Deputy Director Head of Hybrid Cloud Services

Job summary

DWP is looking to fill a role in the Digital Technology Services directorate.

The Head of Hybrid Cloud Services (HCS) will play a critical role in the design, build and operation of the Department’s strategic hosting environments in hyper-scale public cloud, as well as its on-premises hosting infrastructure.

They will do this in partnership with senior colleagues within DWP and other Government Departments.

They will lead a function of circa 200 people, which is focussed on providing a portfolio of hosting products and services to support the operation and transformation of DWP applications underpinning the delivery of the Department’s services.

Hybrid Cloud Services supports workloads for over 22 million customers, 84,000 employees and 2000 engineers.

To hear more about working for DWP:

To hear from the Vacancy Holder, Kenny Robertson about Hybrid Cloud Services:

Job description

As part of DWP Digital and Transformation Group Technology Services play a pivotal role in delivering the DWP 2030 Strategy.

The ambition is clear: by 2030, DWP will be a more digital organisation, delivering great customer service through a modern workforce, while becoming more efficient and cost-effective. Technology Services sits at the heart of making that vision a reality. Everything we do is focused on protecting critical live services while driving transformation at pace, whether through modernising our infrastructure, embedding AI into the way we work, strengthening our security, or investing in the skills and capabilities of our people.

For more information about the key responsibilities for this role please view the candidate pack attached in the advert.

Person specification

The successful candidate must be able to demonstrate their knowledge, experience and skills against the following essential criteria:

• Proven track record of leading the design, delivery and operation of large-scale Cloud and Datacentre services, including responsibility for mission-critical environments requiring high availability, resilience, security and regulatory compliance.
• Demonstrable experience of delivering cloud transformation programmes, including the migration of cloud-native and legacy services, service transitions between providers, and measurable improvements in operational performance, resilience or cost efficiency.
• Evidence of building, implementing and operating modern platform engineering capabilities, including Internal Developer Platforms, DevOps practices, automation tooling and Agile delivery approaches that have improved developer experience and service outcomes.
• Significant experience leading multidisciplinary technology teams and suppliers, with accountability for the successful delivery of complex infrastructure programmes across multiple workstreams, budgets and organisational boundaries.
• Expert-level technical knowledge of Cloud and infrastructure technologies, demonstrated through making critical technical decisions, resolving major service issues and providing leadership during complex operational escalations.
• Strong record of delivering business value through technology leadership, evidenced by strategic planning, financial management, stakeholder engagement and influencing senior leaders to achieve organisational objectives and technology transformation outcomes.

Behaviours

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

• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £86,000, Department for Work and Pensions contributes £24,914 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).

DWP have a broad benefits package built around your work-life balance which includes:

• Working patterns to support work/life balance such as job sharing, term-time working, flexi-time and compressed hours.
• Generous annual leave – at least 25 days on entry, increasing up to 30 days over time (pro–rata for part time employees), plus 9 days public and privilege leave.
• Support for financial wellbeing, including interest-free season ticket loans for travel, a cycle to work scheme and an employee discount scheme.
• Health and wellbeing support including our Employee Assistance Programme for specialist advice and counselling and the opportunity to join HASSRA a first-class programme of competitions, activities and benefits for its members (subscription payable monthly).
• Family friendly policies including enhanced maternity and shared parental leave pay after 1 year’s continuous service.
• Funded learning and development to support progress in your role and career. This includes industry recognised qualifications and accreditations, coaching, mentoring and talent development programmes.
• An inclusive and diverse environment with opportunities to join professional and interpersonal networks including Women’s Network, National Race Network, National Disability Network (THRIVE) and many more.

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 and Experience.

Application Process

To apply for this post, you will need to complete the online application process outlined below no later than 23:55 on Monday 26th October 2026

1. A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years;
2. A personal statement (maximum 1250) explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities, and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the essential criteria in the person specification.

Failure to submit both documents will mean the panel only have limited information on which to assess your application against the criteria in the person specification.

We will try and offer as much flexibility as we can, but it may not be possible to offer alternative dates for assessments or interviews. Please note, assessments will be held on 11th November and face to face interviews are scheduled for 26th November for all shortlisted candidates.

As part of the online application process, you will be asked a number of diversity-related questions. If you do not wish to provide a declaration on any of the particular characteristics, you will have the option to select 'prefer not to say’. All monitoring data will be treated in the strictest confidence and will not be provided to the selection panel. The information you provide when submitting your application will help us monitor our progress towards the Civil Service becoming the most inclusive employer.

A reserve list will be held for up to 12 months, which we may use to fill future similar vacancies for candidates who are considered appointable following interview.

Please see attached Candidate Pack for further information regarding the role and recruitment process.

Reasonable Adjustments

At DWP we value diversity and inclusion and actively encourage and welcome applications from everyone, especially those that are underrepresented in our workforce. We consider visible and non-visible disabilities, neurodiversity or learning differences, chronic medical conditions, or mental ill health. Examples include dyslexia, epilepsy, autism, chronic fatigue, or schizophrenia.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should contact senior.recruitment@dwp.gov.uk as soon as possible, before the closing date to discuss your needs. Complete the “Reasonable Adjustments” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what additional support or adjustments you might need during the recruitment process.

For further information regarding reasonable adjustments, please see following link: Reasonable Adjustments , Civil Service Careers

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 basic (or equivalent) 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 : DWP SCS Resourcing Team
• Email : senior.recruitment@dwp.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : senior.recruitment@dwp.gov.uk

Further information

What do I do if I want to make a complaint?

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, you should in the first instance contact: senior.recruitment@dwp.gov.uk

If you are not satisfied with the response, you receive you can contact the Civil Service Commission.

Attachments

Candidate Pack Deputy Director Head of Hybrid Cloud Services (1) Opens in new window (pdf, 631kB)