Deputy Director Defra group Service Management

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Cheshire, UK

Hybrid

Expires: Expiring in less than 3 weeks

Full time

£81,000 per year

Job summary

You will provide senior ownership and accountability for Defra group's "Gold" tier outsource contracts with Shared Services Connected Limited (SSCL), delivering all HR, Finance and Commercial transactional services and provision of an Enterprise Resource Planning system to Defra and 8 Arm's Length Bodies (ALBs), leading the Shared Services team that manage these contracts. This includes leading and maintaining the commercial relationship, service and financial management of the current supplier, overseeing performance and working collaboratively to drive improvements focused on end user experience.

You will be a key contributor to the current activities in the future Government Shared Services Strategy space, leading for Defra in shaping future shared services, particularly Business Process Services (BPS), under the multi-departmental Synergy Programme and drive Synergy Shared Services Hub design to deliver for Defra group. This will include overseeing transition work between our current shared services supplier and future solution providers, contributing to a seamless cut-over experience for Defra group

You will be responsible for Quality Management across Defra, including provision of controlled documentation for the group via the Content Cloud+ Content Management System, which is required to maintain critical International Standards Organisations (ISO) accreditations. You will lead the Quality Management team in expanding Defra's Quality and Content Management offering across Defra group, including onboarding new ALBs to our solution.

You will support delivery of Group Corporate Services (GCS) across Defra group partners through the management and oversight of the GCS Service Catalogue detailing functional service offerings, leading improvements to the same and measuring the user experience of our Defra GCS model. Through visible leadership, establishing strong relationships and excellent stakeholder management, you will champion and grow understanding of the GCS model across Defra group and wider government.

Given the responsibility and breadth of this role, Defra are seeking someone resilient, experienced at leading multi-disciplinary, high-calibre teams, with strong people leadership skills to drive a diverse and inclusive working culture and deliver against demanding timescales across diverse customer groups.

Job description

Key Responsibilities

Lead and maintain excellent commercial and business relationships and effective contract and service management for the Independent Shared Service Centre 2 (ISSC2) Call-off Agreements with SSCL, acting as the principal customer liaison point and ensuring SSCL deliver against contracted performance.
Oversee and manage all commercial activity in relation to the ISSC2 Call-off Agreements for Defra group, including complex dispute resolution, protecting Defra group interests' as necessary and ensuring positive feedback is achieved from all customers
Be accountable for service specification, contract change and change control. Liaising effectively with departmental functional leads and process owners to communicate changing requirements within Defra group and drive a strong performance improvement agenda with particular focus on end user experience.
Monitor the services provided by and performance of SSCL, identifying risk areas and agreeing mitigation strategies as needed.
Successfully navigate the complex cross-government stakeholder environment in relation to the ISSC2 Agreement (and future Synergy solutions), driving decisions and influencing in Defra group's favour as needed.
Financial management of both ISSC2 Call-off Agreements with SSCL, from a substantial budget allocation.
Drive continuous improvement, identifying opportunities to improve outcomes through innovation, technology, process improvement and talent development as well as Identifying and delivering efficiencies.
Demonstrate senior leadership across Group Corporate Services to ensure shared services are delivered in a way that integrates with other functions and ensures better outcomes for functional teams and end users.
Build and maintain excellent relationships with the Synergy@Defrateam to ensure Defra's future alignment to Synergy shared services solutions.
Be the Defra group lead for Synergy Business Process Services (BPS) and Synergy Shared Services Hub design. Taking responsibility for ensuring Defra group requirements are understood and met and utilising lessons learnt from ISSC2 to drive solution and process improvements for an enhanced user experience.
Provide strong, visible leadership, championing service management through oversight, improvement and management of the GCS Service Catalogue, cascade vision and translate into Defra strategic approach and delivery.
Foster strong GCS engagement strategies to build senior level relationships with Defra group partners.
Provide regular briefings to senior functional staff within Defra advising of risks and issues that may impact Defra, identifying mitigations and management strategies.
Carry out horizon scanning for potential future issues that may affect delivery and building relationships and interventions to address these prior to them adversely impacting the project understanding how to mitigate issues.
Lead service stabilisation of the new Content Cloud+ Content Management System, delivering controlled documentation for the Defra group and taking on Senior Responsible Officer responsibilities during the final phases of the recent delivery project.
Champion the quality of Defra group operational business content and improving its accessibility for all users.

Person specification

Candidates CV and Personal Statement should demonstrate the following essential criteria:
To succeed in this role, you will require the ability to collaborate across a complex stakeholder environment and a commitment to drive change through shared services. The successful candidate will need to demonstrate their knowledge, experience, capability and behavioural approach to a high standard against the following key criteria:

Essential Criteria
• Significant previous experience of leading shared services in a multi-customer environment, as well as experience of managing outsourced/commercial relationships to deliver vital services across a large department or entity.
• Experience of successfully working with a broad range of senior stakeholders and external partners, demonstrating the communications skills, impact and gravitas to effectively challenge assumptions and influence direction in a complex environment. Able to build consensus across a large and diverse group of stakeholders.
• Experience of managing complex systems, demonstrating ability to understand functional and end user requirements and operate in a contentious improvement environment with focus on end user experience.
• A track record of delivering against demanding timescales, across diverse customer groups, working with ambiguity and managing conflict resolution.
• Experience as project senior responsible officer and of Quality and Content Management systems and services.
• Strong people leadership skills, with a track record of developing, leading and motivating large, multi-disciplinary and geographically dispersed teams, driving a diverse and inclusive working culture, with evidence of successful budget management and spend control of significant financial allocations (>£25million/annum).

Desirable Criteria:
• Evidence of extensive understanding and experience working with both the ISSC2 Agreement and Synergy Programme, due to the pace in this area at present.
• Commercially and legally minded, with sound business acumen and a strong focus on performance, value for money and financial management.
• Ability to drive performance improvement in a contractual environment.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £81,000, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 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.

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

Application Process
As part of the application process, candidates are asked to complete a CV and Personal Statement (no more than 1250 words) on how your relevant skills and experience meet the essential criteria. Completed applications must be submitted no later than the closing date of Sunday 1st February 2026

Sift

A sift will be conducted against the key criteria above and will assess your experience. The sift is to be conducted w/c 9th February 2026

Interviews

You will be asked to attend a virtual panel interview in order to have a more in-depth discussion of your previous experience and professional competence in relation to the essential criteria for the role

As part of the interview, we would ask you to prepare and present a short presentation and will confirm the topic in the interview invitation. You will be assessed on the following behaviours at the interview stage: Leadership,

Communicating and Influencing, Making Effective Decisions and Managing a Quality Service.

Other Information

Please let us know what adjustments we can put in place to help you through the recruitment process if you are disabled.

Candidates who pass the interview criteria but are not offered a post may be kept on a reserve list for 12 months and may be offered similar roles across the department.

Defra Is committed to ‘name blind’ sifting. That means that identifying characteristics such as your name, gender, age, address are removed from your application until after shortlisting for interview has taken place.

The level of security clearance required for this role is CTC and must be willing to obtain SC when in post.

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 counter-terrorist 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

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Contact point for applicants

Salary range

£81,000 per year