Delivery Manager (Census)

We are the trusted producer of Scotland’s population statistics, including taking the Census of Scotland’s population every 10 years. The next Census is in 2031 and will be delivered in partnership with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and Northern Ireland Statistics & Research Agency (NISRA). This is one of the largest digital programmes delivered in Scotland, gathering data from every household across a population of c.5.7m.

NRS is a Non-Ministerial Department of the Scottish Government & and our staff are part UK Civil Service, working for Ministers and senior stakeholders to deliver vital public services which improve the lives of the people of Scotland.

As a Delivery Manager in the National Records of Scotland Census Programme, you will work with a range of teams and stakeholders to drive delivery momentum of products and services, implement and coach the programme in Agile ways of working, implementing the most appropriate tools and techniques and support planning and integration with delivery partners.

You should note that Scotland’s Census is a time limited project which will run until 2032 depending on the role. Staff who are on permanent contracts will remain with NRS after this time whilst a new, suitable role is found. Please contact the line manager named in this advert if you have any further questions

Responsibilities

• Demonstrate, adapt, and continuously improve delivery approaches based on context, evidence, and outcomes.
• Foster a culture of experimentation, resilience, and continuous learning across teams.
• Manage stakeholder relationships, expectations, and communication across technical, business, supplier, and senior leadership groups.
• Balance user needs, value, cost, and budget considerations while providing financial oversight and escalation where required.
• Lead delivery across product lifecycle stages, ensuring adherence to standards and effective flow of work.
• Proactively identify, manage, and resolve risks, issues, dependencies, and delivery blockers.
• Challenge inefficient processes and coach teams and organisations in process improvement, inspection, and adaptation.
• Build, support, and empower high-performing teams through effective team formation, motivation, collaboration, and problem resolution.

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Success Profile

Success profiles are specific to each job and they include the mix of skills, experience and behaviours candidates will be assessed on, you should provide evidence of how you meet these in your statement.

For this opportunity, the following Success Profile elements will be assessed:

Technical Skills

• Agile and Lean practices
• Lifecycle management
• Maintaining delivery momentum
• Making a process work
• Communicating between technical and non-technical

Planning

Team dynamics and collaboration

• This post is aligned to the Delivery Manager within the Government Digital and Data (GDD) profession.
• Further information about the skills required for this role which will be assessed can be found here Delivery manager - Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework
• Candidates who pass the sift will receive information about the technical assessment.

Experience

Demonstrated experience leading Agile and Lean delivery, maintaining delivery momentum through effective planning, prioritisation, dependency management, and proactive resolution of risks, issues and blockers to achieve successful outcomes.

Strong experience communicating between technical and non-technical stakeholders, managing expectations, facilitating collaboration across multidisciplinary teams, and driving continuous improvement by challenging ineffective processes and coaching teams to adopt improved ways of working.

Behaviours

• Delivering at Pace
• Communicating and Influencing
• You can find out more about Success Profiles Behaviours, here:Behaviour levels - Success profiles: candidate guide - gov.scot
• This role is open to internal candidates and Common citizenship organisations only.

How to apply

Apply online, providing a CV and supporting statement (of no more than 1000 words) providing evidence of how you meet the behaviours, experience and technical skills listed in the Success Profile above. Both the CV and the supporting statement provided will be assessed against the criteria for the role.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools can be used to support your application, but all statements and examples provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, and presented as your own) applications will be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action.

Please see our candidate guidance for more information on acceptable and unacceptable uses of AI in recruitment.

If invited for further assessment, this will consist of an interview and presentation.

Assessment dates to still be finalised, we are anticipating these take place in November however this may be subject to change.

Recruitment Principles

As a government organisation, we adhere to the Civil Service Commission Recruitment Principlesand we investigate any complaints received in relation to recruitment cases.

About us

The Scottish Government is the devolved government for Scotland. We have responsibility for a wide range of key policy areas including education, health, the economy, justice, housing and transport. We offer rewarding careers and employ people across Scotland in a wide range of professions and roles.

Our staff are part of the UK Civil Service observing the Civil Service Codeand working for Ministers and senior stakeholders to deliver vital public services which improve the lives of the people of Scotland.

We offer a supportive and inclusive working environment along with a wide range of employee benefits. Find out more about what we offer.

As part of the UK Civil Service, we uphold the Civil Service Nationality Rules.

Working pattern

This role is a permanent position. However, candidates should note that Scotland’s Census is a time limited project which will run until 2032 depending on the role.  Staff who are on permanent contracts will remain with NRS after this time whilst a new, suitable role is found.

Our standard hours are 35 hours per week and we offer a range of flexible working options depending on the needs of the role, including Flexi-leave. Scottish Government staff in hybrid-compatible roles should aim to work in-person 40% of the time, either in an office or other agreed work location. If you have specific questions about the role you are applying for, please contact us.

Security checks

Successful candidates must complete the Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS), before they can be appointed. BPSS is comprised of four main pre-employment checks – Identity, right to work, Employment History and a Criminal Record check (unspent convictions).

You can find out more about BPSS on the UK Government website, or read about the different levels of security checks in our Candidate Guide.

Skilled Worker Sponsorship not being offered

Skilled worker sponsorship is not available for this role. As a result, we are unable to appoint candidates who require skilled worker sponsorship now or in the future. Applicants must have an existing and ongoing right to work in the UK.

Reserve List

In the event that there are more successful candidates than posts available, a reserve list will be kept for up to 12 months.

Equality statement

• We are committed to equality and inclusion and we aim to recruit a diverse workforce that reflects the population of our nation.
• Find out more about our commitment to diversity and how we offer and support recruitment adjustments for anyone who needs them.
• Further information
• Find out more about our organisation, what we offer staff members and how to apply on our Careers Website.
• Read our Candidate Guidefor further information on our recruitment and application processes.