The role involves providing visible and confident leadership during a period of transition, ensuring continuity, stability, and momentum across the organization. Working closely with the Board, Scottish Government, and key stakeholders, you will maintain the delivery of our client's priorities while supporting the onboarding of a permanent CEO. After this initial phase, you will transition into the newly created position of Deputy CEO for the remaining period of the 12-month contract, with the potential for extension. You will play a central role in supporting the new leader by providing organization-wide leadership during a period of transformation.Our client is crucial in delivering the ambitions outlined in the Tertiary Education and Training (Funding and Governance) (Scotland) Act 2026, with new responsibilities and a significant increase in scale from 2027. In this role, you will lead during a critical transition for the organization while shaping the future of Scotland's tertiary skills, research, and innovation system. You will drive organization-wide transformation and public service reform within our client, operating with influence at the highest levels across government, education, and industry to lay the foundations for sector-wide transformation.