Job Title
Parliamentary Liaison & FOI Assistant
Grade
SDS3
Reports To
Parliamentary Liaison & FOI Executive
Location
Glasgow
Contract Status
Fixed Term
Duration
Until 26 February 2018
Direct Reports
None
Directorate/Team
Corporate Services/ Communications & Corporate
Affairs
Purpose of the Job:
Reporting to the Parliamentary Liaison & FOI Executive in Corporate Affairs, the post holder will provide support to SDS’s corporate Parliamentary Liaison
and Freedom of Information (FOI) functions. The post holder will also be expected to contribute to asks from the Chief Executive’s office for briefing,
presentations, information and statistics, and assist in the creation of design material. The material will often be required at short notice, and the postholder
will be on point to deal with such requests at any time.
Proactive parliamentary engagement activity has increased steadily over the years in SDS. We are looking to continue to expand our positive engagement
with political stakeholders (MSPs, MPs, councillors, SPICe staff, Committee clerks, and parliamentary office staff) and work towards building on and
developing new relationships with them during this parliamentary term. The post holder will be expected to support the team in achieving objectives of its
annual Parliamentary Engagement Strategy.
The post holder will assist the team to engage proactively with political stakeholders, providing administrative support, ensuring colleagues are aware of
Parliamentary business and MSP/MP activity. They will monitor parliamentary, political stakeholder and social media activity and report back to colleagues in
a timely manner. They will also assist the team in collating responses to enquiries from political stakeholders ensuring they are written to a high standard and
answered within given timescales. The post holder will be expected to assist in organising and supporting face to face meetings/events with political
stakeholders by producing briefing and providing intelligence from parliamentary monitoring. Informing political stakeholders of our work is key to our
strategy, and as such the post holder will be required to assist drafting written communications to political stakeholders and be responsible for issuing hard
copy mailings to key contacts, the maintenance of the parliamentary team work log and the administration and filing of important documents in a
parliamentary ishare files.
The majority of the role will focus on Parliamentary Engagement, however the post holder will also be expected to provide administrative support to the
organisation’s FOI function by ensuring all requests are acknowledged and answered within the statutory timescales. Basic FOI training will be given. FOI
requests require sensitive handling, therefore the post holder will be required to work with tact, diplomacy and discretion, using their customer service skills.
Organisational Context:
As Scotland’s skills body, SDS is central to driving the success of Scotland's economy. Working with partners, we aim to create a Scotland where:




employers are able to recruit the right people with the right skills at the right time
employers have high performing, highly productive, fair and equal workplaces
people have the right skills and confidence to secure good work and progress in their careers
there is greater equality of opportunity for all
We do this by delivering services for individuals and employers that help them to achieve their ambitions.
With a significant role in supporting the Government’s agenda for economic development and growth, career management skills and youth employment, our
strategy is to develop our services to meet changing economic and customer demands. The organisation is tasked with achieving this in an external
environment which has high customer expectations about the quality and responsiveness of public services and where the general public expect, and
demand, good value for money, robust stewardship of public funds and a high degree of openness and transparency.
These expectations are reflected in the ambitions we have for our own organisation. We aim to be an employer of choice and recognised for excellence and
customer focus. As part of this, we are committed to continuous improvement and to using our combined strengths to deliver the best outcomes for our
customers and for SDS. Through a sharper focus on the principles of everyday leadership, we are an organisation with values that promote self motivation,
personal responsibility and respect amongst our colleagues and our partners.
Job Context:
This post offers a rare opportunity for an individual with a passion for government and politics to contribute to the work of Scotland’s skills body in our central
Corporate Affairs team. A good knowledge and understanding of the Scottish political landscape is essential for a vital role in a high-profile team responsible
for the organisation’s corporate reputation. With the economy, education and employment, at the top of the political agenda, and new MSPs in Parliament,
there has never been a more exciting time to work for Skills Development Scotland (SDS).
This role in the Corporate Affairs team sits within the wider Corporate Services Directorate. Corporate Affairs is a business support function, with four specific
teams: Government Liaison, External Communications, Internal Communications and Parliamentary Liaison & Freedom of Information (FOI). Corporate
Affairs colleagues work closely with and across all Directorates and colleagues in SDS. Reporting to the Parliamentary Liaison & FOI Executive the post
holder will be accountable for ensuring that there is appropriate and timely support provided for the Parliamentary function, as well as assistance for highprofile asks from the Chief Executive’s office, the Chair and ELG.
Dimensions of the Job:
This post sits within the Corporate Affairs team in the Corporate Services Directorate. Corporate Affairs has 25 permanent members of staff, three of which
currently sit in the Parliamentary Liaison team (including this post). This post has no direct reports or budget responsibility.
Working Relationships and Key Contacts:
Corporate Affairs is an integral business support function and as such the post holder will be expected to work flexibly and collaboratively with both Corporate
Affairs colleagues and other internal colleagues across all Directorates. It is therefore important that the post holder can form credible and effective
relationships.
Key contacts will include:




Political stakeholders (MSPs, MPs, councillors, SPICe staff, Committee clerks, parliamentary office staff);
SDS senior management, including the Chief Executive & Executive Leadership Group (ELG)
Other SDS colleagues at all levels;
Public affairs professionals in the wider political environment.
Key Accountabilities:


Contribute to asks from the Chief Executive, Chair and ELG for briefing, presentations, information and statistics, and assist in the creation of design
material.
Liaise with teams throughout the business on a daily basis, including senior management, to produce material for the use of the Chief Executive, Chair
and ELG.
Parliamentary Liaison
The successful applicant will:
 Support engagement and liaison between SDS and political stakeholders, helping to manage, maintain and develop relationships with individual political
representatives and their staff;
 Work flexibly and collaboratively with Corporate Affairs and other internal colleagues across all Directorates to provide joined up support for
parliamentary engagement;
 Assist in compiling responses to MSP and MP enquiries on behalf of constituents by addressing appropriate issues and ensure political sensitivities are
taken into account;
 Monitor individual political representatives and parliamentary activity, including social media and parliamentary business relevant to SDS;
 Track, measure and analyse MSP and stakeholder concerns raised in parliament using existing systems and inform colleagues accordingly
 Communicate ad hoc parliamentary activity to colleagues;
 Proactively monitor and record our social media channels for political stakeholder activity;
 Assist in organising MSP/MP briefing sessions;
 Provide briefing support for meetings with parliamentary representatives of Committees, SPICe, CPGs, MSP/MP visits to local SDS centres;
 Coordinate communications to MSPs e.g. stakeholder briefing, Youth Employer of the Month by email;



Maintain accurate and up-to-date corporate records and information materials, including a wider team strategic planner, parliamentary team work log and
ensuring all files are organised and kept up to date in the team’s shared drive;
Assist in the maintenance of a parliamentary affairs Connect area, working closely with internal and external communications colleagues;
Contribute ideas and develop projects related to parliamentary liaison to ensure political stakeholders are well informed of SDS service delivery;
FOI
The successful applicant will:
 Acknowledge FOI requests;
 Assist the Parliamentary & FOI Executive to collate information required for responses;
 Provide administrative support by ensuring all FOI requests are recorded accurately and files are easily accessible on ishare
Knowledge, Skills Experience & Qualifications (need to know)
Essential

Graduate level educated in a relevant discipline (politics, international
relations, public policy) with a demonstrable knowledge of the Scottish
political environment

Good administrative, problem solving, critical thinking and decisionmaking skills with the ability to complete assignments within tight time
frames

Strong writing and drafting skills with the ability to articulate complex
ideas in an easy to understand manner

Complete proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook and
PowerPoint)

Strong multi-tasking skills required to accommodate a demanding, fastpaced, changing environment.
Behaviours (need to be)
Essential
 Communication & interpersonal (diplomacy and tact, good interpersonal
and communication skills)
 Acts with integrity and the utmost discretion
 Planning & organising (well organised, with attention to detail, yet able to
multi-task in an environment of changing priorities)
 Personal Accountability (prepared to work flexible hours, willingness to
travel to events/meetings in Scotland as required, ability to accept
constructive criticism and continue to persevere and remain calm in
challenging or frustrating circumstances)
 Efficiency (able to handle own workload)
 Problem solving & decision making (professional approach, good
judgment, creative problem-solver)
 Team working (flexibility and ability to work as part of a team, confident,
with the ability to form effective and credible relationships)
Knowledge, Skills Experience & Qualifications (need to know)
Desirable
 Customer Service Skills
Behaviours (need to be)
Desirable
 A ‘can do’ attitude, able to deal calmly and positively with multiple competing
tasks and day-to-day challenges