A

Awareness ?Learn more about skills levels

As you move into the SCS, there is an expectation that you already have an awareness of all ODP core skills and therefore the minimum expectation is that you would be at Working Level / Developing Level. 

Recognising that you do not require ‘Awareness’ this is foregone and you progress through the 7 capabilities assessing your current expertise from the minimum expectation for SCS ‘Working’ through to ‘Expert’ level. 

W

Working ?Learn more about skills levels

SCS1:

• Invests time in the short term to ensure processes are fit for purpose and quality service delivery is consistently maintained.  Implements innovative solutions to operational issues within their system. 
• Understands the strategic climate and appetite for risk and ensures risk is balanced alongside improving delivery processes and ways of working to enhance customer experience.

SCS2:

• Actively explores and implements new innovative solutions to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and impact of services on the customer. Delivering tangible, and measurable improvements which can be evaluated and shared across government.
• Creates a working environment and culture where teams can experiment/innovate whilst holding responsibility for balancing this within agreed risk management frameworks.

SCS3:

• Understands when it is appropriate to take measured risks to drive innovation and leads teams to be cognisant of this and have the confidence to deliver effectively.
• Allows teams autonomy to make decisions where appropriate but takes overall responsibility for ensuring expectations and challenges from Ministers/Perm Secs are met. Is aware of the role that cutting edge technologies can have in supporting efficiencies in Operational Delivery.

P

Practitioner ?Learn more about skills levels

SCS1:

• Identifies and develops innovative solutions to protect and maintain effective service delivery to the customer, anticipating and mitigating risks before they occur.
• Evaluates risks of political landscape and the impact on their system, creating a continuous improvement loop with policy and operational delivery profession.

SCS2:

• Is agile in their approach to service delivery, bridging the gap between policy development and operations, and effectively balancing innovation and risk to support service excellence.  Challenges policy and/or ministers when necessary.
• Fosters an environment which encourages the implementation of new innovations and technologies, ensuring processes and governance is in place to allow teams to deliver

SCS3:

• Understands opportunities and risks in interconnected organisations. Engages with external stakeholders on harnessing best practice and is proactive in mitigation of risk.
• Builds a robust framework for future delivery of operations, shaping the external environment finding new ways of supporting the needs of the government agenda with insight and technological developments driven from across government, the private sector both Nationally and Internationally. Tackles challenges/future challenges and ensures best practice and robust frameworks are built by convening multidisciplinary teams. 

E

Expert ?Learn more about skills levels

SCS1:

• Communicates effectively across key stakeholders within and beyond the organisation, taking long term action to prevent future risk rather than relying on the ability to fix/manage immediate or current issues across their operational department.
• Develops innovative solutions to improve the long term efficiency, effectiveness, and impact of services on the customer, delivering tangible and measurable improvements – whilst balancing the risk to service delivery.

SCS2:

• Takes a long-term view of operational delivery needs and actively looks outside the civil service for innovative solutions, shaping the external environment find new ways of supporting the needs of the government agenda.
• Allows teams autonomy to make decisions where appropriate but takes overall responsibility for ensuring expectations and challenges from Ministers/Perm Secs are met.

SCS3:

• Future proofs transforms and redesigns service delivery attuned to public scrutiny, potential risks across the system, and empowering others to take measured risks. 
• An ability to drive change through a complex organisation, enables transformation including realising a vision for digitally enabled transformation utilising breakthrough tech.  Leads and influences across sectors being mindful of innovative solutions and technological developments which impact the profession.