Job Advert
Strategic Planning Advisor (Ref: 249943) - multiple posts
£52,845 - £61,466 (Band 7)
Full time (36 hours per week)
Permanent
Edinburgh or Glasgow – hybrid working will apply for the foreseeable future
Healthcare Improvement Scotland is seeking to recruit multiple Strategic Planning Advisor posts to the Community Engagement and Transformational Change Directorate. Successful candidates will be placed in one of the teams listed below – we invite candidates to note any preference they have within the application form.
The Community Engagement and Transformational Change Directorate leads an extensive range of improvement programmes, collaborates with local, national and international networks, and aspires to be at the leading edge of both thinking and practice in transformational improvement.
The posts will work as part of 3 units:
In 2026-27, the Alcohol and Drugs unit will deliver three programmes of work including:
- Improving quality and safety in drugs and alcohol
- Integrating community pathways to recovery
- Transforming recovery pathways in complex care
In 2026-27, the Mental Health unit will deliver three programmes of work including:
- Scottish Patient Safety Programme Mental Health and Core Standards
- Mental Health Renewal (Complex Mental Health)
- Mental Health Responsive Support (Delayed Discharges and ‘Coming Home’)
In 2026-27, the Systems unit will deliver on the Scottish Approach to Change programme. The Strategic Planning Advisor role will have particular focus on working with our pathfinder sites and providing responsive support to NHS boards and health and social care partnerships to embed the Scottish Approach to Change. The Scottish Approach to Change brings together different evidence-based methods and tools for managing quality and change.
Do you have experience in planning within health and/or social care? Do you think strategically about challenges facing our health and social care? Do you have experience working with health and social care teams in the public, third or independent sector to think through, plan, and deliver transformation?
We are looking for an experienced, enthusiastic and proactive individual with expert experience in applying strategic planning and commissioning tools, techniques, and methodology in the design and delivery of change initiatives.
These roles will focus on understanding complex systems to design, prototype, implement, and spread improvement approaches which enable local systems to develop the capacity and capability to implement change. Understanding of complexity, strong analytical skills, the ability to draw qualitative and quantitative data from a wide range of sources, the ability to facilitate stakeholders to think and act together, and the ability to present complex information in a clear and concise manner are essential to this role.
Our work ensures the contribution of lived and living experience across the totality of our programmes requiring expertise in collaborating with a wide range of stakeholders to design inclusive, accessible and people-led approaches.
For an informal discussion, please contact:
- Ashley Hose, Alcohol and Drugs Unit Head, at ashley.hose2@nhs.scot
- Benjamin McElwee, Senior Improvement Advisor, at benjamin.mcelwee@nhs.scot, or
- Clare Hammond, Systems Unit Head, at clare.hammond@nhs.scot.
Closing Date: Sunday 21 June 2026 at midnight
It is anticipated that interviews for all posts will be held together in-person in Glasgow on Monday 06 and Tuesday 07 July 2026. Preference for specific teams will be discussed during the recruitment process.