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Background

The Improvement Service (IS) is a publicly funded company limited by guarantee, with a total annual budget in the region of £8 million. We exist to support councils and their partners to improve the health, quality of life and opportunities of all Scottish people through community leadership, strong local governance and the delivery of high quality, efficient local services.

Working for the IS means joining a small family of professionals, who work together to strive for continuous improvement in the public sector and ultimately, better outcomes for Scotland’s communities.

Our company headquarters are based in West Lothian, located conveniently for commuters between Edinburgh and Glasgow. Pay is only one of the benefits of working for the IS, our terms and conditions are progressive and flexible and employees are rewarded with a generous annual leave entitlement of forty days per year as well as a flexible working policy.

The IS is committed to promoting equality and diversity in all its activities to promote inclusive processes, practices and culture.

The IS is a Disability Confidence Committed Employer. We are committed to interviewing anyone with a disability who meets the essential criteria.

Purpose

Funded early learning and childcare (ELC) expanded from 600 hours to 1140 hours in August 2021. The expansion prioritises a high-quality experience for the child, recognising the significant contribution that universally accessible ELC can make to a child’s development and to closing the attainment gap.

The incoming First Minister recently published a policy prospectus, outlining the priorities for the rest of this parliamentary term: Equality, opportunity, community: New leadership - A fresh start. This document committed that, by 2026, Scottish Government will have "built a system of school age childcare and developed a funded early learning and childcare offer for 1- and 2-year olds, focusing on those who need it most."

The Data and Intelligence Project Officer will be part of the IS’s established ELC Programme, and will work collaboratively both internally, and with Scottish Government and Local Authorities in support of the ELC sector across the Scotland.

Scope

The Data and Intelligence Project Officer will be responsible for ensuring there is a solid evidence base to give insight and understanding of the status of the ELC sector.

Supported by the Programme Manager, the Data and Intelligence Project Officer will work with Scottish Government, ADES Networks and COSLA to continue the Improvement Service ELC delivery progress data collections and will be responsible for analysing and reporting on the data collected, identifying and presenting key trends and findings to key stakeholders including Scottish Government, Ministers, ADES and other relevant interested parties.

This post will gather, analyse, understand and report on data and intelligence relevant to the status of the ELC sector. This will be done through data collections and engagement with local authorities, as well as sourcing information from third parties. The insight generated will support the sharing of good practice to embed the change necessary to improve services.

Quantitate data will be supplemented and supported by the contextual information collected through periodic discussions and engagement with local authority colleagues. This requires the Data and Intelligence Project Officer to be empathetic and to understand the local context in which ELC services are being delivered and developed in order to accurately capture and document the successes and challenges of ELC delivery across Scotland.

Requirements

Location: West Lothian Council Civic Centre, Howden South Road, Livingston, EH54 6FF.

The role will involve a blended model of office and home working. This flexible approach will be agreed between employee and line manager.

The post-holder will also spend some of their time working with the wider ELC Delivery Support team in Edinburgh, and working in local authorities across Scotland, therefore travel across Scotland is anticipated.

Duration of contract: Fixed term to end of March 2024.

Hours: Standard working week is 36 hours Monday to Friday. Hours can be worked flexibly in agreement with the Line Manager.

Closing date: 31st May 2023

Interview date: A competence based interview will take place in week commencing 5th June 2023 (shortlisted candidates will be advised by email in advance of the interview).

For more information about competency-based interviews, see our 'Guide to Competency-based Interviews'. You may also find it useful to read our current Business Plan.