Senior Policy Officer (Grade E3)

Key Responsibilities

• Lead a strategic partnership with the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to oversee the delivery of a set of agreed National Equality Outcomes (NEOs) in the tertiary sector.
• Working in partnership with the EHRC develop, implement and keep under regular review a new Memorandum of Understanding and action plan for the Strategic Partnership.
• Seek assurance of the delivery of the NEOs through the SFC's Outcomes Framework Assurance Model by working in partnership with the Assurance and Outcome team and the Student Interest, Access and Quality Team. 
• Assess and report on the effectiveness of the reporting of the NEOs and progress made in institutional Public Sector Equality Duty Reports.
• Working with the National Equality Outcome Co-ordinator, oversee the development and implementation of a set of thematic reports that address persistent inequalities.
• Manage strategic relationships through the development of an engagement plan including key partners such as the Scottish Government, Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), colleges, universities and sector bodies.
• Identify, promote and share effective practice across the tertiary sector to drive continuous improvement in equality, mental health and wellbeing.
• Represent the Scottish Funding Council on national working groups, advisory boards and external stakeholder forums.
• Prepare high-quality briefings, reports, correspondence and recommendations for senior management, government and other stakeholders on equality, mental health and wellbeing matters. 
• Line management for a National Equality Outcome Co-ordinator.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

• Demonstrable experience of developing and implementing policy, programmes or initiatives to improve or address equality.
• Understanding of equality legislation, public sector equality duties and current equality, diversity and inclusion issues.
• Experience of building effective relationships and influencing a wide range of stakeholders, including senior leaders, government bodies and external partners.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to interpret complex information and provide clear, evidence-based advice and recommendations.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including experience of preparing high-quality reports, briefings and correspondence for a range of audiences.
• Experience of leading and managing complex projects, delivering outcomes to agreed timescales and managing competing priorities.
• Experience of monitoring, evaluating and reporting on organisational or sector performance, including the use of data and evidence to inform decision-making.
• Proven ability to represent an organisation effectively in external forums, working groups and stakeholder networks.
• Degree level education (SCQF level 9) or equivalent experience relevant to the role as outlined by this job description. 

• Line management experience.
• Knowledge of the further and/or higher education sector and good understanding of the current Scottish political and government environment.

Terms and Benefits

About
We are the Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council, more commonly known as the Scottish Funding Council (SFC).We are Scotland’s tertiary education and research authority and our purpose is to sustain a world-leading system of tertiary education, research and innovation that enables students to flourish, changes lives for the better, and supports social, economic and environmental wellbeing and prosperity.We do this by investing around £2 billion of public money to deliver:Tertiary learning and teaching.Skills and apprenticeships.Student support and participation.Research, innovation and knowledge exchange.Data collection and dissemination.National quality assurance and enhancement processes.Capital and digital infrastructure for the sector.Strategic change, responsive provision and research priorities.As a non-departmental public body established by the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 2005, we are directly accountable to Scottish Government Ministers and the Scottish Parliament. We work across many government portfolios and are sponsored by the Lifelong Learning Directorate.We hold colleges, universities and other funded bodies to account for their delivery of required outcomes. We are also the statistical authority for colleges, and work closely with the UK-wide Higher Education Statistical Authority (HESA), to provide data and statistics for government, decision-makers, and the wider public.We work in partnership with a wide range of partners and bodies, including those we fund, across all aspects of our remit.General information for applicants for SFC rolesYou must already be eligible to work in the UK to apply for these roles. SFC does not offer employment sponsorship for new employees.We are pleased to support applications from everyone regardless of age, disability, race and ethnicity, socio-economic background, gender, sexual orientation, sex, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, religion or belief, as well as those who have skills in Scottish Gaelic or British Sign Language, who have the right skills for the job.  We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and actively encourage interviews through the scheme.  Further information about SFC is available on our website Scottish Funding Council home page (sfc.ac.uk).   Additional information about our recruitment process can be found at Recruitment Information and Tips | Scottish Funding Council Careers (sfc.ac.uk).