2003 - 328 Executive Support Officer (governance) - C Grade - December 2025

Executive Support Officer (Governance)

This is a fast paced and demanding role within the Executive Office requiring the ability to work on multiple tasks simultaneously, supporting the Governance Support Manager to deliver a professional support service to the Board, Audit and Risk Committee, Senior Leadership Team, and Head of External Affairs. The position carries a high degree of responsibility for decision-making (some autonomous), influencing and provision of advice, all requiring tact, diplomacy and political acuity. You must be highly organized with an exacting eye for detail and accuracy, proactive and resilient, able to work effectively with other members of the team and a wide range of staff at all levels in NatureScot.

Areas of responsibility include:

• Forward Planning: With a high degree of accuracy, maintain the Board, Senior Leadership Team and Audit and Risk Committee forward programmes of business and advise on issues or opportunities to the Governance Support Manager, Chief of Staff and Head of External Affairs. Manage and coordinate the Head of External Affairs' diary, proactively resolving any conflicts or issues to make best use of available time.
• Email Management: Manage the group Executive Office mailbox, taking effective and considered action or delegating as required. Monitor and manage the Head of External Affairs mailbox at regular intervals daily, anticipating, interpreting and acting on their behalf as required. Monitor and manage any follow up actions that have been delegated.
• Dealing with correspondence in all forms (some of which is highly sensitive): Maintain an efficient and effective system for dealing with emails, MS Teams messages, phone calls, and letters. Identify key leads and proactively arrange/track responses and deadlines, using judgement on what needs to be added to corporate record and casework management systems.
• Meetings and event arrangements: Organize internal/external meetings and site visits, often with senior/high profile attendees. Oversee the logistical arrangements including travel and accommodation, and coordinate with internal/external parties on agenda topics. Tracking, producing and receiving Board, Senior Leadership Team and ARC meeting papers, and QA action before producing electronic meeting paper packs using non-standard software. Formal minute/action point taking for the Audit and Risk Committee requiring a high level of detail and accuracy, producing the document promptly. Capturing and tracking of decision/action points from Senior Leadership Team meetings when covering for the Governance Support Manager. Liaise with Board or Senior Leadership team members to arrange attendance where required.
• Specific briefings for meetings: Manage the briefings process for the Board and Senior Leadership Team, advising on and issuing commissions with appropriate authors, tracking and ensuring these are completed with sufficient quality and in good time.
• Networking with key internal & external contacts: Develop knowledge of, and good working relationships with Directorate and other support teams within the organization, as well as external contacts of the Board and Senior Leadership Team. Advise and influence contacts on how to best enable the Board and Senior Leadership Team to make decisions or provide direction.
• Board and Operational Budget Management: Keep an accurate record of budget forecast and spend, advising the Chief-of-Staff monthly and taking Business Planning portal action as needed.
• Intranet, Internet and Electronic Records Document Management: Maintenance of Executive Office sponsored intranet and website pages, liaising with Communications colleagues as required to update information, which will include maintaining the Board Register of Interests. Provide Records Liaison Officer service to the Executive Office.
• Foreign Travel Coordination: Ensuring that annual foreign travel insurance is in place for NatureScot and provide QA and maintenance of applications, records and post-trip reports.
• Undertake other tasks and responsibilities as and when required commensurate with grade and role.

Role requirements include:

• Excellent interpersonal, influencing and problem-solving skills, with an exacting eye for detail, accuracy and standards.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, working to high standards.
• Excellent organizational and time management skills and judgement to effectively prioritize a high volume of reactive and proactive workload.
• Excellent minute taking/action point skills and ability to prepare a formal accurate record of discussions at meetings, using judgement and knowledge to inform appropriate content.
• Excellent ability to appropriately handle sensitive and confidential information while recognizing linkages with other areas of work.
• Demonstrate ability to provide accurate and timely management and co-ordinate of a busy diary and correspondence of senior staff.
• Basic understanding of procurement processes and some experience of dealing with financial transactions.
• Awareness of NatureScot's remit, priorities and operating principles, including understanding the role of Board, Senior Leadership Team and Committees, specifically the Audit and Risk Committee.

Pre-requisites:

• Right to work in the UK
• To undertake a disclosure Scotland Application
• Although Gaelic language is not a prerequisite it is a desirable skill in support of our commitment to our Gaelic Language Plan.

Our benefits package includes the civil service pension scheme, a generous holiday leave allowance plus flexi time, and employee discount scheme.

Working for NatureScot includes:

• An environment with flexible working options
• A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97% (7.35% employee contributions)
• 41.5 days of annual leave, with 5 fixed public holidays on St Andrews Day, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day and 2^nd January
• Equivalent of 2 days paid volunteering leave
• A focus on wellbeing with access to an employee assistance programme
• Job satisfaction from contributing proactively to the twinned nature and climate crisis
• Death in service benefits
• Cycle to work and electric vehicle salary sacrifice schemes
• Access to an employee discounts scheme
• Learning and development tailored to your role
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity

NatureScot's Net Zero commitment includes contributing to our Net Zero plan, for example through positive carbon travel choices.

Application Process:

• Internal applicants should read the Self-Service Guide
• External applicants should read the Online Job Application Guide

If you have previously applied for a vacancy with NatureScot you must remove the supporting statement from your profile, before uploading a new version.

For information regarding the application process contact:

Sara Lewis | sara.lewis@nature.scot

Nature is vital to us all, so it's important that NatureScot represents the people of Scotland. The more diverse our workforce is, the more effectively we can connect everyone with nature. We encourage applications from candidates of all ages and genders, people from ethnic minority groups, people with disabilities, and the LGBTQ+ community.