Job Description
Community Justice Scotland (“CJS”) is the national body for promoting, monitoring, and supporting improvement in the delivery of community justice services across Scotland. National and local partners provide community justice services to ensure that while people who have broken the law are held to account, they are also supported to address underlying causes of offending behaviour, and rehabilitate to reconnect with, and contribute to, their community.
Launched on 1st April 2017 by the Community Justice (Scotland) Act 2016, CJS aims to create a more robust and effective community justice system based on local planning and local delivery by a range of statutory partners. CJS provides national leadership and oversight to support and guide these partners to deliver the National Strategy for Community Justice.
CJS Members are appointed by Scottish Ministers. The Membership plays a key role in setting the strategy, direction, plans, and policies of CJS, so that it fulfils the aims, policies, and priorities of the Scottish Ministers. Each of the two roles advertised is an excellent opportunity to make a difference to individuals and communities across Scotland by helping us work with our wide range of partners to reduce offending and victimisation.
Further information about what we do is available on the CJS website.
Responsibilities
Public Appointees are responsible for:
• ensuring that the public body delivers its functions in accordance with Scottish Ministers’ policies and priorities
• providing strategic leadership
• ensuring financial stewardship
• holding the Chief Executive and senior management team to account
Further information about the role and the board can be found in the applicant information pack.
ROLE CRITERIA
The successful applicants must be able to demonstrate evidence of at least one of the following priority criteria:
Priority criteria
Role 1 - Lived Experience of the Scottish Criminal Justice System (User Perspective)
Role 2 - IT / Digital / Data & Change Management
They will also need to demonstrate evidence of all of the essential criteria:
Essential Criteria
Role 1
• Working co-operatively and collaboratively
• Seeing the ‘bigger picture’
• Constructive and supportive challenge
• Communication and influencing
Role 2
• Working co-operatively and collaboratively
• Seeing the ‘bigger picture’
• Constructive and supportive challenge
• Communication and influencing
• Analysis and Decision making
Please follow these instructions to apply for the Member roles.
• Download the applicant information pack. This will explain more about the role, the board and the application process.
• You will be asked to supply some personal information and then complete the questions relating to political activity and any conflicts of interest.
• You will be asked to evidence the priority and essential criteria questions and upload your CV. You must complete these questions in order to apply for this role.
Late applications cannot be considered by the panel.
Full details on how to apply, and the evidence that should be submitted at the application stage, are set out at pages 7 - 15 of the applicant information pack.
Completed applications must be submitted by 1pm on Tuesday 21 April 2026.
About Us
Public appointments are made by Scottish Ministers. The appointments process is regulated by the Ethical Standards Commissioner you can find out more about the Commissioner here: Public appointments | Ethical Standards Commissioner
REMUNERATION AND TIME COMMITMENT
In 2026-27, the CJS Membership will receive a daily fee of £271 for every day of not less than 7.5 hours (excluding meal breaks) devoted to performing your functions, on a pro rata basis, up to a maximum total fee of £5,420 per financial year. The time commitment is up to 20 days per year, as and when required.
The appointments are non-pensionable.
EQUALITY STATEMENT
Scottish Ministers value highly the benefits of diverse Public Body Boards. People from all walks of life are encouraged to apply for public appointments.
Find out more about our commitment to diversity and how we offer and support recruitment adjustments for anyone who needs them.
FURTHER INFORMATION
If you require a reasonable adjustment at any stage of the appointments process or if require further support with your application, please contact the Public Appointments Team at [email protected].
Find out more about public appointments here: Public appointments - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
FAQ’s about the application process is here: Public Appointments - Frequently Asked Questions.
Security checks
Successful candidates must complete the Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS), before they can be appointed. BPSS is comprised of four main pre-employment checks – Identity, Right to work, Employment History and a Criminal Record check (unspent convictions).
You can find out more about BPSS on the UK Government website, and read about the Government Vetting Charter, or about all of the different levels of security checks in our Candidate Guide.
Internal candidates may need to gain higher security clearance than they currently hold if successful in their application.
Additional Security Information
CTC
Please note: in addition to the standard pre-employment checks for appointment into the Civil Service, all candidates must also obtain National Security Vetting at Counter Terrorist Security Check (CTC) clearance level for this vacancy You will normally need to meet the minimum UK residency period as determined by the level of vetting being undertaken, which for CTC is 3 years UK residency prior to your vetting application. If you have any questions about this residency requirement, please speak to the vacancy holder for this post.
SC
Please note: in addition to the standard pre-employment checks for appointment into the Civil Service, all candidates must also obtain National Security Vetting at Security Check (SC) clearance level for this vacancy. You will normally need to meet the minimum UK residency period as determined by the level of vetting being undertaken, which for SC is 5 years UK residency prior to your vetting application. If you have any questions about this residency requirement, please speak to the vacancy holder for this post.
DV
Please note: in addition to the standard pre-employment checks for appointment into the Civil Service, all candidates must also obtain National Security Vetting at Developed Vetting level.
You will normally need to meet the minimum UK residency period as determined by the level of vetting being undertaken, which for DV is 10 years UK residency prior to your vetting application. If you have any questions about this residency requirement, please speak to the vacancy holder for this post.
Reserved Posts
Only UK nationals may be employed in reserved posts in the Civil Service. Reserved posts are generally those which, due to the sensitive nature of the work, require special allegiance to the Crown such that they can only be held by a UK national. Irish nationals and Commonwealth citizens are also eligible for employment in reserved posts if they were in the Civil Service at 31 May 1996 or before, or were appointed from a recruitment scheme with a closing date for receipt of applications before 1 June 1996.
Under no circumstances may any other nationals be employed in reserved posts.
You can find further details on the posts that fall under Reserved Posts status.
Launched on 1st April 2017 by the Community Justice (Scotland) Act 2016, CJS aims to create a more robust and effective community justice system based on local planning and local delivery by a range of statutory partners. CJS provides national leadership and oversight to support and guide these partners to deliver the National Strategy for Community Justice.
CJS Members are appointed by Scottish Ministers. The Membership plays a key role in setting the strategy, direction, plans, and policies of CJS, so that it fulfils the aims, policies, and priorities of the Scottish Ministers. Each of the two roles advertised is an excellent opportunity to make a difference to individuals and communities across Scotland by helping us work with our wide range of partners to reduce offending and victimisation.
Further information about what we do is available on the CJS website.
Responsibilities
Public Appointees are responsible for:
• ensuring that the public body delivers its functions in accordance with Scottish Ministers’ policies and priorities
• providing strategic leadership
• ensuring financial stewardship
• holding the Chief Executive and senior management team to account
Further information about the role and the board can be found in the applicant information pack.
ROLE CRITERIA
The successful applicants must be able to demonstrate evidence of at least one of the following priority criteria:
Priority criteria
Role 1 - Lived Experience of the Scottish Criminal Justice System (User Perspective)
Role 2 - IT / Digital / Data & Change Management
They will also need to demonstrate evidence of all of the essential criteria:
Essential Criteria
Role 1
• Working co-operatively and collaboratively
• Seeing the ‘bigger picture’
• Constructive and supportive challenge
• Communication and influencing
Role 2
• Working co-operatively and collaboratively
• Seeing the ‘bigger picture’
• Constructive and supportive challenge
• Communication and influencing
• Analysis and Decision making
Please follow these instructions to apply for the Member roles.
• Download the applicant information pack. This will explain more about the role, the board and the application process.
• You will be asked to supply some personal information and then complete the questions relating to political activity and any conflicts of interest.
• You will be asked to evidence the priority and essential criteria questions and upload your CV. You must complete these questions in order to apply for this role.
Late applications cannot be considered by the panel.
Full details on how to apply, and the evidence that should be submitted at the application stage, are set out at pages 7 - 15 of the applicant information pack.
Completed applications must be submitted by 1pm on Tuesday 21 April 2026.
About Us
Public appointments are made by Scottish Ministers. The appointments process is regulated by the Ethical Standards Commissioner you can find out more about the Commissioner here: Public appointments | Ethical Standards Commissioner
REMUNERATION AND TIME COMMITMENT
In 2026-27, the CJS Membership will receive a daily fee of £271 for every day of not less than 7.5 hours (excluding meal breaks) devoted to performing your functions, on a pro rata basis, up to a maximum total fee of £5,420 per financial year. The time commitment is up to 20 days per year, as and when required.
The appointments are non-pensionable.
EQUALITY STATEMENT
Scottish Ministers value highly the benefits of diverse Public Body Boards. People from all walks of life are encouraged to apply for public appointments.
Find out more about our commitment to diversity and how we offer and support recruitment adjustments for anyone who needs them.
FURTHER INFORMATION
If you require a reasonable adjustment at any stage of the appointments process or if require further support with your application, please contact the Public Appointments Team at [email protected].
Find out more about public appointments here: Public appointments - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
FAQ’s about the application process is here: Public Appointments - Frequently Asked Questions.
Security checks
Successful candidates must complete the Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS), before they can be appointed. BPSS is comprised of four main pre-employment checks – Identity, Right to work, Employment History and a Criminal Record check (unspent convictions).
You can find out more about BPSS on the UK Government website, and read about the Government Vetting Charter, or about all of the different levels of security checks in our Candidate Guide.
Internal candidates may need to gain higher security clearance than they currently hold if successful in their application.
Additional Security Information
CTC
Please note: in addition to the standard pre-employment checks for appointment into the Civil Service, all candidates must also obtain National Security Vetting at Counter Terrorist Security Check (CTC) clearance level for this vacancy You will normally need to meet the minimum UK residency period as determined by the level of vetting being undertaken, which for CTC is 3 years UK residency prior to your vetting application. If you have any questions about this residency requirement, please speak to the vacancy holder for this post.
SC
Please note: in addition to the standard pre-employment checks for appointment into the Civil Service, all candidates must also obtain National Security Vetting at Security Check (SC) clearance level for this vacancy. You will normally need to meet the minimum UK residency period as determined by the level of vetting being undertaken, which for SC is 5 years UK residency prior to your vetting application. If you have any questions about this residency requirement, please speak to the vacancy holder for this post.
DV
Please note: in addition to the standard pre-employment checks for appointment into the Civil Service, all candidates must also obtain National Security Vetting at Developed Vetting level.
You will normally need to meet the minimum UK residency period as determined by the level of vetting being undertaken, which for DV is 10 years UK residency prior to your vetting application. If you have any questions about this residency requirement, please speak to the vacancy holder for this post.
Reserved Posts
Only UK nationals may be employed in reserved posts in the Civil Service. Reserved posts are generally those which, due to the sensitive nature of the work, require special allegiance to the Crown such that they can only be held by a UK national. Irish nationals and Commonwealth citizens are also eligible for employment in reserved posts if they were in the Civil Service at 31 May 1996 or before, or were appointed from a recruitment scheme with a closing date for receipt of applications before 1 June 1996.
Under no circumstances may any other nationals be employed in reserved posts.
You can find further details on the posts that fall under Reserved Posts status.
💡 Quick Summary
Seeking a career-building opportunity? The Appointment of up to two Members of Community Justice Scotland position is now open for candidates interested in the Government Job Alert sector. This role in Edinburgh offers a professional environment and growth potential.
Requirement Snapshot: Candidates should possess basic communication skills, a proactive attitude, and the ability to work in a team. Experience in Government Job Alert is a plus.
