Deputy Director, Technology, Spectrum & Strategy

Job summary

The Digital Infrastructure (DI) directorate is responsible for policy, programmes and partnering with industry to deliver high quality, secure and resilient digital connectivity across the UK. Within DI, the Technology, Spectrum & Strategy team’s mission is to set a clear vision for the government’s approach to digital infrastructure over the next 10 years, including how we will leverage UK strengths in Advanced Connectivity Technologies (ACTs) and collaborate internationally so that future digital infrastructure supports both growth and national security.
The Deputy Director for Technology, Spectrum & Strategy leads approximately 30 staff, which includes the directorate-wide strategy, international and business support functions – alongside policy teams on ACTs, a frontier technology in the Industrial Strategy, and spectrum, a crucial enabler of wireless infrastructure and many HMG priorities.

Job description

Key objectives for the Deputy Director, include:

• Growing the UK’s industrial footprint in cutting-edge ACT technologies that will form the backbone of our future economy, society and defence, such as 5G/6G, satellite communications, advanced optical links and the convergence of AI and quantum with communications networks. Developing a 4-year £240m programme of research & development with UKRI that maintains our world-leading academic base, successfully commercialises and scales UK companies to build sovereign capability. Overseeing investment of £130m in lab infrastructure that provides critical security assurance of these technologies.Ensure that these programmes are managed to a high standard, delivering value for money to the taxpayer and clear oversight for DSIT over its objectives.
• Collaborating with international partners and industry to shape future networks in line with HMG priorities. The team has overarching responsibility for international work in the Directorate. This includes working with DSIT international teams on UK/EU co-operation on telecoms in the context of the EU’s “Made in Europe agenda”. The team also engages with a wide range of other international stakeholders on R&D collaboration coordinating with industry to influence technical standards that will form the blueprint for 6G.
• Ensuring spectrum is used efficiently and innovatively across the public and private sectors to drive growth and enable the government’s wider missions. This includes agreeing the cross-Whitehall negotiating position for Ofcom to engage in global spectrum negotiations taking place next year. There is increasing focus on spectrum from a national security perspective and the post-holder will be responsible for establishing and leading new X-Whitehall governance under NSC to ensure domestic and international spectrum strategy fully takes account of the governments geopolitical interests.
• Bringing together our digital infrastructure priorities in a coherent, forward-looking strategy, working across the directorate to cohere policy interests that span infrastructure roll-out, consumer protection, healthy markets, and national security, while strengthening strategic relationship management with key stakeholders to unlock investment.
• Delivering strong business operations and corporate support so that the directorate is effective and well-run through clear governance and oversight of current resources, leading future business planning and providing quality private office functions.
• Leading a high-performing team and fostering an inclusive, innovative culture. Developing their staff - including four Grade 6 team leaders - to their full potential. Acting as a core member of the directorate SLT, championing a corporate change priority and working closely with the director and other DDs to ensure the cross-cutting functions deliver well for the whole directorate.

Person specification

The Deputy Director must be able to:

• set clear direction for the team across this broad agenda, ensuring it is well-targeted to Ministerial priorities and the government’s missions.
• communicate persuasively with senior stakeholders across Whitehall withand international partners. This includes key relationships with the Ofcom group director for spectrum, international counterpartsto build consensus behind HMG’s objectives, demonstrating credibility with industry at CEO/CTO level, leading academics and international counterparts.
• understand the strategic impact of emerging technologies, developing policy and initiatives that will build UK advantage, including steering multi-million pound R&D interventions to achieve impact whilst ensuring value-for-money.
• balance long-term strategy with near-term delivery, thinking creatively about how to demonstrate early benefits from HMG investments, whilst retaining focus on a 10 year vision, in a sector where short-term challenges risk crowding out long-term thinking.

Essential experience:

• Leading and motivating diverse teams to deliver stretching objectives.
• Strong policy and strategic skills with evidence of applying these in a science & tech context.
• Successful oversight or sponsorship of complex projects and managing significant budgets.
• Experience of working and communicating effectively with international partners and our overseas network, including willingness to undertake occasional international travel.
• Candidates must already hold DV clearance at the point of application.

Desirable experience:

• Understanding of digital infrastructure, related technologies and markets.
• Experience of working with arm's-length bodies and regulators.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £86,000, Department for Science, Innovation & Technology 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).

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology offers a competitive mix of benefits including:

• A culture of flexible working, such as job sharing, homeworking and compressed hours.
• Automatic enrolment into the Civil Service Pension Scheme, with an employer contribution of 28.97%.
• A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by 1 day per year up to a maximum of 30.
• An extensive range of learning & professional development opportunities, which all staff are actively encouraged to pursue.
• Access to a range of retail, travel and lifestyle employee discounts.
• A hybrid office/home based working model where staff will spend a norm of 40-60% of their time in the office (minimum of 40%) over a month with flex dependent on balancing business and individual need.

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

To apply for this post, you will need to complete and submit the listed documents below to the following address: Kevin.Adams@dsit.gov.uk. These should be completed and forwarded no later than 23:55pm, Sunday 19th July 2026.

1.A CV (max 2 pages) 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.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 essential criteria in the person specification.

Both documents contribute to your overall scoring. If you do not submit both documents the panel only have limited information on which to assess your application against the criteria, meaning your application will not progress any further.

Should you encounter any issues with your application please contact: Kevin.Adams@dsit.gov.uk

Applications will be sifted to select those demonstrating the best fit with the post against the criteria set out in the person specification. Please ensure you keep this in mind when writing your CV and supporting statement (1000 words).​
The timeline further down this page indicates the date by which a decision is expected to be made, and all candidates will be advised of the outcome as soon as possible thereafter.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview.

Interview

Shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend a panel interview 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.

At interview you will be assessed against the Essential Criteria in the person specification. Candidates will also be asked to prepare a presentation for the interview.

Selection and Feedback

Regardless of the outcome, we will notify all candidates as soon as possible and will offer the opportunity to discuss feedback for all candidates who reached interview.

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

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 : dsitresourcing.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
• Email : dsitresourcing.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : dsitresourcing.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Further information

Appointment to the Civil Service is governed by the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles. If you feel that your application has not been treated in accordance with the recruitment principles, and wish to make a complaint, then you should contact in the first instance dsitresourcing.GRS@cabinetoffice.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response that you receive, then you can contact the Civil Service Commission. For further information on bringing a complaint to the Civil Service Commission please visit their web pages at: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/contact-us/

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