Senior Civil Service recruitment: candidate guide

Pre-employment checks

Before you can begin employment with the Scottish Government you will need to complete a series of pre-employment checks and you will be required to provide some documentation at this stage. 

Pre-employment checks confirm your identity, right to live and work in the UK, qualifications, work history and criminal convictions.

Candidates will be advised of the outcome of the pre-employment checks process and advised of next steps.

Security checks

Different levels of security checks are required depending on the nature of the role and the sensitivity of the work involved. The type of security check required for each role is included in the job advert.

You can find out more about the different types of security checks we perform below.

Disclosure Scotland check

Candidates applying for roles with the Scottish Government are required to provide a valid disclosure certificate, this is provided by a third-party organisation called Disclosure Scotland.

From 1 October 2024, the cost for this service will be covered by the Scottish Government (where applicable) for candidates who will be directly employed by the Scottish Government upon completion. This includes all permanent and fixed-term contract staff, but not contingent workers.

Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS)

All successful candidates must complete the Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS), as standard before they can be appointed to a Scottish Government role. 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.

Additional security checks may also be required if a higher level of clearance is required for the job applied for.

Additional vetting

Senior Civil Servants may need an additional level of vetting, depending on the requirements of the role. Only the minimum level required to carry out the post will be granted, and vetting is not available on a speculative basis.

The need for vetting is assessed against the requirements of each particular post, and will be outlined in the job description. Read more information on the different levels of security and vetting checks.

Additional levels of vetting are detailed below.

National Security Vetting - Security check (SC) Level

For certain roles candidates must also obtain National Security Vetting at Security Check (SC) clearance level in addition to the standard BPSS checks. This type of check normally includes meeting a minimum UK residency period as determined by the level of vetting being undertaken, which for SC level is 5 years.

Further information about NSV can be found on the UK Government website - National security vetting: clearance levels - GOV.UK

National Security Vetting - Developed Vetting (DV) Level

For certain roles candidates must also obtain National Security Vetting at Developed Vetting (DV) clearance level in addition to the standard BPSS checks. This type of check normally includes meeting a minimum UK residency period as determined by the level of vetting being undertaken, which for DV level is 10 years.

Further information about NSV can be found on the UK Government website - National security vetting: clearance levels - GOV.UK

National Security Vetting - Counter Terrorist Check (CTC) Level

For certain roles candidates must also obtain National Security Vetting at Counter Terrorist Check (CTC) clearance level in addition to the standard BPSS checks. This type of check normally includes meeting a minimum UK residency period as determined by the level of vetting being undertaken, which for CTC level is 3 years.

Further information about NSV can be found on the UK Government website - National security vetting: clearance levels - GOV.UK

Reserved posts

Roles which involve highly sensitive work may be classified as Reserved Posts. Only UK nationals can be employed in reserved posts in the Civil Service.

If you are intending to apply for a reserved post and have any questions about this please contact our recruitment team.

PVG Membership

If a position is classified as a regulated role, it will require the successful candidate to hold an active membership with the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme. If PVG membership is required for a role, details will be included in the job advert.

You can find out more about regulated roles and the PVG scheme on Mygov.scot