Director General, Defence Chief Digital and Information Officer

Job summary

Director General Defence Chief Digital & Information Officer (DG DCD&IO) is a mission‑critical leadership role at the heart of UK Defence. This role is responsible for defining and delivering the digital strategy, transformation, and technical backbone required to enable an integrated, modern, and battle‑ready Defence enterprise.

Job description

As the senior digital authority across Defence, DG DCD&IO will lead the development of a single Digital Strategy for Defence, ensuring maximum value from more than £4.6BN in digital investment. The role will shape and operate the digital ecosystem underpinning the UK’s ability to deter, fight, and win—connecting people, platforms, and data across the Armed Forces, the intelligence community, and international partners.

This is a system‑wide role of exceptional scale, overseeing a workforce of over 3,000 digital, data, cyber, and technology specialists, and driving transformation across a globally dispersed Defence environment. DG DCD&IO will be accountable for maintaining a resilient digital enterprise; exploiting AI, data, synthetic environments, and emerging technologies; and ensuring Defence’s critical systems are secure, modern, and ready for the future fight.

DG DCD&IO will set the direction for the Digital Backbone, enabling coherent architectures, robust standards, and a unified approach to data and digital enablement. Working across the National Armaments Director Group—which brings together Defence Equipment & Support, Defence Digital, Dstl, Defence Infrastructure, Defence Commercial & Industry, Defence Support, and wider corporate functions—the role will drive integration and ensure digital delivery aligns to the outcomes of the Strategic Defence Review.

Person specification

Success will require an inspiring and authoritative digital leader with deep technical expertise and a proven track record of delivering major digital and data transformations in highly complex, high‑profile environments. The postholder will operate with credibility at Ministerial level, across Government, with NATO and Five Eyes partners, and with CEOs across Defence industry.

We are seeking an exceptional systems leader—strategic, collaborative, and decisive—who can mobilise talent, modernise ways of working, and lead large‑scale transformation at pace. You will bring board‑level influence, commercial acumen, and the ability to drive cross‑enterprise alignment in service of national security.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £270,000, Ministry of Defence contributes £78,219 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

Please refer to the Candidate Brief attached below for more information.

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

Security

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 : Korn Ferry
• Email : DCDIO@KornFerry.com

Recruitment team

• Email : DCDIO@KornFerry.com

Attachments

Candidate Brief - DG, Defence Chief Digital & Information Officer Opens in new window (pdf, 1223kB)