Head of Information Governance, Risk and Compliance
On 1 April 2026, NHS National Services Scotland (NSS) and NHS Education for Scotland (NES) became one national organisation, focused on continuity today and a stronger, more connected service for tomorrow.
As part of this transformation, NSS and NES have joined to form a new organisation: Public Services Delivery Scotland (PSD Scotland). This new organisation will play a pivotal role in supporting the renewal and ensuring the long-term sustainability of health and care services across Scotland.
About the Organisation:
PSD Scotland unites expertise from NES and NSS in a way that will allow us to accelerate national programmes to support the NHS to deliver better care, now and in the future.
We support staff with education and training, provide the tools and data that improve services, and run vital national functions such as procurement, logistics and blood, tissue and cell services.
The Post:
The Information Governance, Risk and Compliance (I-GRC) team forms part of DaS’s Information Security & Governance pillar (IS&G). It provides GRC support and oversight for digital services across all NSS directorates; leads on NSS’s statutory information security audits; facilitates DaS’s wider approach to risk management; and plays a pivotal role in NHSScotland’s wider IG landscape, both through engagement with national forums, and through provision and administration of associated tooling to other Health Boards.
We seek to appoint a Head of I-GRC, taking responsibility for the I-GRC function and forming part of IS&G’s senior management team. They will lead a high-performing and well-established team of experts, driving continued operational excellence and ensuring adherence to information security standards across the directorate and the organisation, both through providing excellent services and through proactive and collaborative engagement at all leadership levels.
The post holder will be required to quickly build a comprehensive picture of the information risk landscape across the organisation and engage with key personnel within DaS and other directorates to understand and prioritise current key challenges in the area. They will independently lead improvement activities, including policy and framework development, which ensure that stakeholders across the organisation can make informed decisions cognisant of and compatible with NSS’s risk appetite.
The Head of I-GRC will foster the team’s close partnership with IS&G’s Security Consultancy team, supporting information assurance and documentation processes for digital systems, and ensuring they are fit for purpose and align with the organisation’s security assurance and wider auditing requirements.
The successful candidate will be expected to influence and shape Information Governance processes at all organisational levels and engage with the wider IG community to define and promote national approaches to the subject matter.
The Candidate:
Please note that the Job Description is generic in nature. The candidate should consider the attached Person Specification and content of this advert when submitting their application.
The successful candidate will have experience:
Leading, developing, and line managing multi-disciplinary teams, enabling their staff to excel in their areas of expertise.
Chairing and contributing to boards and decisioning bodies, and providing concise updates on the subject matter that are suitable to satisfy assurance requirements at executive leadership level.
Effectively influencing decisioning processes across the organisation. When promoting a robust approach to security and compliance requirements, they have a high tolerance of different attitudes to I-GRC, and can confidently navigate political situations with complex stakeholderships.
They will be a self-driven, credible and confident leader who has demonstrated excellent stakeholder engagement, and who can manage and prioritise conflicting demands on limited resourcing. Their expertise will be evidenced by an extensive track record in the field, knowledge of the regulatory environment, as well as continual professional development.
The post requires a combination of strategic thinking and operational discipline, founded in strong judgement, personal resilience, and a values-driven approach that aligns with NSS’s priorities.
Location and Working Pattern:
This post can be based at Gyle Square, Edinburgh or Delta House, Glasgow.
Currently hybrid working.
Occasional travel to NSS’s other office locations, to conferences and to customer sites across Scotland may be required.
The work pattern for this post is Monday to Friday, 36 hours per week.
It is a condition of this employment that you must live and remain a resident within the UK and have entitlement to work in the UK for the post in which you will be employed.
Benefits:
Our benefits package includes pension scheme, comprehensive range of work life balance policies, occupational health services, learning resource centres and discounted leisure, financial and shopping benefits. HR Benefits Brochure.
Inclusion:
Public Services Delivery Scotland is a national organisation and, as an anchor institution, it is our ambition to be a diverse and inclusive organisation where everyone feels welcome. We recognise that flexible working creates an inclusive workplace where employees can thrive and feel confident about their ability to balance their personal and professional responsibilities. This is supported through Once for Scotland flexible working policies. PSD Scotland has made a long-term commitment to staff health and well-being and offers many learning and development opportunities to support and improve our approaches to diversity, inclusion and mental health in the workplace. There are a number of equality staff networks in place which all staff are welcome to join. We are also an equal opportunities employer and as such guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for our vacancies. As an accredited Disability Confident Leader, it is the aim of PSD Scotland to offer a fully accessible and inclusive recruitment service that supports applicants on their candidate journey. If you are interested in any reasonable adjustments, please contact the Recruitment Team on [email protected]
Further information:
For an informal discussion on the post, please contact Nils Krichel, Head of Service IS&G, on [email protected]
Closing date for completed applications is 27 July 2026.
In-person interviews for this post are likely to be held during the week commencing 10 August 2026 at Gyle Square, Edinburgh.
Please note that the majority of correspondence is sent by e-mail only, so please check your e-mail regularly (including junk folders).
We are an equal opportunities employer and as committed participant in the disability confident scheme, guarantees to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for our vacancies
