Job description

Are you passionate about using cutting-edge technology to gain powerful insights from data? Do you thrive on development and delivery in a fast-paced environment? If so, we would love to hear from you.

Our ambition is to transform MHCLG into a department which truly uses its data to power policy thinking, to monitor progress and outcomes, and uses the latest digital tools to make daily tasks insightful and straightforward. We want to enable better decision making and collaborative working. We want to provide powerful new insights for our policies and their impact and outcomes in different places. We want to streamline and reduce the effort to provide latest data in briefings and provide access to performance metrics from any device, anywhere. We want everyone in the organisation to be able to easily see what data MHCLG holds, and then be able to access and use that data in their work.

Our key priority is to introduce the latest cloud technologies so that MHCLG Analysts and the wider Department can:

• Quickly and efficiently acquire, store and link together significant new and complex data sources – in particular on land and property.

• Introduce new analytical techniques (particularly Data Science applications), to glean powerful insights from this growing data portfolio.

• Prepare and share high-impact outputs with partners and users, including making greater use of interactive digital tools.

You will be joining us at the beginning of an exciting work programme to modernise our significant portfolio of digital, analytical, data and technology products and services. These include:

• Rationalising and streamlining analytical data stores – with an innovative new data catalog to help users discover, safely and securely access and re-use our datasets and associated outputs via a range of analytical tools.

• The Data Analytics Platform – available from end-November, the DAP will be new cloud technology hosted with Amazon Web services. It replaces current internal legacy analytical systems and databases, enabling us to improve how we store, process and glean insights from our growing statistical and geographic data sources.

• OpenDataCommunities – the Department’s flagship service for publishing and sharing its data in fully open, accessible and re-usable forms.

• Expanding our ‘Data Science’ function – introducing new tools and analytical techniques to enrich intelligence and insights for priorities in the MHCLG’s single departmental plan.

The Role

You will help us to deliver user-centred improvements to our analytical databases and digital tools and you will be part of a specialist team leading innovative work for analysts and MHCLG as a whole to transform how we acquire, store, analyse and use our rapidly expanding data portfolio.

Drawing on your management and team leadership expertise, you will ensure that our analytical tools and databases meet the technology standards and business requirements, and successfully deliver these iteratively into production.

Delivery management is new to the team, so you’ll also need to be a strong advocate for this way of working. You’ll need to help mentor the stakeholders you work with as well as your immediate colleagues, and help embed the philosophies of continuous improvement in the department.

Key Responsibilities

You will be responsible for steering & managing delivery of projects to improve ICT services and platforms focusing around the portfolio of digital data and technology products and services.

You will support in establishing new delivery processes in line with the teams overall product roadmap and data strategy as well as ensure that performance standards are maintained

Working with the Senior Delivery Manager, you will employ Agile approaches to ensure consistency, transparency and predictability across our team and the project/service lifecycle – from sprint planning, through to sprint demos and retrospectives. You will help to ensure the team: shares their achievements and expertise; is protected from external influences that slow down the delivery pace; and, successfully overcome any blockers.

You will also support delivery of the Department’s Data Strategy: coordinating with relevant Product and Delivery Managers to gather and report progress and issues to MHCLG’s Data Programme Board.

Key Criteria

Successful candidates will be able to demonstrate the following skills & experience:

• A successful track record as a Delivery Management Professional.

• Experience of using Agile methodologies to deliver a range projects, products and/or services.

• A strong technical background, ideally backed by experience in defining and managing delivery of digital tools or databases for specialist (analytical) user communities.

• Proven experience of balancing conflicting priorities and an ability to manage your own workload where it spans across multiple areas/teams.

Successful candidates will be able to demonstrate the following personal attributes:

• You will be professionally curious taking an interest in the wider community and always looking for the next big thing.

• You will be a strong advocate for continuous professional development and be an ambassador for changing the culture across government.

Selection process details

Please submit your CV and statement of suitability outlining how your skills are suited to the role. Please follow the link to Be Applied to submit your CV and to answer the suitability question. Your CV and suitability question should outline how your skills are suited to the role thinking about the key criteria as listed in the job description.

If we receive high volumes of applications then we shall carry out the sift against the following capabilities from the key criteria:

• Proven experience of using agile methodologies to deliver a range of project, products or services

• Evidence of a strong technical background

• Experience of managing conflicting priorities

Final interviews may also include an additional assessment or presentation exercise. Please note that your CV must demonstrate evidence of the key criteria for you to be progressed to the next stage.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Contact point for applicants

For further information about this role, please contact Rebekah.Ramsay@twentysevenconsulting.co.uk or SallyAnne.Barber@twentysevenconsulting.co.uk