Senior Policy Advisor: Local Growth and Place DivisionMinistry of Justice

Cross Government Location Edinburgh, London 01-Sep-2026 Post Type Loan, The national salary range is £42,914 - £46,182, London salary range is £49,325 - £53,081. Your salary will be dependent on your base location Working Pattern Full Time, Part Time, Part Time/Job Share, Flexible Working This vacancy is only available to existing Civil Servant employees and employees of accredited non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs). Please review the "Eligibility" section before you apply. General Information Salary The national salary range is £42,914 - £46,182, London salary range is £49,325 - £53,081. Your salary will be dependent on your base location

Posted 17 August 2026

21054

Descriptions & requirements

Job description

The Scotland Office supports the Secretary of State for Scotland, promoting the best interests of Scotland within a stronger United Kingdom. It ensures Scottish interests are fully and effectively represented at the heart of the UK Government, and that the UK Government’s responsibilities are fully and effectively represented in Scotland.

This role sits within the Social, Rural and Fiscal (SRF) Policy Team in the Local Growth and Place Division of the Scotland Office.The SRF team covers a diverse range of policy areas, including departmental account management for DCMS, DfE, DHSC, MoJ, DEFRA and elements of MHCLG and HMT. As such, the post-holder will be required to work flexibly, collaborating within and across teams on new policy areas and priorities as they arise.

The successful candidate will be expected to support and lead on a wide variety of work including researching, monitoring, and advising Ministers on emerging policy issues and opportunities for Scotland; and building relationships with internal and external stakeholders to ensure the department has oversight and input on issues relating to Scotland.

This is a great opportunity for any individual who is keen to use their initiative to identify and deliver impactful change in Scotland; enjoys working in a fast paced environment with a lot of autonomy and exposure to seniors and Ministers.

Key responsibilities include but are not limited to:

Leading the Account Management (i.e. regular engagement, opportunity and risk tracking, information management etc.) for DCMS, DfE, DHSC, MoJ, DEFRA, MHCLG and HMT. You will be allocated specific departments, however, to ensure resilience cross-team we also operate flexibly across accounts.

Advising the Team Leader, the Deputy Director, Director, SpAds and Ministers on issues relating to your accounts.

Picking up ad hoc policy design and delivery support for wider team and Divisional priorities.

Leading correspondence, Write-Rounds and external engagement on policy areas that fall within the policy areas of your accounts.

Essential criteria

Strong communication and writing skills - with close attention to detail and ability to adapt styles appropriately in line with audience needs;

Experience in policy influencing and policy development (inc. research and analysis);

Strong understanding of cross-UK government delivery processes and departmental decision-making structures;

Desirable criteria

Understanding of Scottish devolution and policies.

Experience of working with or engaging with policy areas of some / all of the following departments: DCMS, DfE, DHSC, MoJ, DEFRA, MHCLG and HMT.

Experience of external stakeholder engagement and management and Government communications.

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