Census Test Lead - Programme Delivery Manager

Job summary

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is the UK’s largest producer of official statistics, covering a range of key economic, social and demographic topics. These include measuring changes in the value of the UK economy, estimating the size, geographic distribution and characteristics of the population, and providing indicators of price inflation, employment, earnings, crime and migration.

Census 2031 represents our most ambitious data collection project yet – a once-in-a-decade opportunity to capture a complete picture of everyone living in England and Wales. Building on the digital success of 2021, we're pioneering new ways to reach every household and community, ensuring no one is left uncounted. This vital work will provide the foundation for policy decisions, resource allocation, and community planning for the next decade.

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Census Delivery & Operations team as a Census Test Lead Programme Delivery Manager within the Service Design, Integration & Testing division.

Your work will support delivery of this transformational project that will shape how we understand and support our nation's future. You’ll be part of a team that ensures
everyone is counted—and every voice is heard. We're building a culture that values collaboration, fresh thinking, and respect for diverse expertise.

Job description

We are seeking an experienced and dynamic Test Delivery Lead to lead the end‑to‑end testing strategy for the Census Programme. You’ll shape the approach for a critical national service that impacts millions, providing clear, evidence‑based assurance on readiness, risk and delivery across complex digital and operational services. Bringing together SIT, UAT, OAT and non‑functional testing, you’ll align programmes, manage critical dependencies and lead multidisciplinary teams as a Programme Delivery Manager to remove barriers and deliver reliable, high‑quality outcomes in partnership with senior business owners and the central test function.

A Programme Delivery Manager is accountable for the delivery of complex products and services that are being delivered by multiple teams or have high technical or political risk.

• Manage dependencies of varying complexity, potentially planning, and feeding into larger programmes and portfolios.
• Remove blockers and manage risks, commercials, budgets, and people.
• Balance objectives and can redeploy people and resources as priorities change.
• Have an in-depth knowledge of agile and other methodologies.
• Are responsible for understanding, managing, and communicating between complex stakeholder groups, balancing priorities.
• Are the initial escalation point for the programme and must have an awareness of the bigger picture.
• Support the programme director by overseeing the delivery of their vision for the programme.
• Support and coach delivery managers.

Responsibilities:

• Lead delivery where multiple product or service teams need to collaborate to deliver and ensures interdependencies and cross-cutting team issues are dealt with.
• Ensure that agile principles and practices are deeply embedded and that all teams have the right skills and access to development that they need to do their roles.
• Support product owners to set priorities by ensuring the product vision is clearly articulated by the product owner and thereby helping to define the roadmap for the products and service and translate that into an achievable backlog.
• Support the team to engage with product owner to communicate what is achievable in a given time.
• Build a relationship specifically with product owner/manager, sponsor, and genuine stakeholders so that they remain on-board throughout, and ensure others are not allowed to divert resources or influence priorities.
• Encourage a culture of innovation focused on adding value
• Effectively manage team dynamics when working across departmental and other boundaries
• Actively develop agile capability of teams, learning, sharing, and re-applying skills and knowledge and bringing in good practice
• Effectively engage with, set direction for, and manage suppliers to get optimum value.
• Communicate service performance against key indicators to internal and external stakeholders.

Person specification

Essential Criteria:

• Agile and Lean practices (Expert) - Coach and lead teams in Agile and Lean good practices. Create and tailor the right approach for a team, challenging, evaluating and iterating the approach through the life cycle. Experiment with new and innovative ways of working to improve delivery across the organisation. Act as a recognised expert and advocate for Agile and Lean approaches.
• Life cycle management (Expert) - Lead and coach teams through different phases of the life cycle. Ensure effective support for the product or service and its
  users. Predict, prevent, mitigate and manage potential risks at different phases of the life cycle. Contribute to the assessment of other teams, providing guidance and support.
• Maintaining delivery momentum (Expert) - Optimise the delivery flow of teams. Actively address the most complicated risks, issues and dependencies including
  where ownership exists outside the team or no clear ownership exists. Identify innovative ways to unblock issues.
• Community Collaboration (Expert) - Act as a champion for community-led initiatives, supporting their delivery and encouraging broader engagement. Foster
  engagement and encourage active participation in the community, role modelling collaborative behaviours. Advocate and role model knowledge sharing (for example,mentoring community leads). Work with the Head of Function/Head of Practice/Community Lead to develop the maturity of the community and
  professional growth of its members, providing leadership, feedback and insight.
• Communicating between the technical and non-technical (Expert) - Mediate between people and strengthen relationships, adopting the appropriate communication method with stakeholders at all levels. Manage stakeholder expectations and moderate difficult discussions about high risk and complex topics,
  even within constrained timescales. Speak on behalf of, and represent the community to, large audiences inside and outside the organisation.

Behaviours

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

• Managing a Quality Service
• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together

Technical skills

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

• Agile tools and techniques and the ability to apply the appropriate methodology to support effective delivery.
• A proven record of working in complex deliveries that have had high technical or political risk.
• Working knowledge of Project Delivery including, workforce management, risk management, commercial and financial management activities and processes.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £68,199, Office for National Statistics contributes £19,757 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

The Office for National Statistics is part of the Civil Service, and as such we share a number of key benefits with other departments, whilst also having our own unique offerings to support our valued colleagues across the organisation.

Whether you are hearing about us for the first time or already know a bit about our organisation, we hope that our careers site will give you a great insight into the benefits and facilities available to our colleagues, and our fantastic working culture.

Inclusion & Accessibility

At ONS we are always looking to attract the very best people from the widest possible talent pool, and we are proud to be an inclusive, equal opportunities employer. As a Disability Confident Leader we’re committed to ensuring that all candidates are treated fairly throughout the recruitment process.

As part of our application process, you will be prompted to provide details of any reasonable adjustments to our recruitment process that you need. If you would like to discuss any reasonable adjustments before applying, please contact the recruitment team in the first instance.

If you would like an accessible version of any of the attachments or recruitment documents below or linked to in this advert, please contact the recruitment team who will be happy to assist.

ONS are committed to flexible ways of working that support a healthy work-life balance. ONS has already considered how this job could be right sized for applicants working flexibly and we are happy to explore options with you about working part time, in a job share or flexibly, in line with our hybrid working policies.

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, Experience and Technical skills.

Security Clearance

For ONS the requirement for SC clearance is to have been present in the UK for 3 consecutive years immediately prior to applying and the department will consider eligibility by exception on a case-by-case basis. You will be asked to provide information regarding your UK residency during your application, and failure to provide this will result in your application being rejected.

At the point of SC application, you will need to provide or give access to the following evidence:

• Departmental or company records (personnel files, staff reports, sick leave reports and security records)
• UK criminal records covering both spent and unspent criminal records
• Your credit and financial history with a credit reference agency

• Security Services records

Visa Sponsorship

ONS can offer visa sponsorship as part of this recruitment campaign. However, applicants must still hold valid right to work in the UK at the point employment commences.

To work at the ONS, candidates must meet both UK right to work and security clearance requirements (where applicable).

If you are unsure whether you meet the appropriate right to work or security clearance eligibility criteria, please refer to the guidance on Gov.uk or contact the recruitment email provided in the advert before applying. Failure to meet these requirements will result in your application being rejected and employment offers being withdrawn.

Application Process

Number of Stages: 2 stage process

Stage 1: Application

Stage 2: Interview

Stage 1 – Application

The assessment process at the application stage will be based on your work history, CV, skills, experience, and personal statement. It is important that your application is tailored to highlight the skills, knowledge, and experience relevant to the role.

A personal statement is required at application stage, the maximum word count allowed is 1250 words, which should not be exceeded. You should provide evidence for each essential skill criterion listed in the person specification. As these criteria are scored, it is advisable to give clear examples for each one, including the impact of your actions, ideally utilising the STAR technique (Situation, Task, Action, Result).

Please note that Success Profiles Behaviour examples are not required at this stage of the application process.

In instances where a high number of applications are received, the sift pass mark may be adjusted, and candidates will be invited to interview based on merit order, i.e., those with the highest scores.

When a high volume of applications are received, the sift pass mark may be adjusted. Candidates will be invited to interview based on their merit order, with those achieving the highest scores being prioritised. Applicants who score below the adjusted pass mark but still pass will be placed on hold and may be invited to interview at a later date.

Stage 2 – Interview

If invited to interview, you will be assessed using techniques aligned with the Civil Service Success Profiles framework, covering all behaviours listed in the job advert and any required technical skills.

You will be required to provide a 10 minute presentation at interview. The presentation topic will be emailed to candidates who have passed the initial online application stage, 1 week prior to interview. This presentation will assess candidates against the Success Profiles Behaviour Communicating and influencing.

A reserve list may be held for a period up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made.

We often have similar roles available at different grades. If a candidate is suitable for a similar role or a lower grade than they have applied for, we may offer the candidate that role without the need to go through a further selection process providing the role has the same behaviours, and essential skills.

Important Dates

• Eligibility checks from 27/05 - 03/06
• Sift will be conducted from 04/06/2026
• Interviews will be conducted from 17/06/2026

For the full terms and conditions of the post, please see attachment.

Please note that all campaigns may be subject to withdrawal at any stage if the internal resource position changes.

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 : Government Digital and Data Recruitment
• Email : Government-Digital-and-Data-Recruitment@ons.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : Government-Digital-and-Data-Recruitment@ons.gov.uk

Further information

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact recruitment.complaints@ons.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission

Attachments

2721 Advert 4B Fixed Term Between One and Two Years - ONS National v1-00 (2) Opens in new window (pdf, 134kB)