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* Please note, you will need to merge your personal statement and CV into one document. When submitting your application Applied will ask you to upload a CV, when doing this you should upload your merged document of your CV and personal statement. If you experience any technical issues, please contact recruitment@levellingup.gov.uk.

Job summary

 This is an exciting time to join the data collection as a service (DaaS) team in DLUHC digital. The DaaS team are transforming how we collect and disseminate data and payments. We’re working with innovative suppliers right now, but over the next three years we aim to have an entirely civil servant team. This role is one of the first we’re recruiting.  
 
We want to make the services that local government officials, analysts, data scientists, policy makers and statisticians use as good as they can be. We think it should be simple for local authorities to provide data and easy for analysts to use data. We can then put high quality data at the centre of decision making and reduce as much as possible the time spent collating and providing information. Find out more about the work we’re doing on our blog. 
 
We’re looking for an inspiring and data-focused leader to join the team as Service Owner. This role and the team are based in the Digital directorate, but will have strong links with our Analysis and Data directorate and the new Spatial Data Unit. A large part of your role will be drawing these teams together and fostering good working relationships across boundaries. 
  
You’ll build an in-depth understanding of your service, and use digital thinking, culture, service design and delivery practices to develop a dramatically improved service. You will be accountable for the quality of the service to senior leaders and will represent the service and its users’ needs at all levels within the organisation.   
  
This is not a technical IT post and is not confined to running a website. However, since Data Collection is a technical product, experience of working with digital services is highly desirable. You will adopt a portfolio view, managing end-to-end services that include multiple products and channels, and influence policy and delivery teams to ensure they’re considering the needs of users in all aspects of their work. We’ve written a blog post about how DLUHC sees the role of Service Owner.

Job description

As the Service Owner for Data Collection as a Service, you will:   
  
•    set direction and provide strong, decisive, and visible leadership for a digital service focused on data collection.   

  
•    be accountable for the quality and usage of your service, iterating and improving the service based on user feedback and your understanding of the data-collection environment  
  

•    work with digital product managers and delivery teams to prioritise to maximise return on investment, considering user needs, organisational goals, technical risk, commercial considerations & deadlines, team capabilities and resources.  

 
•    build and maintain strong relationships with Digital, Analysis and Data and Spatial Data Unit teams, joining up strategies and processes to deliver a transformed data collection service and a one-team attitude  

•    encourage use of digital methods to collect data, above spreadsheets or similar tools  

  
•    ensure the necessary business processes are followed and participate in the governance of the service, including acting as a point of escalation for the delivery teams.  

  
•    own the budget and allocate funding to areas of the service based on decisions about priorities.  

  
•    communicate the benefits and performance of your service, including to other government departments interested in data collection

  
  
•    identify and progress opportunities to reduce costs and duplication by actively promoting simplification.  

•    actively participate in networking with other Service Owners inside and outside government and share good practice and learning.  

Person specification

Essential skills and experience:  

•    A track-record of leadership in successful design, delivery and continuous improvement of high-quality digital services.   

  
•    Experience of working with senior stakeholders to persuade them of the benefits of agile and service design techniques.  

•    Experience of building and delivering against strategies to transform and join-up digital or non-digital services, focusing on delivering maximum return on investment.  

  
•    Experience of building and managing high performing teams, delegating decision making to the most effective level, and empowering teams to deliver to the best of their abilities.   

  
•    An ability to translate complex aims and needs into compelling vision statements and clear and manageable plans and communicating these in an open and transparent way through a variety of channels.   

  
•    Experience of managing the expectations of stakeholders with conflicting needs and demands, engaging with senior stakeholders, and developing a pipeline of customer adoption.  

 
•    A systematic approach to solving problems.  

  
•    Experience of assessing risks, scoping resource requirements and managing budgets and operating costs to ensure value for money and sustainable development of teams and services.  

Desirable experience:  

•    Experience of working with data, particularly data collection for statistical analysis    

  
•    A high-level understanding of service design principles  

  
•    Expertise in gathering, analysing, and using user insight and performance data to design and continually improve digital services to ensure responsiveness to changing needs and technical developments.  

  
•    Experience of Service Ownership for another major digital service  

Offered benefits

• Learning and development tailored to your role

• An environment with flexible working options

• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity

• A Civil Service pension with an average employer contribution of 27%

Selection process details

We are for everyone 

At DLUHC we value diversity and inclusion and actively encourage and welcome applications from everyone, including those that are underrepresented in our workforce. We promote equality of opportunity in all aspects of employment and a working environment free from discrimination, harassment, bullying and victimisation. 

We would strongly recommend that applicants get in touch with the vacancy manager to find out more information about this role. 

We are for everyone 

CV and Cover Letter Declaration 

We recruit based on your knowledge and skills, and not background, gender or ethnicity - this is called name blind recruitment. 

Please remove references to your: 

• name/title

• educational institutions

• age

• gender

• email address

• postal address

• phone number

• nationality/immigration status

You will need to merge your CV and covering letter into one document. When submitting your application Applied will ask you to upload a CV, when doing this you should upload your merged document of your CV and covering letter. 

Most of our campaigns utilise multiple assessors and so it is possible that your application would be viewed by different assessors. 

At sift, through your CV and covering letter we will be assessing: 

Examples: 

Experience 

Technical Ability 

Your covering letter should be no more than 1 page referencing how you meet the criteria set out in the job description. 

In your CV and covering letter, please include:  
 
a. why you are interested in the role; 
b. how you meet the essential skills and experience required 

The interview will be of a blended nature consisting of experience, strength and technical based questions as listed in the advert. The strength based questions will require natural responses from the candidates.

In full the campaign will test the below Success Profile Elements: 

Experience: Yes - Experience questions will be based around the essential skills and criteria as listed in the job description 

Technical: Yes – Technical questions will be based around the essential skills and criteria as listed in the job description 

Strengths: Yes

We do not consider direct CV applications to our Recruitment mailbox – you must apply for this role via the application link on Civil Service Jobs 

Please note that near miss offers may be made at the lower grade to candidates who do not meet the grade criteria for this campaign 

Grade 6 Salary

• The salary for this role is £58,946 (National). 

• For existing civil servants, the usual policy on level transfer and promotion will apply and is non-negotiable. 

BENEFITS: 

Transfers across the Civil Service on or after 4 October 2018: 
Any move to DLUHC from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk 

For further information about the benefits available to DLUHC employees, please see the attached Candidate Pack. 

GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION: 

• Birmingham

• Bristol

• Cambridge

• Darlington*

• Hastings

• Leeds

• Manchester

• Newcastle-upon-Tyne

• Nottingham

• Wolverhampton

There may be opportunities for candidates to work flexibly depending on the business needs. This will be discussed with the vacancy manager on a case-by-case basis if you are successful for the role. 

*Please note: The Darlington Economic Campus (DEC) is a pioneering new cross-government hub which will bring together people across departments and public organisations to play an active role in the most important economic issues of the day. The work of the Campus will make a real difference to people both across the UK and internationally. There will be substantial career opportunities and exciting prospects - a career at the Campus means you will be working at the heart of Government, with access to the benefits and fantastic opportunities offered by the civil service. This role is based at DLUHC and we will be joined on the campus by: 

• HM Treasury  

• Department for International Trade 

• Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy 

• Office for National Statistics  

• Department for Education 

For further information on the DEC, please take a look at the attached DEC candidate pack. 

SIFT AND INTERVIEW DATES: 

Sifting is envisaged to take place W/C 21st November 2022 with interview dates to be confirmed. All interviews are currently being held remotely via videocall. 

RESERVE LIST: 
 
In the event that we identify more appointable candidates than we currently have posts available, we will hold applicant details on a reserve list for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made. This may include roles at a lower grade. Candidates placed on a reserve list will be informed of this. Due to the length of time CTC checks can take, our HR Shared Services team will contact reserve list candidates for London based roles to commence CTC checks. Those candidates who do not wish to remain on the reserve list should contact recruitment@levellingup.gov.uk to be removed from the reserve list. 

Before starting your application it’s very important to make sure that you are eligible to apply and meet the Civil Service nationality requirements. All candidates are expected to read the information provided in the DLUHC candidate pack regarding nationality requirements and rules 

Candidate Pack Information 

Please see attached Candidate pack for further information. 

Internal Fraud Database 

The Internal Fraud function of the Fraud, Error, Debt and Grants Function at the Cabinet Office processes details of civil servants who have been dismissed for committing internal fraud, or who would have been dismissed had they not resigned. The Cabinet Office receives the details from participating government organisations of civil servants who have been dismissed, or who would have been dismissed had they not resigned, for internal fraud. In instances such as this, civil servants are then banned for 5 years from further employment in the civil service. The Cabinet Office then processes this data and discloses a limited dataset back to DLUHC as a participating government organisations. DLUHC then carry out the pre employment checks so as to detect instances where known fraudsters are attempting to reapply for roles in the civil service. In this way, the policy is ensured and the repetition of internal fraud is prevented.  

For more information please see- Internal Fraud Register 

Fixed Term Details

For external candidates– you will be offered a 23 month fixed term appointment with a possibility of permanency.  

For existing civil servants – you will be offered a 23 month loan opportunity. Before applying for the role, you will need to seek approval from your parent department to take up a loan appointment should you be successful. 

For DLUHC employees  - you will retain your existing contract 

Contact details

Who can candidates contact with questions about this vacancy?

Lindsey Dodd

Email address for candidate questions

lindsey.dod@levellingup.gov.uk