About the job

Job summary

Are you ready to take on a pivotal role at SAAS, where your expertise will be the driving force behind our corporate operations? 

 

As the Senior Executive Officer you’ll play a vital part in ensuring the seamless functioning of our executive team, providing comprehensive support to our Chief Executive and Directors. Your adept management of schedules, attention to detail, and strong communication skills will be key in optimising efficiency and facilitating effective decision-making.

 

About us

 

SAAS is an executive agency of the Scottish Government and responsible for assessing and paying student awards for Scottish domiciled students in Higher Education throughout the UK. We administer budgets of around £1.4 billion each year, making payments to both educational institutions and over 190,000 students a year. We are committed to recruiting a diverse workforce that is representative of the clients we serve. More information on SAAS can be found on our website https://www.saas.gov.uk

 

The Corporate Office within SAAS is the central hub of the agency, responsible for overseeing strategic decision-making, managing administrative functions, and ensuring compliance with governance and regulatory requirements. It provides support to key executives, coordinates corporate activities, and facilitates communication both internally and externally, all with the goal of achieving the agency’s overarching missions and objectives.

 

We are seeking an experienced Executive Officer to provide comprehensive support to our corporate function. The successful candidate will work closely with the Chief Executive, Executive and Non-Executive Directors.

Job description

• Line Management and development responsibility for the Corporate Support Modern Apprentice.
• Strategically oversee executive support services for the Chief Executive and Directors, exercising independent judgment and initiative while maintaining confidentiality.
• Directly manage the Chief Executive, Directors, and group mailboxes, autonomously responding and delegating tasks as needed, ensuring timely handling of correspondence and maintaining updated logs.
• Lead the management of Chief Executive and Directors' schedules, offering insightful advice and guidance to optimize their time management and goal achievement.
• Serve as a key liaison between the CEO, Executive and Non-Executive Directors, and internal/external stakeholders, facilitating effective communication, ensuring prompt follow-up on action items and fostering strong collaborative relationships with diverse internal and external stakeholders to advance business objectives.
• Provide comprehensive secretariat support for high-level Executive Team and Non-Executive Board meetings, including agenda planning, meticulous minute-taking, and close collaboration with the Chair to meet business timelines.
• Foster strong collaborative relationships with diverse internal and external stakeholders to advance business objectives.
• Contribute to the development and maintenance of corporate governance files and statements of assurance, ensuring compliance with SG commissions and standards.
• Stay abreast of corporate and Ministerial business relevant to SAAS, Lifelong Learning and Skills directorate, and wider SG, providing informed support to decision-making processes.

 

Competencies 

 

Analysis and use of evidence
Communication and Engagement
Improving Performance
People Management

Person specification

Essential Criteria

1. Proven experience of supporting senior managers/directors at an executive level.
2. Good written and verbal communication skills, including being an
   experienced minute taker
3. Ability to work effectively under pressure, demonstrating the ability to perform in high pressure situations with a proven track record of meeting deadlines and delivering quality work.
4. Confident in usage of Outlook, Word, Excel, SharePoint, Teams, and PowerPoint.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £35,867, Scottish Government contributes £9,684 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

To apply submit your application by clicking on the advertising site button.

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.