Delivery Manager

Job summary

The Delivery Manager is responsible for ensuring the successful delivery of digital products and services within the Digital Development and Operations (DDO) function. The role leads multidisciplinary teams and works across internal and partner organisations to deliver high-quality, user-centred outcomes aligned to organisational priorities, technical strategy, and service standards.

Working closely with Product Managers, Engineering, Platform and Architecture teams, the Delivery Manager is accountable for planning, coordinating, and managing delivery across the full-service lifecycle. This includes managing risks, dependencies, and delivery performance across both internal teams and third-party suppliers, ensuring effective collaboration and alignment to shared delivery objectives.

The role plays a key part in embedding effective delivery practices across DDO, applying Agile and iterative approaches to drive continuous improvement, transparency, and predictable delivery. The Delivery Manager works across organisational and supplier boundaries to align stakeholders, manage competing priorities, and ensure that delivery outcomes meet both user needs and business objectives.

Job description

• Lead the end-to-end delivery of digital products and services, ensuring alignment to agreed outcomes, priorities, and service standards.
• Develop and maintain delivery plans, coordinating work across multidisciplinary teams and managing dependencies, risks, and issues to ensure successful delivery.
• Work closely with Product Managers to align delivery activity with product roadmaps, priorities, and user needs.
• Manage delivery across internal teams and third-party suppliers, ensuring effective collaboration, clear accountability, and alignment to shared objectives.
• Establish and maintain delivery governance, providing clear reporting on progress, RAID, and delivery confidence to senior stakeholders.
• Facilitate Agile delivery practices, supporting teams to plan, prioritise, and continuously improve their ways of working.
• Remove impediments to delivery, escalating where necessary and driving resolution across organisational and supplier boundaries.
• Use data and delivery metrics to monitor performance, identify improvement opportunities, and support predictable, high-quality delivery.
• Build and support high-performing multidisciplinary teams, fostering a collaborative, inclusive, and outcome-focused delivery culture.

Role Purpose

The Delivery Manager is responsible for enabling the effective and predictable delivery of digital products and services across the Digital Development and Operations (DDO) function. The role ensures that multidisciplinary teams are aligned, supported, and able to deliver against agreed outcomes, balancing user needs, organisational priorities, and technical constraints. Operating within a complex, multi-supplier environment, the Delivery Manager provides leadership across delivery planning, coordination, and execution, ensuring that work is delivered in line with product strategy, architectural direction, and service standards.

Core Responsibilities

Delivery Leadership and Planning

• Lead the end-to-end delivery of digital products and services, ensuring alignment to defined outcomes, product priorities, and service standards.
• Develop, maintain, and iterate delivery plans, coordinating activity across multidisciplinary teams to ensure timely and predictable delivery.

Stakeholder Engagement and Governance

• Operate within a multidisciplinary and matrix-managed environment, working closely with a range of internal and external stakeholders to ensure successful delivery outcomes.
• Establish and maintain effective delivery governance, providing transparent reporting on progress, budgets, risks, dependencies, and delivery confidence.
• Escalate delivery challenges where required, ensuring timely resolution and minimal impact on service outcomes.

Agile Delivery and Continuous Improvement

• Lead the application of Agile and iterative delivery practices, adapting approaches to suit the needs of teams and services.
• Facilitate key delivery activities to support team effectiveness and continuous improvement.

Team Enablement and Performance

• Support the development of high-performing multidisciplinary teams by fostering a collaborative, inclusive, and outcome-focused delivery environment.
• Remove impediments to delivery, working across organisational boundaries to resolve blockers and improve flow.
• Promote sustainable delivery practices that support team wellbeing, resilience, and long-term service stability.
• Service Lifecycle and Standards
• Ensure that delivery aligns with Government Digital Service (GDS) standards and supports progression through service lifecycle phases (Discovery to Live).
• Work with teams to ensure services are designed and delivered in a way that supports scalability, maintainability, and operational sustainability.

External Organisations and Suppliers

• Coordinate with third-party suppliers and delivery partners to manage dependencies and ensure alignment to agreed outcomes and timelines.

Additional Clauses

• Contribute to the continuous improvement of delivery practices, standards, and ways of working across DDO.
• Engagement with geographically dispersed teams, partners, and stakeholders, with occasional travel where necessary.
• Undertake any other duties commensurate with the grade and responsibilities of the role.
• May provide informal mentoring or support to other Delivery Managers or team members as part of capability development.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

• Demonstrable experience in delivering digital products and services within a multidisciplinary environment, with accountability for delivery outcomes.
• Proven ability to plan, manage, and coordinate delivery across multiple teams, including managing risks, issues, and dependencies to maintain delivery confidence.
• Experience of working in Agile and iterative delivery environments, with the ability to apply and adapt delivery approaches to suit team and service needs.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to influence, negotiate, and align priorities across a range of technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Experience of working within complex organisational structures, including coordinating delivery across organisational boundaries and with third-party suppliers or partners.
• Ability to establish and maintain delivery governance, including providing clear and accurate reporting on progress, risks, and performance.
• Experience of using delivery metrics and data to monitor performance, support decision-making, and drive continuous improvement.
• Strong problem-solving skills, with the ability to identify delivery challenges, remove impediments, and escalate appropriately where required.
• Ability to support and enable high-performing teams, fostering a collaborative, inclusive, and outcome-focused delivery culture.
• Understanding of service lifecycle phases (Discovery, Alpha, Beta, Live) and experience of delivering services in line with relevant standards (e.g. GDS Service Standard).

Desirable Criteria

• Experience delivering within a public sector or regulated environment, with an understanding of governance, assurance, and compliance requirements.
• Experience of delivering cloud-based, platform, data, or digital services within complex technology landscapes.
• Experience of working with commercial and procurement teams to support supplier engagement and delivery assurance.
• Familiarity with DevOps, platform engineering, or modern software delivery practices.
• Experience contributing to delivery communities of practice or supporting capability development within a delivery profession.
• Relevant certifications or professional development in Agile, Delivery Management, or project management disciplines (e.g. Scrum, SAFe, PRINCE2 Agile), or equivalent practical experience.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £41,983, UK Health Security Agency contributes £12,162 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

We pride ourselves as being an employer of choice, promoting equality of opportunity to actively encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce. UKHSA's ethos is to be an inclusive organisation for all our staff and stakeholders. To create, nurture and sustain an inclusive culture, where differences drive innovative solutions to meet the needs of our workforce and wider communities. We do this through celebrating and protecting differences by removing barriers and promoting equity and equality of opportunity for all.

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

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 and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths, and Ability.

Stage 1: Application & Sift

You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on the listed 10 essential criteria, and this will be in the form of a:

• Application form (‘Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application)
• 1500 word supporting statement.

This should outline how you consider your skills, experience and knowledge provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential criteria.

You will receive a joint score for your application form and statement. (The application form is the kind of information you would put into your C.V –please be advised you will not be able to upload your CV. Please complete the application form in as much detail as possible). Please do not email us your CV.

Healthjobs UK has a word limit of 1500.

Longlisting: In the event of a large number of applications we will longlist into 3 piles of:

• Meets all essential criteria
• Meets some essential criteria
• Meets no essential criteria

Only those who meet ALL essential criteria will proceed to shortlisting.

Shortlisting: In the event of a large number of applications we may conduct an initial sift, on the lead criteria of:

• Demonstrable experience in delivering digital products and services within a multidisciplinary environment, with accountability for delivery outcomes
• Strong problem-solving skills, with the ability to identify delivery challenges, remove impediments, and escalate appropriately where required
• Experience of working within complex organisational structures, including coordinating delivery across organisational boundaries and with third-party suppliers or partners

Desirable criteria may be used in the event of a large number of applications/large amount of successful candidates.

If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview & assessment.

Feedback will not be provided at this stage.

Stage 2: Interview

You will be invited to a single remote interview.

Interview dates to be confirmed.

Behaviours, Strengths and Ability, will be tested at interview.

The Behaviours tested during the interview stage will be:

• Lead Behaviour - Delivering at Pace
• Communication and Influencing
• Working Together
• Managing a Quality Service

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Eligibility Criteria

External: Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including internal applicants).

Location

This role is being offered as hybrid working based at any of our Core HQs. We offer great flexible working opportunities at UKHSA and operate using a hybrid working model where business needs allow. This provides us with greater flexibility about how and where we work, to get the best from our workforce. As a hybrid worker, you will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of your contractual working hours (approximately 3 days a week pro rata, (averaged over a month) working at one of UKHSA's core HQs (Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, and London).

Our core HQ offices are modern and newly refurbished with excellent city centre transport links and benefit from co-location with other government departments such as the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC).

Security Clearance Level Requirement

Successful candidates must pass a basic disclosure and barring security check before they can be appointed.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is Baseline Personnel Security Standard.

Salary Information

If you are successful at interview, and are moving from another government department, NHS, or Local Authority, the relevant starting salary principles for level transfers or promotions will apply. Otherwise, roles are offered at the pay scale minimum for the grade, but in exceptional circumstances there may be flexibility if you are able to demonstrate you are already in receipt of an existing, higher salary. Pay increases are through the relevant annual pay award for the role and terms. If the role is to be based at multiple locations, then the section relevant to the grade of the role should be added:

Please be aware that the salary is based on the office location.

Senior Executive Officer (SEO)

• £41,983- £48,128 (National)
• £44,148- £50,121 (Outer London)
• £46,310- £52,113 (Inner London)

Future location

UKHSA is investing in a new state-of-the-art National Biosecurity Centre in Harlow, Essex, which will eventually bring together teams currently based at Canary Wharf, Colindale and Porton Down. For more details, please see: Huge biosecurity centre investment to boost pandemic protection - GOV.UK.

The new facilities will start becoming operational in the mid-2030s, with full completion by 2038. Staff will move in phases as facilities become available. If you're appointed to a role currently based at Canary Wharf, Colindale or Porton Down, please note that we'll continue investing in these sites for the next decade. As we get closer to the transition, we'll provide full information about relocation support available to staff.

Reasonable Adjustments

The Civil Service is committed to making sure that our selection methods are fair to everyone. To help you during the recruitment process, we will consider any reasonable adjustments that could help you. An adjustment is a change to the recruitment process or an adjustment at work. This is separate to the Disability Confident Scheme. If you need an adjustment to be made at any point during the recruitment process you should contact the recruitment team in confidence as soon as possible to discuss your needs.

You can find out more information about reasonable adjustments across the Civil Service here: https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/reasonable-adjustments/

International Police check

If you have spent more than 6 months abroad over the last 3 years you may need an International Police Check. This would not necessarily have to be in a single block, and it could be time accrued over that period.

Internal Fraud check

If successful for this role as one aspect of pre-employment screening, applicant’s personal details – name, national insurance number and date of birth - will be checked against the Cabinet Office Internal Fraud Hub and anyone included on the database will be refused employment unless they can show exceptional circumstances. Currently this is only for External candidates to the Civil Service.

Careers website

Please visit our careers site for more information https://gov.uk/ukhsa/careers

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.

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

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).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 : John Inglis
• Email : john.inglis@ukhsa.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitment@ukhsa.gov.uk

Further information

The law requires that selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles.

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 UKHSA Public Accountability Unit via email: Complaints@ukhsa.gov.uk

If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Visit the Civil Service Commission website: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk