets high standards for quality and quantity and monitors and maintains quality and productivity.
Flexibility
- Encourages a flexible, positive approach to work in their team.
- Applies regulation and standards sensibly and understands where a flexible approach may be required.
- Works productively in a high-pressure environment.
- Adapts to changing circumstances.
- Has a flexible and pragmatic approach to new ideas and change initiatives.
- Is open minded to suggestions about how to improve processes within the Care Inspectorate.
- Exercises professional judgement when considering options and outcomes.
- Demonstrates personal resilience, being able to work flexibly under pressure with stamina and tenacity to deliver results.
Please note, these are key performance outcomes to be used to recruit into the role.
Job profile
Job title: Applications Manager
Responsible to: Head of IT Service Delivery
Principal working contacts
- Director of IT & Digital Transformation
- Head of IT Service Delivery
- IT Service Operations Manager
- IT Customer Service & Transition Manager
- IT Service Operations Team
- Other key IT Teams and contacts (Security & Compliance Team, Development Team, and Project Managers)
Job purpose
The applications manager will lead and manage a development team, responsible for the delivery of technical solutions, in support of IT services and digital transformation at the Care Inspectorate.
The applications manager is an operational management role leading a team to deliver the planning, software development, integrations, implementation, release and on-going support of business applications, with a support model that ensures the delivery of service standards to agreed service levels and leading the development of digital standards through continual service improvement.
Key responsibilities
- Lead the team responsible for designing, developing, and maintaining all business applications at the Care Inspectorate, overseeing analysis, planning, testing, and documentation.
- Lead a team ensuring the continuity and integrity of digital apps crucial to the core operations.
- Manage the ongoing monitoring and maintenance of digital apps usage.
- Coordinate knowledge management processes to support the sharing of relevant app service information effectively.
- Assist the Enterprise Architect in developing system architectures aligned with design principles.
- Collaborate with Service Transition and Operations Managers to ensure smooth release, transition, and management of digital apps.
- Partner with the IT Service Operations Manager to efficiently manage infrastructure and utility costs related to digital apps delivery.
- Work with Customer Service Manager to integrate app support service with the wider Service Desk team.
- Support procurement activities necessary for maintaining continuity and development of business applications.
- Support project delivery, resource management, and environment management processes as part of the IT management team, while ensuring regular reporting on achievements and plans.
- Deputise for the Head of IT Service Delivery as necessary.
Relationship management
- Support the Head of IT Service Delivery to maintain healthy and effective relationships with senior stakeholders, business service owners and staff at all levels, to ensure a positive, collaborative working environment.
- Maintain an effective app support and development team ensuring that performance management, professional development and employee engagement are key areas of focus.
- Maintain and develop a healthy team dynamic, encouraging skills and knowledge sharing, ensuring a consistency of standards and service
- Promote the principles of partnership working throughout the organisation and in all working practices in accordance with the Care Inspectorate's Partnership Agreement.
- Be proactive in raising public awareness in the work of the Care Inspectorate.
- Demonstrate a commitment to the Care Inspectorate’s aims, vision and values and to the Care Inspectorate’s overall objective of improving care in Scotland.
People management
- Lead and manage a team, ensuring that they work effectively to meet the aims, objectives and targets of Care Inspectorate.
- Provide advice, guidance and support to team members through regular one-to-one supervision, performance development reviews and personal development plans to ensure continuous improvement in their work, supporting their personal and professional development.
- Coordinate and monitor administrative support to the team
- Promote consistent, high-quality practice amongst team members, manage their performance and monitor their standards and behaviour.
- Promote the health, safety and welfare of staff in accordance with Care Inspectorate policies, procedures and guidance.
- Promote diversity and equality of opportunity, ensuring that these principles are upheld across all areas of work.
Other duties
This job description is a broad picture of the post at the date of preparation. It is not an exhaustive list of all possible duties, and it is recognised that jobs change and evolve over time. Consequently, the post holder will be required to carry out any other duties to the equivalent level that are necessary to fulfil the purpose of the job, and to respond positively to changing business needs.
Person specification
Job title: Inspection Planning Manager – Workforce Planning and Data
Attributes
Experience
Essential:
- General experience of workforce planning activities.
- Significant experience of office management
- Staff supervision, systems and processes
- Workload planning, prioritisation and allocation
Desireable:
- Experience of collaborative/ partnership working.
Education, qualifications and training
Essential:
- Qualified to SCQF level 5
- Commitment to own CPD.
Desireable:
- Qualification at SCQF Level 6/7 in relevant subject area (i.e. Highers / HNC)
Skills and knowledge
Essential:
- Sound knowledge of Microsoft Excel and Power BI
- The ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in written form.
- The ability to undertake performance and information analysis in order to formulate and implement strategies and actions effectively.
- Capable of challenging current thinking in a positive and constructive way to develop new and innovative approaches to planning and improvement.
- Ability to translate plans into action.
- Effective negotiating and influencing skills
- Demonstrate a broad level of knowledge of working within inspection/regulation of care and associated IT systems.
- Demonstrate understanding of equality and diversity.
- IT literate, demonstrating experience of IT systems and processes, using the most effective methods to communicate and manage information.
Desireable:
- Understanding of project management
Key performane outcomes
Leading others
Essential:
- Ability to provide leadership, a clear sense of purpose and direction to staff.
- To effectively deploy staff and other resources to achieve corporate aims, objectives and targets.
- Ability to ensure that the planning function conducts itself in accordance with the highest standards of integrity, probity and openness through the implementation of robust corporate governance.
Desireable:
- Demonstrates experience of delivering change and improvement at an operational level.
Management of resoures
Essential:
- Ability to bring together the overall work of a team of staff and involve team members in decision-making.
- Manage resources and budgets effectively and in accordance with Care Inspectorate’s corporate aims and objectives.
- Delegates effectively to others.
- Identifying skills and experience of individual staff and making the best use of resources.
- The ability to adopt a flexible approach to competing priorities and changing circumstances and encourages and supports others to so.
- Ability to drive continuous improvement
- Applies rules and procedures sensibly.
Effective communication
Essential:
- Articulate and positive communicator both in verbal and written communication skills.
- Ability to express ideas clearly and concisely and adapt communication to suit different situations.
- Ability to form constructive relationships with managers and staff at all levels of the organisation.
- Ability to communicate effectively with external stakeholders and manage partnership arrangements effectively to secure positive outcomes/key deliverables.
Desireable:
- Good public speaking skills with ability to represent the Care Inspectorate at conferences, events.
Impact and influence
Essential:
- Demonstrates ability to influence at all levels.
- Demonstrable ability of promoting, leading and implementing strategies and change programmes.
- Evidence of building positive relationships, engaging and collaborating effectively with others internally and externally.
- Demonstrates personal resilience, being able to work flexibly under pressure with stamina and tenacity to deliver results.
Desireable:
- Ability to take account of wider political and organisational sensitivities to deliver strategic objectives.
Objective decision making
Essential:
- The ability to assist key stakeholders to develop strategies and action plans with others, in line with corporate aims and objectives.
- Demonstrates an analytical and systematic approach to problem solving.
- Ability to make appropriate and realistic judgments, based on relevant, up to date and verifiable information
- Ensures that team members have appropriate support, resources and authority levels to make decisions quickly and effectively.
- Encourages and supports devolved decisions-making.
- Considers the Care Inspectorate’s strategic vision, corporate aims and objectives and values in leading and managing others
- Ability to take responsibility for difficult decisions and to remain resilient against possible criticism.
Job profile
Job title: Inspection Planning Manager - Workforce Planning and Data
Responsible for: Planning Co-ordinator
Principal Working Contacts
- Executive Director of Scrutiny and Assurance
- Chief Inspectors
- Service Managers
- Team Managers
- Strategic Inspectors
- Inspectors
- Business Support staff
- Managers and employees of the Care Inspectorate
- External agencies/service providers/service users and carers
- Education Scotland
Job purpose
To manage and co-ordinate the delivery of national inspection planning across a wide range of social care services and services for children and adults to ensure that the Care Inspectorate makes the best use of its resources and performs effectively and efficiently as an independent scrutiny and improvement body.
Key responsibilities
Strategic management
- In conjunction with key stakeholders, develop and manage systems and processes to support effective national inspection planning in order to meet corporate aims and objectives.
- Build and maintain effective partnerships with Education Scotland, Healthcare Improvement Scotland and other scrutiny and improvement partners to support effective and efficient joint inspection planning.
- In conjunction with key stakeholders develop and deliver strategies, action plans and targets for inspection planning in support of corporate aims and objectives.
Operational management
- Manage and co-ordinate the effective and efficient delivery of scrutiny and improvement planning activity.
- Manage and maintain scrutiny plans for the current year and draft plans for subsequent years, ensuring inspection planning activities are consistent with the Care Inspectorate’s objectives and targets.
- Ensure that the provision of the inspection and capacity planning information is accurate, up-to-date and reliable for managers and staff throughout the organisation to support the planning and delivery of the Care Inspectorate’s scrutiny and improvement functions.
- Plan and execute the strategic objectives for inspection planning systematically in alignment with the Care Inspectorate’s business objectives.
- Promote continuous improvement in all aspects of inspection and capacity planning, including quality assurance and consistency of practice.
- Participate in the recruitment and selection of staff as required.
- Prepare and present reports to the Chief Inspectors and Executive Director of Scrutiny and Assurance or Executive Team as required.
- Deputise for senior managers and undertake such other duties as may be required.
People management
- Lead and manage a team, ensuring that they work effectively and efficiently to meet the aims, objectives and targets of Care Inspectorate.
- Provide advice, guidance and support to team members through regular one-to-one supervision, performance development reviews and personal development plans to ensure continuous improvement in their work and support their personal and professional development.
- Coordinate and monitor administrative support to the team
- Promote consistent, high quality practice amongst team members, manage their performance and monitor their standards and behaviour.
- Promote the health, safety and welfare of staff in accordance with Care Inspectorate policies, procedures and guidance.
- Promote diversity and equality of opportunity, ensuring that these principles are upheld across all areas of work.
Relationship management
- As a manager, model corporate behaviour and demonstrate a strong commitment to organisational values.
- Develop effective working relationships within the team and with managers and staff across the organisation ensuring effective collaborative and cross-directorate working.
- Develop and maintain effective working relationships with partner scrutiny and improvement bodies and other key stakeholders.
- Contribute to the continuous development of the Care Inspectorate and manage change effectively and creatively.
- Promote the work of the Care Inspectorate and raise aware of its work in a positive manner.
- Ensure effective working protocols in accordance with the Care Inspectorate’s Communications, Human Resources, Finance, IT and Operations function.
- Demonstrate a commitment to the Care Inspectorate’s aims, vision and values and to the Care Inspectorate’s overall objective of improving care in Scotland.
- Ensure effective communication of the Care Inspectorate’s work with people who use care services, carers, relatives and advocates.
Other duties
This job may require some travel and may involve some overnight stays and unsocial hours.
This job description is a broad picture of the post at the date of preparation. It is not an exhaustive list of all possible duties and it is recognised that jobs change and evolve over time. Consequently, the post holder will be required to carry out any other duties to the equivalent level that are necessary to fulfil the purpose of the job, and to respond positively to changing business needs.
Inspection Planning Manager - Workforce Planning and Data
Job title: Inspection Planning Manager – Workforce Planning and Data
Salary: £38,553 - £42,597
Hours: 35 hours per week
Location: Flexible (Any Care Inspectorate office)
Contract: Temporary for up to 12 months
About the role
Due to a period of absence, a temporary vacancy has arisen within our Planning Team. In this demanding and challenging role, you will manage and co-ordinate the delivery of national inspection planning across a wide range of social care services and services for children and adults to ensure that the Care Inspectorate makes the best use of its resources and performs effectively and efficiently as an independent scrutiny and improvement body.
This will include the management, co-ordination of inspection activities and national and team plans for the current year and draft plans for subsequent years, ensuring inspection planning activities are consistent with the Care Inspectorate’s objectives and targets.
About us
We are the national regulator and scrutiny body responsible for providing assurance and protection for people who experience care services, their families, carers and the wider public, as well as supporting delivery partners to improve the quality of care for people in Scotland. Our vision is that people across Scotland experience high quality care that meets their needs, rights and choices.
We are a scrutiny body that supports improvement. We inspect individual care services and we also work with other scrutiny bodies to inspect the social care and social work services people are experiencing in their local areas.
Our desire is to achieve an effective and balanced way of working, that enables us to meet organisational needs and achieve a work-life balance that promotes wellbeing and collaboration opportunities. We are moving towards an expectation that all staff will work collaboratively, within and across teams, in person, for approximately 40% of their working week.
About you
The successful applicant will have an operational background in workforce planning activities, systems and processes, together with workload planning and prioritisation knowledge.
You will be educated to SCQF Level 5 and, ideally hold a relevant qualification at SCQF Level 6 or 7. You will have excellent communication skills and be able to demonstrate a broad level of knowledge of working within inspection/regulation of care and associated IT systems, such as Work Management Tools, Microsoft Excel and Power BI, alongside the ability to translate plans into action.
Next steps
You’ll find more information in the job profile and person specification.
If you would like more information or an informal chat about the role please contact Deborah Holyroyd at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Please include a contact telephone number and times that would be best to reach you in your email.
If you believe that you are a suitable candidate for this post, please complete our online application form by 08:00 on Monday 10 June 2024*.
*Please note that if we receive a sufficient number of applications, the advert may close earlier on Monday 3 June.
It is anticipated that interviews will be held at either our Dundee or Stirling office no sooner than 19 June 2024 (or after 12 June 2024 if the advert closes earlier).
Person specification
Essential criteria
Qualifications and registration
To become an inspector, you must be registered with or able to register, and hold a qualification that meets the registration requirements of, one of the following regulatory bodies:
- Social Social Services Council (SSSC)
- General Teaching Council (Scotland) (GTC)
- Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)
- General Medical Council (GMC) Health and Care Professions Council (applies to the following roles only: occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech and language therapists and practitioner psychologists)
- Other equivalent professional bodies for the UK nations
Inspectors eligible to apply for registration with the SSSC must hold a suitable practice qualification at SCQF level. For more information on the list of suitable qualifications please see our recruitment web pages.
Inspectors must also hold or undertake an appropriate regulator's award from the list below:
- Regulation of Care Award
- PDA Scrutiny and Improvement Practice (Social Services) SCQF level 10
Experience
- Senior professional experience, expertise and knowledge of adult social care or health care, early learning and childcare or children and young people sectors and
- Experience of lead responsibility for complex professional practice through case management, managing people, projects or resources.
Skills
- Ability to use evidence and knowledge to provide accurate, expert, insightful professional advice and judgements, which are based on clear and incisive thinking.
- Ability to identify priorities and gather and analyse evidence to evaluate options before arriving at well-reasoned, justifiable decisions.
- Ability to weigh up complex and conflicting evidence, reach robust judgements and record these.
- Ability to communicate clearly, convincingly and succinctly to different audiences, verbally, in writing and virtually.
- Stakeholder engagement skills and ability to build relationships with people at all levels of seniority.
- IT literate with a thorough understanding of Microsoft Office.
Key performance outcomes/competencies
Supporting and co-operating
- Supports others and shows respect and positive regard
- Puts people first, working effectively with individuals, teams and people who use care services
- Behaves consistently with clear personal values and relevant professional standards of practice that complement those of the organisation
- Understands the limits of their knowledge and experience and when decisions need to be referred to others.
Interacting and presenting
- Communicates clearly and networks effectively, projecting credibility
- Establishes good relationships and relates to others in a confident and relaxed manner
- Considers Care Inspectorate values in relation to the impact of their decisions
- Considers the wider context in which the Care Inspectorate operates.
Analysing and interpreting
- Demonstrates analytical and systematic approach to problem solving
- Gets to the heart of complex problems and issues
- Applies own expertise effectively
- Quickly learns and embraces new technology
- Excellent written communication skills.
Creating and conceptualising
- Open to new ideas and experience
- Seeks out learning opportunities
- Handles situations and problems with innovation and creativity
- Thinks broadly and strategically
- Supports and drives organisational change
- Contributes to the development of operational processes and systems
- Ability to use knowledge and experience to gather and consolidate information to make appropriate improvements
- Applies rules and procedures sensibly and understands where flexibility is required.
Organising and executing
- Plans ahead and works in a systematic and organised way
- Follows directions and procedures
- Focuses on service user satisfaction and delivers a quality service to the expected standards
- Ability to work flexibly in response to changing priorities and to prioritise conflicting demands
- Ability to plan workload effectively in the short, medium and long term in conjunction with their line manager and work to strict deadlines
- Ability to show initiative and work independently without close supervision.
Adapting and coping
- Adapts and responds positively to change
- Manages pressure effectively and copes with setbacks
- Ability to adapt communication to suit different audiences.
The Care Inspectorate expects that all its employees, who can be, are registered and maintain an active registration with their relevant registering body throughout the duration of employment with the Care Inspectorate.
You will be required to maintain all necessary professional registration as required by the Professional Registration Policy - adherence to this policy is imperative.
Job profile
Job title: Inspector
Location: Local / nearest office base
Responsible to: Team manager
Job overview
Our inspectors have a vital role to ensure that people in Scotland who need care, receive high quality, safe and compassionate care. They are responsible for assuring and improving the quality of care for people who use care services by determining and undertaking appropriate scrutiny, assurance and improvement activities.
Our values
Our values are about clearly establishing what it means to be a Care Inspectorate employee and set the standard for every person and how they play their part. Our values are:
- Person Centred: we will put people at the heart of everything we do
- Fairness: we will act fairly, be transparent and treat people equally
- Respect: we will be respectful in all that we do
- Integrity: we will be impartial and act to improve care for the people of Scotland
- Efficiency: we will provide the best possible quality and public value from our work
- Equality: we will promote and advance equality, diversity and inclusion in all our work and interactions
Key responsibilities
- Plan and deliver timely and high-quality scrutiny activities of registered services aligned with the Public Services Reform Act.
- Provide feedback, report on findings and work with providers to support improvement and innovation and signpost good practice.
- Apply specialist knowledge and skills to gather, analyse, assess and share information and intelligence on care services and service providers to help target scrutiny and improvement activities.
- Apply specialist knowledge, skills and expertise to authoritatively and credibly provide advice and guidance to service providers and their staff to support continuous improvement in the quality of care they deliver.
- Work in partnership with people who use services, family carers, scrutiny delivery and policy partners to act as a catalyst for change and innovation and promote the Health and Social Care Standards and good practice guidance.
- Support the strategic scrutiny activities of adult or children’s services or shared scrutiny activities with other scrutiny bodies as required.
- Support enforcement activities, attending legal hearings or other types of constituted hearings to give evidence or advice.
- Produce evaluative reports, within required timescales, to include clear evidence-based outcomes that direct and contribute to improvements in the care and protection of service users.
- Work collaboratively and effectively with a range of stakeholders, including partner scrutiny bodies and Scottish Government staff and officials.
- Participate in supervision arrangements, team meetings, appraisal and learning and development as required and appropriate.
- Provide relationship management support to allocated providers.
- Take a lead role on designated projects and other initiatives that require specialist knowledge, expertise and experience.
- Support the induction of new start inspectors and colleagues through peer learning and other learning and development activities within your team and directorate.
- Participate in and support quality assurance activities of the work of the care inspectorate.
- Work flexibly to meet the needs of the business and the availability of providers (for example evening and weekend working and travel and overnight stays across Scotland, where required).
- Undertake such other duties as may be required by the organisation to fulfil the role of Inspector.
Key accountabilities
- Ensure accurate records of all registered services are prepared and maintained, and share intelligence, in accordance with the requirements and procedures of the Care Inspectorate.
- Maintain a high standard of records in relation to work undertaken, producing reports, letters and instructions.
- Work to relevant professional codes of practice and ensure national occupational standards are achieved.
- Follow processes and duties relating to enforcement action against registered services
- Build and maintain productive working relationships, both internally and externally with providers and partners.
- Share and maintain knowledge and understanding of current developments in your specialist area (early learning and childcare, adults or children and young people).
- Participate in all learning and development activities relevant to your role, including the professional development award (PDA) and/ or other qualifications as deemed necessary.
- Maintain professional registration with the relevant professional regulatory body.
- Meet performance management indicators and performance management objectives of the organisation as relevant to your role.
Inspector (adult services)
Join us and make a difference – for you, for everyone
It’s our job to ensure care for everyone, everywhere in Scotland is as good as it can be. If you are as passionate about high-quality care as we are, and you’re experienced in your field, we’d love to hear from you. We are looking for talented people to join us in making a difference.
About you
You’ll have considerable experience in adult health or social work/care as well as significant knowledge of current policy drivers and challenges within the sector. You will have a successful track record in working with people, assessing standards of care, managing conflict and promoting the rights of people who use care services.
We’re currently recruiting for vacancies in our inspection teams. We are looking for applicants particularly in the central belt, North West Scotland, Argyll and Bute, and Dumfries and Galloway. However, we welcome applications from candidates across mainland Scotland.
About us
We are different because of our great benefits, our investment in learning and development, and above all, giving you the opportunity to help shape care in Scotland.
What you will be doing as an inspector
Making a difference through working with services delivering adult and older people care. You’ll work with people experiencing care, care service providers, managers and staff and be confident in supporting and advising on improvement.
The skills you need
If you think this job is where you can make a real difference to people’s lives, there are a few things you need. Whilst it’s important to have the basics, we will support you in developing your skillset throughout your journey with us.
You’ll be confident about what good-quality care looks like and how to deliver it across adults and older people services. You’ll be resilient and adaptable, able to work on your own initiative or as part of a team, manage competing priorities, build effective networks with partners, and have strong communication skills. Equally, you’ll be good at analysing information and evidence, and you’ll have excellent writing skills to produce reports that are clear, concise, and focused on outcomes.
We need you to have a relevant qualification (minimum SCQF Level 9) and be registered or eligible to register with a professional body like the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC), Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) or General Teaching Council (GTC). Please see further information at the bottom of this advert on recent updates to the registration process for the SSSC.
All new entrants will start on the grade minimum for the role however we have a generous benefits package which is highlighted below.
Salary and benefits
- Salary: £46,116 - £54,441 plus excellent benefits.
- Network of offices across Scotland.
- Flexible Hours: 140 hours to be worked over a 4-week period.
- Up to 37 days annual leave (after 5 years’ service) +6 fixed public holidays.
- Contract: Permanent, two-year secondment or locum.
Our desire is to achieve an effective and balanced way of working, that enables us to meet organisational needs and achieve a work-life balance that promotes wellbeing and collaboration opportunities. We are moving towards an expectation that all staff will work collaboratively, within and across teams, in person, for approximately 40% of their working week.
In addition to our excellent benefits package, we also pride ourselves on the values we hold, person-centred; fairness; respect; efficiency and integrity - all supported with a culture of care and kindness. We’re proud to be a progressive, supportive employer, and equality, diversity and inclusion are important to us.
This is an exciting time to join the Care Inspectorate, with an opportunity to be at the heart of change as we consider the impact of the independent care review. We’ve recently changed our recruitment process and how we assess new people. We’re looking to attract inspectors from a broader range of professional backgrounds and now is the perfect time to come and join us.
What next?
Click here to find out more on our careers site. You can also contact the recruitment team at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for further information. You’ll also find more information in the job profile and person specification.
If you’re ready to apply now, please click here to access our gateway questions and application form. Your application should be received no later than 08:00 on Monday 3 June 2024.
The Care Inspectorate is committed to recruiting, retaining and developing a workforce that reflects the diverse communities that we serve. It is vital that we monitor and analyse diversity information so that we can identify how we can improve the way we meet the needs of our applicants and staff. To assist us to monitor the effectiveness of our equality and diversity practices, we would encourage you to complete the equalities monitoring form at the end of the application form.
We anticipate holding Stage 1 of our assessment process on Monday 24 - Tuesday 25 June 2024, and Stage 2 no earlier than Monday 8 July 2024 over a 2 week period.
If you successfully complete our selection process, we’ll either confirm you’re the preferred candidate for a suitable vacancy (based on your specialism and location) or you’ll be invited to join our talent pool for future vacancies that would be suitable for you.
Registration information and process
As an Inspector you will support the Scrutiny & Assurance Directorate, and Strategy & Improvement Directorate to ensure that the Care Inspectorate meets its responsibilities as defined by the Public Services Reform Act 2010 and other relevant legislation.
The role of Inspector supports or conducts regulatory or strategic scrutiny activity by exercising ‘authorised person’ functions in terms of the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act or secondary legislation made thereunder are ancillary to the Care Inspectorate’s primary authorised officer role and are defined as secondary authorised officers. This role supports or conducts regulatory or strategic scrutiny activity; however, the role purpose is broader than simply exercising the organisation’s inspection powers defined in the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010 and secondary legislation made thereunder.
The successful applicant must be registered with a professional body (this can be NMC, GTCS, NMC, HCPC, SSSC), within three months of appointment.
For SSSC registration, there is a specific registration category for Care Inspectorate Authorised Officers (AO). Regulated Care Inspectors who register with SSSC will do so as a Primary Authorised Officer under both types of work (Social Care and Children & Young People). Primary Authorised Officers will require to complete a Professional Development Award in Scrutiny and Improvement Practice within 5 years of initial registration.
Employees will be expected to maintain registration with the same professional body throughout their employment in the Care Inspectorate. This includes employees working in authorised officer roles who are recruited to the Care Inspectorate based on their registration with the NMC, GTCS, HCPC or other recognised professional body. It is a contractual requirement to maintain registration with the same professional body and employees should not transfer their registration to the SSSC from another recognised professional body, including the NMC, GTCS or HCPC.
About Us
Inspector - Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) (0)
The early learning and childcare expansion…
Role: Inspector - Early Learning and Childcare (ELC)
Location: Forth Valley, Borders, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, Edinburgh & Glasgow
Salary: £31,083 - £39,069 plus excellent benefits
Hours: 140 hours to be worked over a 4-week period
Contract: Permanent or 2-year secondment (would be considered)
Join us and make a difference – for you, for everyone
It’s our job to ensure care for everyone, everywhere in Scotland is as good as it can be. If you are as passionate about high-quality care as we are, and you’re experienced in your field, we’d love to hear from you.
About us
As a national scrutiny body that supports improvement. We inspect care services and partnerships across Scotland, report on the quality of care people experience, and support improvements in services to facilitate improvements in outcomes for people.
We inspect care services individually. We also work with other scrutiny bodies to inspect the social care and social work services people are experiencing in local areas.
We champion high-quality care whenever we encounter it across the thousands of inspections, we carry out each year, and we work closely with all care providers to support them to improve all the time. We collaborate with other organisations too, supporting improvement across public services. Our work plays a big role in reducing health and social inequalities between people and communities.
We are looking for talented people to join us in making a difference - specialists who understand how to put people’s needs, rights and choices at the heart of delivering social services – and how to lead improvement too. Our 600 staff work with services across the public, voluntary and private sectors. We have offices across Scotland and many of our staff work from home.
About you
Whether early or established in your career, you will share our determination that care, social work and justice services should work well for people – every time. You’ll be confident about what good-quality care looks like and how to deliver it. You’ll be good at analysing information and evidence. You will have excellent writing skills for narrative inspection reports that are clear, concise and focused on outcomes. You will be confident in working with a wide range of people and at supporting and advising on improvement.
You’ll currently be working, or have significant experience in, social care, social work, health, children’s services, early learning, child protection, or community learning and development. You will be registered or eligible to register with a professional body like the SSSC, NMC or GTC.
About the role
Our care inspectors work with care services: childminders, nurseries, care homes, care at home, housing support and a host of other specialist services. A specialist in your field, you may have helped lead a service and have a strong track record in delivering quality. You’ll be adept at leading improvement and influencing others. You will work with people experiencing care, and care service providers, managers and staff.
Why join us?
We strive to be a great employer, knowing that competitive salary, leave and pension schemes are only part of that. We pride ourselves on the values we hold, person-centred; fairness; respect; efficiency and integrity - all supported with a culture of care and kindness.
We believe in collective leadership and innovation. You’ll have a lot of autonomy to manage your own work and use the professional skills you’ve honed during your career – but in new ways. Starting on day one, our learning and development support will help you become confident in the craft of scrutiny and in supporting improvement. Because a lot of your role is about sharing effective practice across Scotland, the impact you can have on experiences and outcomes for people is significant. You will draw on management and leadership skills you’ve developed in the past.
We’re proud to be a progressive, supportive employer – we’re happy to talk about flexible working with you and we’re members of the Disability Confident Scheme, aiming to make the most of the talents disabled people can bring to the workplace.
New appointments will normally be placed on the minimum grade for the role; a higher starting salary may be offered in exceptional circumstances only.
ELC expansion
The Scottish Government is committed to expanding the provision of funded Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) from 600 hours to 1140 hours per year by 2020. The expansion of ELC is aimed to support the reduction in the poverty-related attainment gap and improve long term outcomes for children and families.
Due to the ELC expansion programme we are looking for 7 further ELC Inspectors in addition to the “business as usual” Inspector campaign launched recently.
Principles and aims
The priority for the expansion to 1140 hours is to improve children's outcomes and close the poverty-related attainment gap. In addition, the expansion aims to support parents into work, study or training. The Scottish Government's four principles of the ELC expansion are: quality, flexibility, affordability, and accessibility.
The Scottish Government has stated that quality is 'at the heart' of the expansion and that achieving a high-quality ELC experience for children is a key objective.
Use and provision
A 2018 survey found that the main reason why parents use funded ELC is that they consider it beneficial for their child's learning and development. In addition, parents reported using the funded hours to either work, increase the number of hours they work, or look for work.
Funded ELC in Scotland is delivered by a wide range of providers including nurseries, crèches and playgroups, from across the public, private and third sectors. A small number of childminders also deliver funded ELC, but the Scottish Government hopes this number will increase under the expansion to 1140 hours.
Criteria to apply
- We require you to hold a relevant qualification (minimum SCQF Level 9), register with either the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) or any other relevant professional body and undertake PVG checks.
- You must also be prepared to do a Professional Development Award in Scrutiny and Improvement (Social Services) at SCQF level 10 with appropriate support from the organisation.
- You will have a minimum of three years recent and demonstrable management experience in a relevant field. You must also be willing to travel with overnight stays as required.
Before you apply
- Please contact the relevant body directly to resolve any queries you have regarding registration or eligible qualifications for registration (SSSC, NMC and so on) before submitting your application.
- For an informal chat about the job role, please contact (Who?) You or Kim Connolly, Team Manager on 07766133161
- For all other queries, please contact Human Resources at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
To apply
- If you are interested, please see the minimum criteria to apply as an Inspector and the specific guidance and directions to apply. Thereafter, click on the gateway questions link to apply.
- Your completed application form (campaign number C39 only forms) and equal opportunities form should be returned to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.no later than Monday, 14 October 2019 at 8.00am.
- We anticipate that selection days will take place in the week commencing Monday, 18 November 2019.