Senior Policy Analyst (Maternity Cover)

About Environmental Standards Scotland

Environmental Standards Scotland’s (ESS) role is to monitor, investigate and secure public authorities’ compliance with environmental law in Scotland. We also scrutinise the effectiveness of environmental law and policy in Scotland and how it is implemented and applied. In our investigative and analytical reports, we may also identify instances where we consider there to be gaps in environmental protection legislation.

ESS is an independent non-ministerial office, accountable to the Scottish Parliament and overseen by a non-executive board. It is part of the Scottish Administration and its employees are civil servants. Full details are available on the ESS website.

Our Strategy 2026-2031 sets out how we will work as an organisation to deliver our vision that ‘by holding public authorities to account, we will ensure that Scotland’s people and nature benefit from a high-quality, healthy environment through improved compliance with and better implementation of effective environmental law’.

ESS will:

• monitor information about the quality of the environment in Scotland and the effectiveness of environmental law, including representations brought forward by citizens and interested groups
• seek information from public authorities, including the Scottish Government, and working with the public authorities to understand the background to regulatory policies and practices
• select a number of cases for detailed investigation, prioritising cases where there is the greatest risk to the environment
• work with public authorities, where necessary, to seek to agree changes in practice to reflect environmental law, or develop advice on recommended changes to the law to improve its effectiveness

Job description

The Senior Policy Analyst will lead on the identification, analysis and evaluation of relevant policy and regulatory developments in Scotland, the rest of the UK, the European Union and beyond in a number of environmental policy areas. They will undertake or oversee analysis of environmental policy and legislation in Scotland, enabling ESS to reach a view on compliance with and the effectiveness of the law and how it is implemented. They will also undertake horizon scanning and evidence gathering to ensure that ESS is kept abreast of relevant developments in the implementation of environmental law and environmental protection.

The postholder will be responsible for establishing strong working relationships with a wide range of stakeholders within the Scottish and wider policy communities. They will help to promote and explain the role of ESS and to further establish the organisation as a trusted and effective oversight body in the post-Brexit landscape.

The post is situated within the Strategy and Analysis team and will report directly to the C1 Head of Policy Analysis and Horizon Scanning. The post does not carry line management responsibility.

This is an important role within the team, helping to identify, prioritise and deliver policy and legislative analysis, and providing advice to senior colleagues on developments in law, policy and regulatory practice both in Scotland and beyond. The postholder will ensure that ESS is kept abreast of relevant developments in our understanding of environmental governance and regulation in a number of specific policy areas. They will also help to ensure that ESS understands how changes to policy and regulatory practice can bring about positive improvements to the way that environmental law is implemented – to enable Scotland to achieve its ambitions for the environment and climate change.

The postholder will contribute to the continued development of the team and our ways of working, and the way policy analysis and horizon scanning contribute to our understanding, monitoring and analysis of the most pressing and important environmental concerns.

Key responsibilities include:

• identifying, summarising, interpreting and presenting intelligence about relevant developments in policy, regulatory and legislative practice on environmental matters of concern to ESS
• undertaking or commissioning analysis of environmental policy, legislation and regulatory frameworks to provide ESS with the latest knowledge and intelligence to help focus and support our investigations of matters of concern
• identifying and then engaging with relevant topic experts to access support, advice and opinion on the application of policy and regulation to deliver positive environmental outcomes
• supporting an effective organisational approach to ‘horizon-scanning’ – ensuring that ESS is linked into relevant networks for knowledge exchange and regulatory/policy improvement, and is well-informed about emerging issues of environmental concern within Scotland, the European Union and beyond
• contributing to periodic reviews of a forward work programme of priority issues and topics that ESS will analyse to inform future action to improve compliance and effectiveness
• drafting responses to consultations and calls for evidence on relevant environmental topics
• building effective relationships with a range of individuals and organisations involved in the development of environmental policy and regulations in Scotland and beyond – including the Scottish Parliament, the Scottish Government and its agencies, environmental NGOs, landowner and industry representatives, and research institutes and universities
• collaborating with colleagues across the Strategy and Analysis team and with the Investigations team, to contribute to the analysis and investigation of key environmental concerns, ensuring that relevant developments in policy and practice are taken into account
• representing ESS with internal and external contacts – helping to promote understanding of the role and ethos of the new body with public authorities, environmental organisations and community and landowner/industry representatives

Person specification

• excellent analytical skills with experience delivering high-quality policy analysis including the ability to synthesise complex information drawing out key strategic links and conclusions
• experience of building and maintaining stakeholder relationships, confidently representing the organisation and navigating a diverse set of perspectives, some of which may be challenging
• strong organisational and prioritisation skills with the ability to work independently to deliver at pace, without sacrificing quality
• excellent written and oral communications skills, with strong drafting and editing skills, ideally including experience of producing advice for senior leaders

Essential criteria

1. Excellent oral and written communication skills, with the ability to communicate complex information and concepts clearly and succinctly to senior decision makers and non-specialists including through formal reports or technical briefings.
2. Strong analytical skills and recent experience in the use of multi-disciplinary analysis to support policy, regulatory or operational decisions – either within or outwith government.
3. Adaptable and proactive with the ability to respond to changing circumstances and deliver evidence-led decisions.
4. Leadership and interpersonal skills, including the ability to establish and deliver effective matrix-managed projects, and to promote collaborative working within and across teams to deliver results.

Desirable criteria

1. Experience of economic analysis or legislative analysis or regulatory policy in a relevant Scottish, UK or EU context.

Qualifications/experience required

A degree or equivalent in a relevant subject (such as an environmental science or public policy, etc) or at least three years experience gained through working within a policy development, implementation or analysis role.

Other qualifications equivalent to these may also be acceptable, if you are in any doubt please contact the Recruiting Manager named at the bottom of the advert on our site to discuss.

Please note: If you fail to demonstrate how you meet the minimum qualifications as stated above, your application will be automatically sifted out.