Business Transformation Lead

Job summary

At DSIT we’re all about improving people’s lives by maximising the potential of science & technology.

We accelerate innovation, investment and productivity through world-class science, research and development.

We use technology for good by ensuring new and existing technologies are safely developed and deployed across the UK, with the benefits more widely shared.

We are driving forward a modern digital government which gives citizens a more satisfying experience and their time back.

We do all this to enable the Government’s 5 national missions: kickstarting economic growth, making Britain a clean energy superpower, taking back our streets, breaking down barriers to opportunity and building an NHS fit for the future.

Above all, we focus on improving people’s lives. Whether it’s researching new treatments for disease, developing better batteries, reducing burdens through better public services, keeping children safe online, and much more, outcomes for citizens are at the heart of what we do.

Our Inclusive Environment

We offer flexible working benefits, employee well-being support and a great pension. We are enormously proud to be a Disability Confident Leader employer. We support candidates with adjustments throughout our recruitment process. Information about disability confidence and just some examples of the adjustments that you can request can be found in the reasonable adjustment section below.

Find Out More

We regularly run events where you can find out more about the department and tips for the application and interview process. You can sign up for upcoming events here: https://forms.office.com/e/Jae3B4w7xm

You can also follow our LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/dsitcareers/

Job description

About CustomerFirst

Long phone queues, repeated form-filling, and endless paperwork will be cut out as technology is put to work to transform public services, modernise government, and accelerate national renewal across the UK.

CustomerFirst transforms how public services are designed, delivered and operated. Driving efficiency while radically improving the experience for citizens and the staff who deliver services. We work in partnership with government departments, taking inspiration from the best of industry and leading practice across the public sector. Our focus is on fixing the root causes of poor customer service: fragmented journeys, inefficient processes and systems that don’t join up.

CustomerFirst exists to make government services work better for the people who rely on them and for the teams who run them. Not incrementally better. Fundamentally better.

We will do this by transforming four services over the next two year taking a NewCo approach. We are pioneering a NewCo approach that provides a practical, evidence-led mechanism to rapidly improve services where traditional structures cannot deliver fast or joined-up change.

Ours is a high performing, fast-paced team, that embraces challenge and uncertainty. We are proud of our collaborative, warm culture and focus on goals.

Job description

As the Business Transformation Lead, you will sit at the heart of CustomerFirst’s work. You will design and drive the behavioural and operational changes required to make redesigned services genuinely work, not just on paper, but in live delivery environments.

This is not a traditional change role focused on communication plans or training delivery. You will be embedded in delivery teams, working directly alongside designers, product managers, engineers, policy and operations leaders to shift how services are built, run and continuously improved.

You will operate in complex, ambiguous environments where:

• The problem is not always clearly defined
• Incentives are misaligned
• Governance can get in the way of good outcomes

Your role is to cut through that complexity, create clarity and momentum, and help teams and leaders make change stick.

You will be curious and a problem solver by nature. You can be dropped in the deep end with little context and are always able to find a way through. The role is best suited to people who are comfortable working with evolving goals, navigating ambiguity and shaping direction alongside others.

If you thrive in uncertainty, enjoy reframing problems and are motivated by seeing services genuinely improve for real users, you are likely to thrive here.

As this role is Grade 7 level, you’ll be expected to take ownership of significant pieces of work, operate with a high degree of autonomy, and act as a trusted adviser.

Person specification

What you’ll do:

You’ll work with partners across government to define challenges and deliver practical improvements.

Diagnose problems and create clarity

• Quickly understand how services operate across policy, process, governance and delivery
• Identify what problems really need solving, especially where goals are unclear or contested
• Cut through complexity to define clear priorities and practical operating models

Design and deliver meaningful change

• Lead system-level change that simplifies services and reduces effort for users and staff
• Design new ways of working and the behaviours needed to make them succeed
• Turn transformation ambition into a small number of clear, executable actions

Embed change and make it stick

• Work hands-on with teams to test, iterate and implement change in live environments
• Overcome barriers to adoption (structural, cultural, political or technical)
• Build ownership and capabilitay in partner teams so change endures
• Use simple measures to track adoption and impact over time

Build trust and shape delivery

• Build strong relationships across operational, digital, policy and senior roles
• Provide clear, confident advice and challenge constructively where needed
• Role model a fast-paced, outcomes-focused approach and contribute to evolving Customer First’s transformation model

Essential Criteria

We are not looking for a traditional change manager.

We are looking for someone who:

• Has led end-to-end business transformation in complex organisations, shaping operating models, ways of working or services across multiple teams, functions or systems
• Has delivered measurable outcomes at pace, demonstrating the ability to move from problem identification through to implementation and tangible impact
• Can influence and align stakeholders at all levels, including senior leaders, to drive decisions, unblock delivery and sustain change
• Can work effectively in ambiguity, diagnosing unclear or contested problems and creating clarity, direction and momentum for teams

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Delivering at Pace
• Changing and Improving
• Communicating and Influencing

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £56,850, Department for Science, Innovation & Technology contributes £16,469 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology offers a competitive mix of benefits including:

• A culture of flexible working, such as job sharing, homeworking and compressed hours.
• Automatic enrolment into the Civil Service Pension Scheme, with an employer contribution of 28.97%.
• A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by 1 day per year up to a maximum of 30.
• An extensive range of learning & professional development opportunities, which all staff are actively encouraged to pursue.
• Access to a range of retail, travel and lifestyle employee discounts.

Office attendance

The Department operates a discretionary hybrid working policy, which provides for a combination of working hours from your place of work and from your home in the UK. The current expectation for staff is to attend the office or non-home based location for 40-60% of the time over the accounting period.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV and personal statement.

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Applications will be sifted on CV and Personal Statement.

In the event of a large number of applicants, applications will be sifted on the personal statement only.

This vacancy will have a two stage interview process.

First stage interview

The first interview will be a 60-minute video interview which will consist of a presentation, followed by a number of behaviour questions against the following Civil Service Behaviours:

• Delivering at Pace
• Changing and Improving
• Communicating and Influencing

Interviewees will be asked to deliver a presentation; further details will be provided nearer the time.

Final stage interview

Candidates who are successful at the first interview will be invited to a final stage panel interview with CustomerFirst’s Director or a member of the senior leadership team alongside wider team members. In this interview, we will want to understand your motivations for applying to CustomerFirst and will ask you to provide examples of your experience that demonstrate how:

• Mission Driven you are – demonstrating a clear understanding of an organisation’s purpose and uses past decisions, actions and trade-offs to show genuine commitment to delivery meaningful outcomes
• Disruptive you have been – constructively challenges the default, bringing evidence‑based and testable alternatives.
• Comfortable with ambiguity – maintains momentum while adapting priorities as new information emerges.

Sift and interview dates

Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.

Further Information

Existing Civil Servants and applicants from accredited NDPBs are eligible to apply,and can be considered on loan basis (Civil Servants) or secondment (accredited NDPBs). Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return.

Reasonable Adjustment

We are proud to be a disability confident leader and we welcome applications from disabled candidates and candidates with long-term conditions.

Information about the Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) and some examples of adjustments that we offer to disabled candidates and candidates with long-term health conditions during our recruitment process can be found in our DSIT Candidate Guidance. A DSIT Plain Text Version of the guidance is also available.

We encourage candidates to discuss their adjustment needs by emailing the job contact which can be found under the contact point for applicants section.

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

A location based reserve list of successful candidates will be kept for 12 months. Should another role become available within that period you may be offered this position.

Candidates who meet the minimum benchmark may be placed on a Reserve List for consideration for similar roles, including those at a lower grade. Candidates who narrowly miss the benchmark and are not placed on the Reserve List may still be considered for an offer in a similar role at a lower grade.

Please note terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.

Any move to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology 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; for further information visit the Childcare Choices website.

DSIT does not normally offer full home working (i.e. working at home); but we do offer a variety of flexible working options (including occasionally working from home).

DSIT cannot offer Visa sponsorship to candidates through this campaign.

DSIT holds a Visa sponsorship licence but this can only be used for certain roles and this campaign does not qualify.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

Feedback

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Amie Wilsdon-Tagg
• Email : Amie.WilsdonTagg@dsit.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : dsitresourcing.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Further information

Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. If you feel that your application has not been treated in accordance with the recruitment principles, and wish to make a complaint, then you should contact in the first instance DSITrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk . If you are not satisfied with the response that you receive, then you can contact the Civil Service Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages: Click here to visit Civil Service Commission/Complaints.

Attachments

DSIT T&Cs v1.2 Opens in new window (docx, 179kB)