Chief Technology Officer

Job summary

We are seeking an inspiring and strategic Chief Technology Officer to lead the next stage of our DDaT Strategy.

This is a rare opportunity to reshape how DCMS works from the inside out. Reporting to the Chief Digital Information Officer, you will drive a major DDaT transformation to modernise IT, assurance, cyber security and technology services, while enabling digital delivery teams to innovate and build digital, data and AI capability across the department.

Job description

You will lead the transition to a new operating model that strengthens governance, improves service resilience and enables multidisciplinary teams to collaborate effectively. You will play a key leadership role in the strategic departmental moves to Microsoft from Google, Integrated Corporate Services and joining the cross government shared services programme of Matrix.

We are looking for a senior leader who can turn technological possibility into operational reality, driving efficiency, maturing capability and leading DCMS through a three year change journey. Critical for success in this role will not only be the ability to lead a technological shift but also a people-centred and cultural shift. We are looking for exceptional leadership abilities to drive professionalism, modern ways of working and a customer-centred philosophy of delivery.

The Chief Technology Officer’s team is the technical centre of DCMS, leading the department's major DDaT transformation and ensuring our digital foundations are secure, resilient, and high-performing.

Under the leadership of the CTO, the team is structured to deliver essential services and strategic change, encompassing:

• Technical services & IT service management: delivering and supporting all core IT infrastructure, platforms, and end-user services, focusing on operational delivery, efficiency, and embedding best practices at scale.
• Cyber security: protecting the department's systems and data, owning our security strategy, and providing robust technical assurance.
• Information governance: managing Knowledge and Information Management (KIM) and Operational Data Protection to ensure compliance, proper data handling, and effective risk management across all technology usage.

Collectively, we define and execute the long-term technical roadmap, translate emerging technology into secure reality, manage strategic supplier ecosystems, and drive cross-government collaboration to deliver maximum public value.

Person specification

Essential Requirements

• Strategic digital and technology leadership: proven experience in setting direction and delivering technology strategies in complex organisations, to 1,000+ users, overseeing £5m+ annual budget. With experience of complex platform migration and integration (eg Google Workspace to Microsoft 365 or similar multi-cloud environments).
• Operational technology delivery: track record of stablising high-risk live services and embedding best practice and a customer-centric philosophy at scale. Demonstrable success managing the deployment and stabilisation of enterprise scale SaaS solutions in highly regulated or high-security environments alongside establishing and maintaining Continuous Integration/ Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) practices for digital and data products and services.
• Information governance, risk, and cyber security: strong understanding of technology governance, KIM/data protection, risk management and cyber security principles, with the ability to balance innovation with compliance and operational resilience.
• Financial decision making for technology: ability to set budgets, justify investment in technology and make strategic trade offs between immediate operational needs and long-term value.
• Stakeholder, supplier, and collaboration: demonstrable ability to influence and engage senior stakeholders, manage and drive accountability in complex supplier ecosystems and work collaboratively across government or large organisations.

Desirable Skills

• Modern Security Models: experience of establishing a DevSecOps and operational resilience testing practice to manage evolving threat landscape.
• Shared services: success driving value for money and financial control in shared services models.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £81,000, Department for Culture, Media and Sport contributes £23,465 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

DCMS values its staff and offers a wide range of benefits to everyone who works here. We’re committed to developing talent, and supporting colleagues to have great careers in our department. To support with that, some of the benefits we offer include:

• Flexible working arrangements and hybrid working - DCMS staff work on a flexible basis with time spent in offices, and time spent working from home

• 25 days annual leave on entry, increasing to 30 days after 5 years’ service

• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

• Access to the Edenred employee benefits system which offers discounts to popular retailers and access to various useful resources such as financial and savings advice

• 3 days of paid volunteering leave

• Up to 9 months maternity leave on full pay + generous paternity and adoption leave

• Staff reward and recognition bonuses that operate throughout the year

• Occupational sick pay

• Access to the Employee Assistance Programme which offers staff 24/7 confidential support and resources such as counselling, debt guidance and management advice

• Active and engaged staff networks to join including the LGBT+, Ethnic Diversity, Mental Health and Wellbeing and Gender Equality Networks

• Exceptional learning and development opportunities that you can explore alongside your day to day work

• Season ticket loan, cycle to work scheme and much more!

Terms and conditions at SCS grades will vary. Those applying for SCS roles should refer to the candidate information pack for more information on terms and conditions.

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

To apply for this vacancy, you will need to submit the following via an online application which will assessed against the essential requirements for the role:

• A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you provide employment history that relates to the essential and desirable criteria, and that any gaps in employment history within the last 2 years are explained. The CV should not exceed more than 2 x A4 pages and you should insert your CV into the "Job History" section on Civil Service Jobs on the Civil Service Jobs application form.
• A Statement of Suitability (max 1000 words) explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role in reference to the essential requirements highlighted.

For the shortlist, we will select applicants who demonstrate the best fit for the role by considering the evidence provided in your application and how this meets the essential requirements.

In the event of a large number of applicants, an initial sift will be conducted on the statement of suitability. Those who are successful in the initial sift will then be scored on all elements of the application.

Should you encounter any issues with your online application please get in touch with: scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.This role has a minimum assignment duration of 3 years. An assignment duration is the period of time a Senior Civil Servant is expected to remain in the same post to enable them to deliver on the agreed key business outcomes. The assignment duration also supports your career through building your depth of expertise.

As part of accepting this role you will be agreeing to the expected assignment duration set out above. This will not result in a contractual change to your terms and conditions. Please note this is an expectation only, it is not something which is written into your terms and conditions or indeed which the employing organisation or you are bound by. It will depend on your personal circumstances at a particular time and business needs, for example, would not preclude any absence like family friendly leave. It is nonetheless an important expectation, which is why we ask you to confirm you agree to the assignment duration set out above.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).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 : SCS Recruitment
• Email : scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Recruitment team

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

Further information

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should contact the Head of Resourcing at recruitment.team@dcms.gov.uk, in the first instance.

Attachments

_Chief Technology Officer SCS1 - DCMS SCS Candidate Information Pack Opens in new window (pdf, 4537kB)Deputy Director - Chief Technology Officer DCMS Accessibility Pack (1) (1) Opens in new window (docx, 31kB)