Please read before applying:

To apply for this role you will need to submit a CV and statement of suitability. These need to be merged 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 statement of suitability. There are further details in the Selection Process section further below in this advert.

If you experience technical issues during the application process we have found using a different browser or device in the first instance can be a quick fix.

If those don't work please email scs.recruitment@communities.gov.uk with your application and/or CV before the submission deadline. Any applications received after the deadline may not be considered.

Short Summary

The Digital Directorate is part of the Chief Finance Officer group. As well as making sure key tools and services are working on a day-to-day basis, we also build new software and help apply user-centred design thinking to policy and processes. We aim to deliver services that users love that also reduce manual effort, delivering efficiency savings for the department.

This role is for a Deputy Director to lead the Digital Services team, ensuring the delivery of key programmes and digital products for the department.

Job Description

Your work will focus on building and running re-useable services that can be used to drive efficiencies throughout the department and in local government. Key areas include funding and data exchange, delivered by four main programme areas. 

You will have a strong understanding of the Government Service Standard and how to run and deliver good services with a mix of civil servants and third parties. You’ll use this experience and your excellent stakeholder skills to build credibility with partners, ministers, and other areas of the department. Although your strategic insight and ability to challenge are key, it is also critical that you have service leadership mindset. We believe the best decisions are made by empowered Service Owners and Product Managers, supported by multidisciplinary teams.

Key Accountabilities​

• Overseeing the management and delivery of our key business services, such as our Data Collection as a Service programme

• Overseeing the Funding Service team, which aims to produce a series of tools and services to improve funding across the department

• Overseeing the digital cross-cutting workstream for resettlement services, ensuring critical data continues to flow between central and local government to guarantee the safety of those under the scheme

• Drawing together these workstreams and related workstreams across the department to reduce duplication and maximise benefits

• Leading senior stakeholder engagement across and outside the department

• Playing an active role in the leadership of Digital Directorate as a member of the SLT, providing line management to around 7 direct reports of various disciplines

• Being a digital advocate in the department and sponsor of the Delivery community of practice

Person specification

This is a high profile and important role which requires an ability to think strategically and operationally, to identify and manage risk and delivery, and lead a challenging and high-profile programme.

You will have the ability to challenge and improve disproportionate organisational processes where these impact the pace of a team, and the motivation to influence and make positive changes to the organisation.

You will have experience of governing, creating and aligning teams, implementing the most effective programme and team structures for delivery and team health.

We particularly encourage applications from those of an ethnic minority background and those with disabilities, as well as those based in locations outside of London, who are underrepresented at this level in MHCLG.

As one of the Department’s senior leaders, you will also be a visible role model for the Civil Service leadership behaviours. These can be found in the Civil Service Leadership Statement which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-leadership-statement/civil-service-leadership-statement    

Essential Criteria​

• An inspiring, confident and empowering leader, who can set strategic direction, build and maintain multidisciplinary teams, lead effectively through ambiguity and get the best out of a diverse workforce through promoting an inclusive, high- performance culture

• A track record of leading digital teams to successfully design, deliver and continuously improve new products and programmes

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

• The ability to communicate complex messages clearly and succinctly, able to present effectively to ministers and senior colleagues and convince them of the benefits of agile and service-design approaches

• Ability to make or inform the right decisions even when working with ambiguity and incomplete information

How to apply

Please click the Be Applied link to provide the required information and complete your application through the Be Applied website by 23:55 on 1st September.

You will be asked to enter some personal details, upload your CV and to provide your responses to the role’s advertised essential criteria.​

When prompted to upload your CV, please upload a single document consisting of:

• a CV (including the names of 2 referees and your current remuneration) setting out your career history, with key responsibilities, achievements and your relevant qualifications. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years. ​ 

• a statement of suitability explaining how your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the essential criteria provided in the person specification. (max. 2 pages)​ 

Please remember to save these two items in one document. Both items will be assessed to determine sift outcomes.  

Failure to submit both a CV and statement of suitability will mean the panel only have limited information on which to assess your application against the Essential Criteria. 

Please note that only completed applications through the Be Applied route will be considered and that any further progress updates will be sent through Be Applied. 

The hiring manager, Gill Stewart, would be happy to have informal discussions with candidates who would like further information about the role before submitting an application. If interested, please contact scs.recruitment@communities.gov.uk  

The selection panel will be made up of: 

• Gill Stewart, MHCLG Chief Digital Officer, Hiring Manager

• Two additional panel members, TBC

Additionally, the panel will be joined by one of our staff representatives from a pool of volunteers as part of our commitments to diversity and inclusion. 

Selection process and assessments

During sifting, both your CV and Statement of Suitability will be assessed against the role’s Essential Criteria. These Essential Criteria will also be used to form the basis of the panel’s questions in your final interview.

If a role lists Desirable Criteria, these will only be used to determine the merit order of candidates who rank evenly when assessed against the Essential Criteria.

Candidates that are shortlisted may be invited to attend a staff engagement panel.  

At DLUHC we hold staff engagement panels as an integral part of the recruitment process for Senior Civil Servants (SCS) – they are designed to help us build up a rounded picture of each candidate and give us an insight into how you might engage and interact with your team should you be successful. The purpose of the session is to help us assess your engagement and communication skills and is not about testing your subject knowledge or expertise for this particular role. Feedback from the session is passed onto the selection panel for consideration alongside the final interview.

Candidates may also be invited to a meeting with a Minister or the Secretary of State, and/or other senior stakeholders. This is not a formal part of the selection process but an informal chance for candidates to find out more about the role and the organisation.

Shortlisted candidates will also be invited to give a short presentation or complete an exercise at the beginning of their final interview. Further details will be provided to shortlisted candidates when invited to interview.  

All of the evidence presented as part of the process will be considered in the final assessment. 

Location 

This role is available in one of the locations listed below. During the application process you will be asked to express a location preference, from the advertised locations. Any offer made will be based on that specific location. ​ 

• London

• Wolverhampton

• Darlington

• Leeds

• Manchester

• Bristol 

• Birmingham

• Hastings

Salary 

For external appointments, remuneration for this role will be £85,000 pa plus a bonus opportunity depending on performance (within the normal Civil Service pay arrangements) and attractive pension.​

For existing civil servants, the usual policy on level transfer and promotion will apply and is non-negotiable. If appointed on promotion you would get the higher of 10% uplift or the new minimum for Deputy Director (£75,000 p/a)

Future pay awards will normally be made in line with current SCS performance-related pay arrangements.

Reserve List  

In the event that we identify more appointable candidates than we currently have posts available, we will hold applicant details in a reserve list for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made. Candidates placed on a reserve list will be informed of this.

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Near Miss Offers​ 

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.

Security Clearance 

All DLUHC colleagues must meet the Baseline Personnel Security Standard. This is a series of basic security checks to confirm identity and employment history.

In addition to the BPSS, the level of security clearance required for this role is Security Check (SC) and the process can take up to 8 weeks to complete. For more details of vetting levels and requirements please refer to the Cabinet Office HMG Personnel Security Controls.

Complaints Process 

Please see candidate pack slide 23 for details.