Executive Director - Judicial Office for Scotland

The Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) plays a vital and visible role at the heart of Scotland’s justice system. As an independent national organisation, we are entrusted with supporting fair, efficient and accessible justice for the people of Scotland.

The Executive Director: Judicial Office for Scotland role presents a great opportunity to work with the senior judiciary at the heart of Scotland’s justice system during one of the most exciting periods of rapid change it has ever experienced. The job will provide exposure to policy and strategy, service delivery, change development and corporate governance – directly supporting the SCTS board, Chaired by the Lord President (Scotland’s most senior judge) in its leadership of SCTS as a non-ministerial department

Reporting directly to the Chief Executive, this role sits right at the centre of SCTS – an organisation with over 1,900 staff based in some 60 locations across the length and breadth of the country. As part of the SCTS Executive Team you will be jointly responsible for the overall management of the SCTS and, in particular, responsible for the strategic development of civil justice.

The Executive Director will:

Provide the Lord President and Lord Justice Clerk with high quality strategic and administrative advice and support in their management of the judiciary and in their interactions with the Scottish Parliament, Scottish Government and other justice agencies.

Provide direction and leadership at a strategic level to all Judicial Office teams namely:

1. The Lord President’s Private Office

2. Strategy and Governance

3. The Judicial Institute

4. Library services

5. Judicial communications

6. The Scottish Civil Justice Council

7. The Scottish Sentencing Council

8. The Office of the Auditor of Court

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership and direction for the Judicial Office for Scotland, ensuring effective support to the Lord President, Lord Justice Clerk and wider judiciary.
• Lead the development and delivery of civil justice reform across SCTS, including identifying opportunities for innovation, service improvement and digital transformation.
• Contribute as a member of the SCTS Executive Team, shaping organisational strategy, performance and governance.
• Act as the key interface between the judiciary and SCTS, promoting strong relationships, collaboration and alignment of priorities.
• Provide high-quality strategic advice and support on matters relating to judicial governance, policy, welfare, conduct, deployment and recruitment.
• Lead and oversee the Judicial Office's specialist functions, ensuring the effective delivery of services and support to the judiciary.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with senior stakeholders across the judiciary, Scottish Government, Parliament and justice sector partners.
• Provide leadership and direction to senior managers within the Judicial Office, fostering an inclusive, high-performing and innovative culture.
• Ensure effective governance, risk management and decision-making arrangements across the areas for which the role is accountable.
• Champion continuous improvement, organisational learning and staff wellbeing, creating an environment where diverse perspectives are valued and people can perform at their best.

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)

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

Apply online before 23:55 on the 27th September 2026, providing a CV and Supporting Statement (of no more than 750 words) which provides evidence of how you meet the skills, experience and behaviours listed in the advert.

If invited for further assessment, this will consist of an interview with presentation, leadership assessments and staff engagement panel.

Assessments are scheduled for w/c 19 October and Interviews are scheduled for 6 November , however this may be subject to change.

Recruitment Principles

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

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.