Special adviser (Norway)
A special adviser or special advisor (Bokmål: spesialrådgiver; Nynorsk: spesialrådgjevar) is a high-ranking civil servant in the Norwegian civil service with rank code (stillingskode) 1220 in the Norwegian state. Special advisers rank above senior advisers and are generally considered to be upper management level (director-level), but generally without direct managerial responsibilities; they are seen as advisers of very high rank that equals or even exceeds director-level ranks. The title is generally held by particularly highly qualified experts and often by former high-level government executives, such as chief executives of government departments or directorates, or sometimes by former heads of larger divisions or former senior ambassadors in the Foreign Ministry. The title is used in government departments, where special advisers are the single most highly paid category and generally regarded as equal to both directors and directors-general in status. The Ministry of Finance has stated that special advisers belong to the "highest career level" in government departments.[1] The rank is also used in other parts of the civil service, including directorates and health trusts. In the Basic Collective Agreement (hovedtariffavtalen) for the Norwegian state special advisers have the second highest minimum pay grade, above all the director ranks and second only to a rarely used rank for the most senior attorneys with the Office of the Attorney General of Norway.[2]
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In government departments
Special advisers in government departments are often former chief executives of government departments or directorates, or particularly highly qualified experts who are given high rank and pay, and a particularly independent role. They typically advise government ministers and have a more independent position than other civil servants. Although not part of the ordinary hierarchy and with no set duties, they are considered on pair with the directors and directors-general in the government departments. They are often given tasks such as representing Norway vis-à-vis various international organizations or giving policy advice in their areas of expertise.
There is only a small number of special advisers, and the title is often given to former top executives of government departments or agencies who go on to work in a government ministry. Special advisers are the single most highly paid category in the government administration and some earn more than the Prime Minister.[3] For example, Jonas Gahr Støre, Kai Eide, Bjørn Tore Godal, Erik Solheim, Georg Fredrik Rieber-Mohn, Ann-Marit Sæbønes, Harald Rensvik, Anne Kari Lande Hasle, Janne Kristiansen, Tore Eriksen, Hans Brattskar, and Joakim Lystad are or have been special advisers in the Norwegian central government.
In some respects, they are similar to special advisers in the UK government, with the exception that they are permanent civil servants rather than political appointees.
| Director General | Special Adviser |
| Deputy Director General | |
| Assistant Director General | |
| Policy Director | |
| Senior Adviser | |
| Adviser | |
| Higher Executive Officer |