Salary: £81,446 - £91,941 per year. RDS employees start at the first point on the scale. For roles with recognised recruitment difficulties or under exceptional circumstances, some flexibility may be considered.

Contract Type: Permanent

Position Type: Full Time

Hours: 32 hours per week

Work From Home: Hybrid

About Research Data Scotland

At Research Data Scotland (RDS), our mission is to unlock the potential of public sector data—securely, responsibly, and for the benefit of everyone in Scotland.

We have excellent data in Scotland, a strong research community, and the ability to bring together Government, academia, industry, and public bodies to make impactful changes. Our work involves expanding data availability, creating new data assets, and providing a trusted single point of contact for researchers to access public data securely and effectively.

Our focus areas include Covid-19, NHS imaging, geospatial data, children, and justice services.

Our partners include the Scottish Government, Public Health Scotland, National Records of Scotland, and the Universities of Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, and Glasgow. We collaborate with national and regional safe havens and maintain contact with other organizations across Scotland and the UK in the data research sector.

We are seeking a passionate Chief Data Officer who embodies our values of Transparency, Collaboration, Integrity, Humility, and Courage. The successful candidate will bring leadership, expertise, and a commitment to advancing RDS's mission to improve outcomes for the people of Scotland through better data use.

About the job

The Chief Data Officer will be a key member of the RDS Leadership team, responsible for establishing and overseeing programs that source datasets for research. They will lead a cross-functional team to develop strategies to broaden and maintain our research data collection. Collaboration with senior leaders and public sector colleagues will be essential to drive operational efficiency and ensure trustworthiness in data usage.

About you

This senior leadership role is central to our data transformation agenda. Building strong, lasting relationships and influencing others are crucial skills. You should be ambitious, resilient, pragmatic, and able to navigate the complex environment where change is rarely linear.