Deputy Director – Digital Enablement & Assurance

Job summary

This senior leadership role is within the Digital function of MHCLG, it is at the centre of how the department delivers change.

You will shape how major policies, programmes and services are designed, funded and delivered - ensuring they are grounded in user need, deliverable in practice and deliver strong value for money.

Working across the department and its wider system as well as oversight on our Arm’s Length Bodies, you will influence senior leaders, strengthen delivery confidence and build the capability needed to deliver at scale.

Job description

Shape better decisions

• Work with senior leaders to shape policy, programmes and investment decisions at the earliest stages, ensuring digital, data and technology considerations are embedded from the outset.

• Influence how funding and resources are prioritised towards the highest-value, most deliverable initiatives.

• Provide strategic insight and challenge to improve decision-making and delivery outcomes.

Strengthen delivery and assurance

• Lead the department’s digital assurance approach across a complex portfolio of programmes and services.

• Provide constructive challenge, insight and hands-on support to improve delivery confidence, manage risk and resolve barriers.

• Work with delivery teams and senior stakeholders to identify opportunities for intervention and improvement.

Drive value for money

• Improve business cases, governance and planning to enable faster, better delivery.

• Support smarter decisions on sourcing, delivery models and organisational capability.

• Ensure investment decisions reflect user needs, strategic priorities and deliver measurable outcomes.

Build capability and modern ways of working

• Embed digital, data and technology approaches including user-centred design, agile delivery and product-based ways of working.

• Strengthen in-house capability and reduce over-reliance on third parties.

• Build confidence across the organisation in using digital approaches to deliver better outcomes.

Enable innovation and AI adoption

• Support the practical adoption of AI and data-driven tools to improve productivity, decision-making and organisational effectiveness.

• Help the department identify and realise opportunities from emerging technologies.

What success looks like:

• Stronger digital, data and technology capability across the organisation

• Major programmes delivering with greater confidence, stronger assurance and improved value for money

• Digital embedded in policy, planning and reform - not treated as a downstream delivery function

• A more capable, confident and self-reliant organisation

Person specification

We are looking for an exceptional senior leader who can operate strategically, influence across organisational boundaries and deliver outcomes in a complex and changing environment.

You will be a confident and credible leader, able to work with senior stakeholders to shape decisions, provide constructive challenge and build alignment across competing priorities. You will bring strong digital, data, technology or transformation expertise, alongside the leadership capability to strengthen organisational capability, improve delivery confidence and embed modern ways of working.

You will be comfortable operating in ambiguity, translating complex challenges into practical solutions and delivering impact through collaboration across the department and wider system.

Essential criteria:

• Significant senior experience leading digital, data, technology or transformation agendas in complex organisations, with experience delivering digital and technology-enabled outcomes at scale.

• Strong track record of influencing senior stakeholders and delivering outcomes beyond direct areas of responsibility, operating credibly in complex and high-profile environments.

• Experience of leading successful delivery, improvement or transformation of services, programmes or products, with a strong focus on user need, outcomes and value for money.

• Experience providing strategic assurance, challenge and support across complex portfolios, improving delivery confidence, managing risk and enabling better decisions.

• Experience shaping investment decisions, business cases, governance or delivery approaches to improve outcomes and maximise value.

Desirable criteria

• Experience of assurance, governance or portfolio oversight

• Experience working in government or similarly complex public sector environments

• Experience building organisational capability and reducing dependency on suppliers

• Experience applying AI or data-driven approaches to deliver measurable outcomes

Why join us

• Influence major national programmes and high-profile reform activity

• Work at the intersection of policy, delivery and digital

• Deliver tangible impact on outcomes, efficiency and public services

• Be part of a senior leadership community shaping the future of the department

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £81,000, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government 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 (opens in a new window).At MHCLG we offer many benefits that range from tailored career pathways and flexible working to MyLifestyle Staff Benefits Scheme and Cycle to Work Schemes. For more information, please click here.

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

We are MHCLG

How to Apply - To apply you will need to submit a CV and Statement of Suitability via the Be Applied link. Your CV (up to two pages) should set out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years. Your Statement of Suitability (up to two pages) should explain how your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential and desirable criteria for the role.

Equal Opportunities - We encourage candidates to complete the Equal Opportunities Monitoring Data via Be Applied. The data will be treated in the strictest confidence and used for monitoring and statistical purposes only.

Interview Schemes - MHCLG is a Disability Confident employer and is committed to protecting and promoting the physical and mental health of all colleagues and applicants. We also operate the Great Place to Work for Veterans and Redeployment schemes. Applicants applying under these schemes who meet the essential criteria, will be invited to interview.

The Panel - Gill Stewart director and hiring manager, Other panel members TBC.

Additionally, the panel may be joined by one of our staff representatives from a pool of volunteers as part of our commitments to diversity and inclusion.

Shortlist - Applications will be sifted after the closing date and shortlisted candidates will be invited to the next phase of assessment and interview. Your CV and Statement of Suitability will be assessed against the essential criteria, these will also be used to form the basis of the panel’s final interview questions. Desirable criteria will only be used to determine the merit order of candidates who rank evenly against the essential criteria.

Assessment - Shortlisted candidates may be invited to attend a Staff Engagement Panel, designed to provide insight into how you engage and interact with your team. Feedback from the session is passed to the panel for consideration alongside your final interview.

Candidates may also be invited to meet with a Senior Stakeholder. This is not a formal part of selection, but an informal chance to find out more about the role and organisation.

Shortlisted candidates may also be invited to give a short presentation or complete an exercise at interviews - further details will be provided when invited to interview.

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

Expected Timeline:

• Advert Live: 29th June
• Advert Close: 19th July
• Shortlisting: W/C 27th July
• Assessments: W/C 3rd August
• Interviews: W/C 10th August

*Please note that we try to offer flexibility where possible, but it may not always be possible to offer alternative interview dates.

Salary​ - For external appointments, remuneration for this role is advertised at £81,000 pa plus a bonus opportunity depending on performance (within the normal Civil Service pay arrangements) and attractive pension. ​

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For existing civil servants, the usual policy on level transfer and promotion will apply and is non-negotiable. If appointed on promotion you would get the higher of 10% uplift or the new minimum for SCS PB1 - Deputy Director. Please also note that, if successful, any existing specialist allowances you currently receive will not automatically transfer or be retained upon moving to this role.​

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Future pay awards will normally be made in line with current SCS performance-related pay arrangements.​

Eligibility​ - This post is advertised on level transfer or promotion to existing civil servants, and externally.

Full Information & Benefits - Find out everything you need to know before applying here.

You must review the following information from the MHCLG Career's Site before submitting your application. This step is essential to ensure your eligibility for the role and that your application is completed correctly.

• Security Clearance Requirements

• Civil Service Nationality Requirements

• Right to Work

• Civil Service Code and Recruitment Principles

• CV Declaration

• Sponsorships

• Salary and Grade

• Existing Civil Servants

• Conflict of Interest

• Location and Flexible Working

• Fixed Term Contracts

• Internal Fraud Database

• Appeals and Complaints

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 : scs.recruitment@communities.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : scs.recruitment@communities.gov.uk

Further information

If you are unsure about any part of the process or require additional information about the post to enable you to progress your application, you should speak to the Resourcing team - scs.recruitment@communities.gov.uk. Candidates can appeal at any stage of the recruitment process if they believe there has been:

a procedural irregularity

an infringement of the Civil Service equal opportunities policy

exceptional circumstances which were not notified to the interview panel which might have affected performance on the day.

It is important to note that these are appeals about the process not the decision. In the first instance, an appeal should be directed to the MHCLG SCS Recruitment Team at scs.recruitment@communities.gov.uk.

If the SCS Recruitment Team is unable to satisfactorily resolve your complaint, you may contact put your complaint in writing to the Civil Service Commission, Room G8,1 Horse Guards Road, London, SW1A 2HQ or by email to: info@csc.gov.uk