Strategic Planning Advisor

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 recruiting multiple Strategic Planning Advisor posts to the Community Engagement and Transformational Change Directorate. Successful candidates will be placed in one of the following teams according to their preference.

The Posts Will Work As Part Of 3 Units

Alcohol and Drugs

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

Mental Health

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’)

Systems

The Systems unit will deliver on the Scottish Approach to Change programme. The Strategic Planning Advisor role will focus on working with pathfinder sites to provide responsive support to NHS boards and health and social care partnerships, embedding the Scottish Approach to Change, which brings together evidence‑based methods and tools for managing quality and change.

Qualifications and Experience

Applicants should have experience in planning within health and/or social care, think strategically about challenges facing health and social care, and have experience working with health and social care teams in the public, third or independent sector to think through, plan, and deliver transformation.

We seek 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. The role involves understanding complex systems to design, prototype, implement and spread improvement approaches capable of enabling local systems to develop the capacity and capability to implement change.

Essential skills include understanding of complexity, strong analytical skills, the ability to draw qualitative and quantitative data from a wide range of sources, facilitate stakeholder collaboration, and present complex information clearly and concisely.

Ability to collaborate with a wide range of stakeholders to design inclusive, accessible, and people‑led approaches, ensuring the contribution of lived and living experience across programmes.