Deputy Director Platforms and Technology

Job summary

This is an exciting time to join the Digital, Information, and Security Directorate within the department for Transport as we restructure our directorate to ensure are ready for future challenges building a more sustainable, skilled, and in-house capability and ensuring that we are well equipped to efficiently and expertly deal with the increased and ever evolving cyber-security threat, and lead the digital transformation of the department to realise the Government’s ambitions set out in the Blueprint for a Modern Digital Government.

Our restructuring will require a significant change in how we work to ensure we deliver clear outcomes to our customers and continue to learn and improve. As part of the senior leadership team, the role will be pivotal in creating, shaping, and nurturing the cultural change needed and through strong leadership and role modelling will reinforce the directorate’s cultural goals.

Platforms and Technology

This role will sit at the head of our Platforms Function.

This team is responsible for the efficient delivery of secure, robust, and scalable technology foundations to enable digital delivery and transformation across DfTc and the wider DfT Group.

This multi-disciplinary team is dedicated to delivering robust technological foundations that support digital transformation, including maintaining a secure and compliant IT environment, enabling collaboration and digital productivity, and ensuring scalable and reliable IT services.

The team drives innovation through data-driven insights and supports a connected, integrated IT infrastructure. The team are also responsible for managing security operations and cyber resilience, overseeing cloud computing and infrastructure, and guiding technology architecture.

Job description

Responsibilities of the role include:

This is a new role within the directorate that draws together our architecture, cloud and cyber-security operations capability. You will be expected to deliver a step-change in our capabilities in these areas.

Working as part of a talented team, at this role level, you will:

• Rebuild the organisation’s architecture capability, drive further strengthening of our cyber-security posture, and ensure diligent management of the configuration of our cloud estate
• Develop, deliver and continuously maintain a capability development plan for the Platforms and Technology team to ensure they are meeting the evolving
• requirements of the wider directorate and organisation
• Actively engage the wider organisation to understand and evaluate the organisation’s range of information and communication technology requirements
• Create a strategy and vision for technology that aligns with the organisation’s broader digital strategy and enables the organisation to achieve its objectives
• Lead the organisation in implementing this technology strategy
• Put in place a technology architecture that provides secure and reliable infrastructure and ensures financial efficiency of technology spend
• Ensure systems and services are continuously operational and resistant to attacks and disasters
• Enable the organisation to be innovative and adopt new technologies that offer value
• Work within appropriate levels of risk
• Ensure people have the tools, technical skills and working environment they need
• Create working practices and process that support effective delivery

You will:

• Role model positive behaviours and support the embedding of the new operating model and the changes to the ways of working, including continuous personal development.
• Effectively line manage a team embedding the civil service line management standards and consistently applying the line management policies and processes
• expected, e.g. managing performance, career conversations, team development, succession planning.
• Develop and implement clear and effective team development plans.

Person specification

You will need to be able to show, through your application, that you have the professional skills, breadth of experience and personal qualities for this post, as well as the leadership skills to succeed at Deputy Director level in the Senior Civil Service.

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

We will be looking at your experience, career history and achievements that are relevant to this role. We expect you to demonstrate that you are capable against the following experience, behaviours, and technical skills to succeed in this role:

• Proven senior leadership experience in the design, delivery and operation of large-scale digital platforms or enterprise technology environments, demonstrably aligned to organisational strategy and user outcomes
• Demonstrable experience of operating as an effective and collaborative member of a senior leadership team, contributing to collective decision-making, shared accountability and cross-directorate outcomes, while balancing ownership of a defined portfolio with the need to support and enable peers to deliver broader organisational priorities.
• A strong track record of setting and executing technology strategy, including platform modernisation, cloud adoption, and the transition from legacy environments to secure, scalable, and resilient services
• Deep understanding of modern digital, data and technology practices, including platform engineering, infrastructure, end-user computing, and identity and access management, with the ability to make sound architectural and investment decisions at pace
• Strong financial and commercial acumen, with experience of owning and managing significant budgets, shaping investment cases, and delivering value for money in a fiscally constrained environment
• A clear understanding of technology risk, security, resilience and dependency management, including the ability to balance pace of delivery with operational stability,
  assurance and compliance obligations

Experience

You will have experience in, and the ability to:

• Provide leadership to a team with a broad range of technical skills
• Build the capability of the team, identifying and filling gaps as necessary, and plan the develop of the capability to meet future requirements
• Technical experience of working in cloud computing, architecture and cyber security operations

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £95,000, Department for Transport contributes £27,521 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).

Whatever your role, we take your career and development seriously, and want to enable you to build a really successful career with the Department and wider Civil Service.

It is crucial that our employees have the right skills to develop their careers and meet the challenges ahead, and you’ll benefit from regular performance and development reviews to ensure this development is ongoing. As a Civil Service employee, you’ll be entitled to a large range of benefits.

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

The Civil Service values and supports all its employees.

We have strong and pro-active staff networks, special leave policies for hospital appointments, reasonable adjustments put in place for those who need them, and diversity talent programmes to help everyone irrespective of background, to achieve their potential.

Pension

Your pension is a valuable part of your total reward package.

A competitive contributory pension scheme that you can enter as soon as you join where we will make a significant contribution to the cost of your pension; where your contributions come out of your salary before any tax is taken; and where your pension will continue to provide valuable benefits for you and your family if you are too ill to continue to work or die before you retire. Visit Civil Service Pension Scheme for more details. >

Generous Annual Leave and Bank Holiday Allowance

25 days annual leave on entry, increasing on a sliding scale to 30 days after 5 years’ service (allowance is pro rata for part-time employees). This is in addition to 8 public holidays.

This will be complimented by one further day paid privilege entitlement to mark the King’s Birthday.

Staff Wellbeing

Flexible working including part-time or term-time working and access to Flexible Working Schemes allowing you to vary your working day as long as you work your total hours.

Generous paid maternity and paternity leave which is notably more than the statutory minimum offered by many other employers.

Childcare benefits (policy for new employees as of 5 April 2018): The government has introduced the Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) scheme. Working parents can open an online childcare account and for every £8 they pay in, the government adds £2, up to a maximum of £2000 a year for each child or £4000 for a disabled child. Parents then use the funds to pay for registered childcare. Existing employees may be able to continue to claim childcare vouchers, so please check how the policy would work for you here. Any move to the DfT from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments.

Onsite facilities Opportunity to use onsite facilities including fitness centres and staff canteens (where applicable).

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

To apply for this post, you will need to complete the online form. This should be completed no later than 23:55 on Monday 31st August.

The application will include:

• 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.
• A Statement of Suitability (no longer than 1000 words) explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the 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.

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.

Should you encounter any issues with your online application please get in touch with us via IndiaScarlett.Horton@sandersonplc.com

Shortlist

Your application will be acknowledged when it is received.

The panel will select a shortlist of candidates whose applications best demonstrate suitability for the role, by considering the evidence provided against the essential criteria set out in the Person Specification.

Candidates applying under the Disability Confident Scheme who meet the minimum selection criteria in the job specification are guaranteed an interview.

Assessment

Shortlisted candidates may be asked to take part in a series of assessments which could include:

• Individual Leadership Assessment – acombination of psychometric assessments
• Staff Engagement Exercise - a presentation and Q&A with a representative staff group from across the DfT.

These assessments will not result in a pass or fail decision. Rather, they are designed to support the panel’s decision making and highlight areas for the panel to explore further at interview.

Interview

You will be asked to attend a panel interview in order to have a more in-depth discussion of your previous experience and professional competence in relation to the criteria set out in the Person Specification.

The Success Profile Framework will be used to assess and recruit the most suitable candidate. As well as Experience, we will also be using the following four behaviours at the interview stage:

• Leadership
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing

Further information about Success Profiles can be found here:

You will be asked to attend a panel interview in order to have a more in-depth discussion of your previous experience and professional competence in relation to the criteria set out in the Person Specification.

Interviews are expected to take place in our London office.

As part of the interview, candidates will be given a topic which they will be asked to talk through their approach. This will be given 30 minutes before the interview to allow time to prepare.

Offer and Feedback

Unfortunately, due to the anticipated number of applicants for this role, we are unable to provide feedback to those not successful at shortlist stage. Candidates who are shortlisted and attend an interview will be offered verbal feedback from a member of the interview panel.

The timeline later in this pack indicates the date by which decisions are expected to be made, all candidates will be advised of the outcome as soon as possible thereafter, and we will advise on any delays.

Expected Timeline

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. You are therefore asked to note the below timetable, exercising flexibility through the recruitment and selection process, in order to meet the dates given. Please note that these dates may be subject to change.

The anticipated timetable is as follows:

Advert Closing Date 23:55 Monday 31st August

Shortlist 16/09/2026

Assessments w/c 24/09/2026

Panel Interviews w/c 5/10/2026

If your application is successful but you have been dismissed from the Civil Service, your application could be removed at the pre-employment checking stage depending on the nature of the dismissal.

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment. A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5-year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

All external applicants and current employees of accredited non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) will be required to undergo a Social Media Check. A Social Media Check is a review of your publicly available online activity, typically across platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and others. The purpose is to identify any public posts or content that could raise concerns for employers, such as:

• Hate speech or discriminatory behaviour
• Threats or acts of violence
• Illegal activity or substance misuse
• Sexually explicit material
• Extremist views or affiliations

Importantly, this check does not involve hacking into your accounts or accessing private messages. It only considers content you have chosen to make public. Employers use this kind of screening to help ensure their workplace remains safe, inclusive, and aligned with company values. It’s not about judging your personality or lifestyle - it’s about checking for potential red flags that might affect the role or company culture. If you have questions or concerns about the social media check, we would be happy to explain in more detail what’s being looked at and how your data is handled securely and fairly.

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 developed vetting (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

Open to UK nationals only.

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 : India Scarlett
• Email : IndiaScarlett.Horton@sandersonplc.com

Recruitment team

• Email : SCS.Recruitment@dft.gov.uk

Further information

Civil Service Commission 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.

In accordance with the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles, our recruitment and selection processes are underpinned by the requirement of appointment on the basis of merit by fair and open competition. 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; scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

If you are not satisfied with the response you receive you can contact the Civil Service Commission at info@csc.gov.uk and more information can be found at www.civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk

Attachments

Deputy Director Platforms and Technology CIP (1) Opens in new window (pdf, 4927kB)