Job description
Overview:
Your responsibilities will include leading a small team of speechwriters, preparing speeches suited to the audience and platform, completing revisions according to First Minister and other feedback. In addition to this you will be responsible for engaging with other teams within the Strategy Directorate, policy areas across Government, Communications Teams and special advisors to provide strategic advice on the First Minister’s priorities for forward positioning and speeches.
As part of the First Minister’s Policy Unit you will also be working with the policy team to identify and develop strategic approaches to policy issues which are of particular importance to the First Minister, with a focus on advice around public positioning in relation to these.
You will be able to analyse the voice and tone of the speaker and provide an assurance review for speeches drafted by other team members as well as leading directly on some speeches to produce finished products for the First Minister to deliver. You will be detail-orientated and have excellent research skills. Outstanding candidates are aware of language subtleties and always craft their speeches with the audience in mind. Responsibilities:
Competencies
Essential Criteria
Minimum Time in Post
You will be expected to remain in post for a minimum of three years unless successful at gaining promotion to a higher Band or Grade.
Location
This post is based in Edinburgh, with hybrid working in line with current Scottish Government policies.
Additional Information
To apply please fully complete the application and submit evidence based examples to demonstrate your knowledge/skills (300 words). Remember, your answers should be clear, concise and reflect what actions you undertook. You may want to use the STAR(R) approach to respond to each criterion.
In recognition of ongoing measures and guidance in response to Covid-19, a decision has been taken that all interviews will be conducted in a virtual/remote setting.
All applicants must ensure that they have a suitable space to complete the virtual interview via MS Teams and ensure that Wi-Fi/Broadband capacity will be sufficient to carry both audio and video feeds to undertake the interview.
For information on this post please contact Hiring Manager by email at david.fleetwood@gov.scot
The Scottish Government is a diverse and inclusive workplace and we want to help you demonstrate your full potential whatever type of assessment is used. If you require any adjustments to our recruitment process, please let us know via ScottishGovernmentrecruitment@gov.scot
As part of any recruitment process, Scottish Government and associated public bodies collects and processes personal data relating to job applicants and applicants for public appointments.
Personal information you provide in the recruitment process will be made available to Scottish Government and our additional data processors.
We are searching for a skilful speech writer and leader to manage the team supporting the First Minister. Alongside the members of the team the role of the Head of Speechwriting will be to craft speeches for the First Minister, contribute proactively to the forward positioning of the First Minister and to support the development of speechwriting across the Scottish Government through training and personal development.
Your responsibilities will include leading a small team of speechwriters, preparing speeches suited to the audience and platform, completing revisions according to First Minister and other feedback. In addition to this you will be responsible for engaging with other teams within the Strategy Directorate, policy areas across Government, Communications Teams and special advisors to provide strategic advice on the First Minister’s priorities for forward positioning and speeches.
As part of the First Minister’s Policy Unit you will also be working with the policy team to identify and develop strategic approaches to policy issues which are of particular importance to the First Minister, with a focus on advice around public positioning in relation to these.
You will be able to analyse the voice and tone of the speaker and provide an assurance review for speeches drafted by other team members as well as leading directly on some speeches to produce finished products for the First Minister to deliver. You will be detail-orientated and have excellent research skills. Outstanding candidates are aware of language subtleties and always craft their speeches with the audience in mind.
- Leading a team of speechwriters
- Assuring and providing speeches on a range of topics for the First Minister
- Developing advice and influencing the organisation on the strategic positioning of the First Minister
- Developing and implementing and organisation wide training programme to identify and develop speechwriting talent
- Participate in the management of the FMPU and Strategy Directorate
- Take a proactive role in your own personal development
Competencies
People Management
Leading Others
Communications and Engagement
Analysis and Use of Evidence
Essential Criteria & Qualifications:
There are no specific qualifications required for this position
Essential Criteria
- A proven track record of producing speeches and other communication products for senior Ministers or equivalent senior level staff
- The ability to analyse and understand policy and technical detail, interrogate this and synthesise it into clear and concise written material
- The confidence to proactively identify engagement opportunities and to work with others to deliver a meaningful strategic intervention.
- Experience in developing speechwriting capacity within an organisation and identifying a pipeline of talent
Person_Specification_Band_C_Updated_9.9.22_PDF
Minimum Time in Post
You will be expected to remain in post for a minimum of three years unless successful at gaining promotion to a higher Band or Grade.
Location
This post is based in Edinburgh, with hybrid working in line with current Scottish Government policies.
This is a full time role, but staff with different working patterns are invited to apply, and we will assess proposed working patterns against the business requirements for this post.
Additional Information
To apply please fully complete the application and submit evidence based examples to demonstrate your knowledge/skills (300 words). Remember, your answers should be clear, concise and reflect what actions you undertook. You may want to use the STAR(R) approach to respond to each criterion.
Important Information regarding Interviews
In recognition of ongoing measures and guidance in response to Covid-19, a decision has been taken that all interviews will be conducted in a virtual/remote setting.
All applicants must ensure that they have a suitable space to complete the virtual interview via MS Teams and ensure that Wi-Fi/Broadband capacity will be sufficient to carry both audio and video feeds to undertake the interview.
For information on this post please contact Hiring Manager by email at david.fleetwood@gov.scot
The Scottish Government is a diverse and inclusive workplace and we want to help you demonstrate your full potential whatever type of assessment is used. If you require any adjustments to our recruitment process, please let us know via ScottishGovernmentrecruitment@gov.scot
As part of any recruitment process, Scottish Government and associated public bodies collects and processes personal data relating to job applicants and applicants for public appointments.
Personal information you provide in the recruitment process will be made available to Scottish Government and our additional data processors.
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