Person specification
Job title: Finance Officer
Attributes
Experience
Essential:
- Minimum of two years relevant financial experience.
- Demonstrable successful track record in a similar role.
- Experience of working with internal and external contacts at all levels.
Desirable:
- Experience of working in a public sector environment
- Oracle financial systems experience including developing financial statements.
Education, qualifications and training
Essential:
- Finance qualification eg HNC / Association of Accounting Technician (AAT) qualification.
- Candidates without minimum qualification criteria who have significant experience may be considered.
Desirable:
- Degree in a relevant discipline.
Skills and knowledge
Essential:
- Excellent knowledge of Microsoft Office suite, particularly Excel and Word.
- A thorough knowledge of integrated financial accounting systems.
- Understanding of financial controls and financial environment.
- Able to work collaboratively.
- Experience of supporting budget managers in the development and management of their budgets.
- Uses systematic approach to make efficient use of time and manage workload, prioritising own work effectively to meet deadlines and objectives.
- Excellent negotiation and influencing skills. § Good judgement and decision-making skills.
- Ability to analyse numerical and written information and present results in a clear and concise format.
- Ability to understand the limits of their knowledge and experience and knowing when decisions need to be referred to others.
Desirable:
- Analytical experience of providing statistical data.
- Awareness of sustainability and climate change.
Key performance outcomes
Effective communication
Essential:
- Demonstrate clear and concise verbal and written communication skills.
- Selects appropriate communication style and methods depending on the needs and abilities of the audience.
- Portrays a positive image of the organisation when communicating both inside the organisation and externally.
- Ability to explain complex financial information to a range of audiences including non-specialists.
- Listens to feedback and ideas from others and takes appropriate and considered action.
Impact and influence
Essential:
- Demonstrates ability to influence at all levels.
- Ability to give realistic advice, based on relevant, up to date and verifiable information.
- Evidence of building positive relationships, engaging and collaborating effectively with others internally and externally.
Improvement focus
Essential:
- Identifies gaps in process and performance and makes appropriate suggestions for improvements.
- Aware of trends and changes and maintains professional knowledge and skills.
- Uses knowledge and experience to gather and consolidate information in order to make appropriate changes and improvements.
Objective decision-making
Essential:
- Demonstrates analytical and systematic approach to problem solving.
- Ability to make appropriate and realistic judgments, based on professional expertise, relevant, up to date and verifiable information.
- Ability to analyse complex information.
Planning and organising
Essential:
- Involves others where appropriate and optimises resources to achieve desired results.
- Regularly reviews joint goals and targets and reprioritises where necessary.
- Recognises the need to be flexible in order to meet changing priorities.
Team working
Essential:
- Contributes to and supports the work and decisions of the team.
- Contributes to the shared vision and purpose and shares this effectively.
- Able to work independently as well as collaboratively with a wide range of teams across the Care Inspectorate.
- Develops good working relationships at all levels.
Please note – these are key performance outcomes to be used to recruit into the role.
Job profile
Job title: Solicitor
Responsible to: Head of Legal Services
Principal working contacts:
- Executive Team
- Inspection Programme Managers
- Inspector Managers
- Inspectors
- Business Support Colleagues
Job purpose
To provide legal advice and representation services to the Care Inspectorate including advice on the powers, duties, procedures and responsibilities of the Board and its Committees ensuring compliance with all relevant legislation, statutory guidance and codes of conduct and practice and to assist the Head of Legal Services in the proper administration of the business of the Care Inspectorate.
Key responsibilities
- To provide advice and guidance to operational staff on the discharge of the statutory functions under the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010.
- To provide legal representation for the Care Inspectorate in court, tribunal and inquiry proceedings.
- To provide legal input to the development of Care Inspectorate policy.
- To provide legal input as required in relation to complaints and enquiries received from external parties.
- Under the supervision of the Head of Legal Services, to generate guidance and procedures ensuring the consistent and proper conduct of business by all Care Inspectorate offices.
- To carry out any other legal work as required by the Head of Legal Services.
- To 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 effective communication of the Care Inspectorate’s work with people who use care services, carers, relatives, and advocates.
- 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.
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.
Share your thoughts on our equality outcomes
Help us improve equality outcomes in care services
Introduction
We are currently consulting on our equality outcomes for 2025-2029 under the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED). Your feedback is important because it helps us:
- Make Better Decisions: We want to ensure that the voices of people from all backgrounds, especially those with protected characteristics, are heard and considered.
- Legal Compliance: We are committed to meeting the requirements of the Equality Act 2010 by working to eliminate discrimination, advance equality, and foster good relationships between diverse groups.
- Better Outcomes: By listening to a wide range of voices, we can design policies and services that are more effective and fairer for everyone.
- Be Transparent and Accountable: We want to show how we consider equality considerations in our decision making.
- Build Trust: By engaging with communities, we hope to build trust and confidence.
Your feedback plays a vital role in shaping our equality outcomes and improving social care and social work services in Scotland. By hearing from people who receive care, as well as their families and carers, we can better understand the needs of diverse groups. This helps to drive improvements, supporting social care and social work services to meet everyone’s needs, including people from underrepresented groups.
We invite you to share your views and help shape a more inclusive and equitable future.
Our ongoing commitment to Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion
The Care Inspectorate’s Corporate Plan 2022-2025 places a strong focus on equality. The plan is committed to delivering high-quality care for everyone, improving outcomes for all, and ensuring that every individual’s rights are respected and realised. It prioritises promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion in every aspect of its work.
By actively engaging with diverse communities and gathering public feedback, the Care Inspectorate seeks to identify and address any potential areas for improvement to ensure care is both fair and accessible to everyone. It further empowers care providers to enhance their accountability and responsiveness to the diverse communities they serve. This commitment will:
- Ensure fair treatment and equal opportunities for everyone.
- Shape policies that directly impact care services.
- Help us better understand the needs and experiences of different communities.
Our people
We have a dedicated team leading the consultation on equality outcomes. The team are committed to actively engaging with diverse communities, collecting meaningful feedback, and identifying areas where we can improve. By focusing on equality outcomes, we aim to reduce inequalities, promote fairness, and enhance the quality of care. This dedicated effort reflects our commitment to creating an environment where everyone’s needs and rights are respected and met.
How to participate
You can share your views by completing our online survey.
Step-by-step guide:
- If you have a link to the form, click on it.
- Once the form is open, read the questions clearly.
- For multiple-choice questions, click on the option you want to select.
- For text questions, click in the text box and type your response
- If there are any checkbox options, click the boxes next to the answers you want to choose.
- Submitting the Form: After you have filled out all the required questions, look for the “Submit” button located at the bottom of the form.
- Click “Submit” to send your responses.
- You will receive a confirmation message after submission.
Conversation Cafes
-
Thursday 10 October 11:00-12:30. This conversation café is for professionals (for example providers or people working in health and social care)
-
Thursday 24 October 13:30-15:00. This conversation café is for people who experience care/loved ones/unpaid carers.
Conversation Cafes will be held online via Microsoft Teams. You can book your place here.
Resources and information
- Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2021-25
- Equalities, participation and human rights
- Participation and equalities annual delivery plan 2024-2025
- Equalities Mainstreaming Progress Report April 2021 - March 2023
Contact information
Phone number: 0345 600 9527
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Privacy Policy
Person specification
Job title: Solicitor
Attributes
Experience
Essential:
- Minimum of two years relevant post qualifying experience, including recent Sheriff Court experience.
Education, qualifications and training
Essential:
- Educated to degree level or equivalent.
- Pracitising Certificate issued by the Law Society of Scotland.
- Commitment to own CPD.
Skills and knowledge
Essential:
- Excellent communication skills - both written and oral.
- Excellent negotiation and influencing skills.
- Understanding of Equality and Diversity issues.
- IT literate, demonstrating experience with IT language and processes, using the most effective methods to communicate and manage information.
Key performance outcomes
Effective communication
Essential:
- Clear and concise oral and written communication skills.
- Ability to select appropriate communication style and methods depending on the needs and abilities of the audience.
- Addresses difficult issues so people are kept well informed.
Desirable:
- Articulate and positive communicator.
Flexibility
Essential:
- Is open-minded to suggestions about how to improve processes within the Care Inspectorate.
- Applies regulation and standards sensibly and understands where a flexible approach may be required.
- Exercises professional judgement when considering options and outcomes.
Improvement focus
Essential:
- 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.
Desirable:
- Rethinks traditional ways of doing things to create opportunities to improve.
Impact and influence
Essential:
- Uses evidence to influence others towards a course of action.
- Builds a network of contracts to increase circle of influence.
- Influences others by example and acts as a professional role model.
- Focuses on key benefits to get message across.
Desirable:
- Anticipates likely objections and builds responses in to arguement/approach.
Objective decision making
Essential:
- Balances the need for careful decision making with the need for action.
- Ensures all options are considered in order to make the right decisions.
- Makes effective decisions based on critical evaluation of all relevant facts and evidence.
- Considers Care Inspectorate values in relation to impact of their decisions.
Please note - these are key performance outcomes to be used to recruit into the role.
Subcategories
Inspector - Early Learning and Childcare (ELC)
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.