Director General, Digital and Infrastructure

Job summary

This is a new role being created in the Department for Education to drive a step-change in how digital, AI, data and infrastructure capability is used to improve outcomes across the education and care sectors. The ambition is transformational: to embed digital and data into the heart of how the Department and the sector deliver outcomes, not as a separate strategy but as a powerful function influencing every major priority. This is a role with real national reach and visibility, operating at pace and scale - reshaping how education services are delivered nationwide.

The DG for Digital and Infrastructure will lead a new, highly capable and multi-disciplinary Group bringing together the digital, technology, data, and analysis functions in the Department. The DG will also lead the education estates function, with one of the top priorities for the role being to transform our capital strategy to make it more data and digitally enabled.

Job description

The DG for Digital and Infrastructure will be responsible for delivering:

1. An ambitious cross-cutting digital, AI and data strategy plan that transforms how the sector and Department deliver all their work. This means leading work across DfE and the wider sector to embed digital, AI and data into every major strategy, driving improvements in outcomes for children and learners.
2. DfE digital and technology services - leading a DDaT function of ~1800 colleagues to deliver user-centred, agile digital services to support outcomes – on everything from childcare and early years to teacher recruitment and fostering. The DG will also lead on delivery of the DfE technology strategy, including strengthening cyber resilience in the education sector and improving cyber security of DfE systems.
3. Strategic data transformation across education and care sectors, including creating a powerful data spine for easier, more automatic collection and linking of data from education and care providers; and using this to drive insight and new services, and improve outcomes for children and learners. This will include work on a Single Unique Identifier.
4. Improvements in the education estate - leading on implementing a new strategy for the education estate, linking it to wider responsibilities around improving education infrastructure. This includes delivery of major capital programmes such as the School Rebuilding Programme and several large capital funding programmes across school, colleges, nurseries and children’s homes. This function carries some of the highest levels of risk and accountability in the Department - including life-and-death decisions on safety (e.g. RAAC). The DG must exercise exceptional judgement in managing vast surveying and build programmes, making frequent rapid, high-stakes decisions.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

The Civil Service is open to talented people from anywhere in the world, and from any career background; we will always seek to identify transferable skills from the individual’s experience. To be appointed, you will need to show:

• Expertise in digital, AI and data leadership at scale: Ability to set a clear vision and strategy that transforms outcomes across a whole sector. Experience in leading large digital, data and technology functions to improve performance and ensure cyber security underpins digital and data systems.
• Delivery at pace and scale: Proven ability to lead major transformation programmes across complex delivery landscapes, working in partnership with schools, colleges, local authorities and private sector partners including in the ed tech and construction industries.
• Strategic thinking and policy influence: A track record of embedding digital and data into the core strategies of large organisations or systems, and of developing high quality, influential policies in partnership with decision-makers at the most senior levels.
• Leadership: Proven leadership experience, including through change, with evidence of the ability to build, inspire and motivate high-performing teams within an organisation of similar scale and complexity. Determination to create and maintain excellent, lean, effective teams which bring diversity of thought and take powerful action.
• Judgement and risk management: Exceptional skill in balancing huge opportunities with significant risks, calibrating engagement with a vibrant but under-evidenced and rapidly changing market. Ability to lead and change thinking over time.

Desirable Criteria

• Education expertise: Knowledge of the education or social care policy landscape and the ed tech sector is desirable. Whether they have some experience of these or not, candidates must demonstrate an interest in - and willingness to rapidly learn about – the education and care systems, and the evidence base, including on the science of learning.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £200,000, Department for Education contributes £57,940 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 see 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

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 : Global Resourcing
• Email : DFE-DG@global-resourcing.com

Recruitment team

• Email : DFE-DG@global-resourcing.com

Further information

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 contact Sarah Vale in the DG Workforce Team, Civil Service HR sarah.vale@cabinetoffice.gov.uk.

The recruitment process is being undertaken by Global Resourcing on behalf of DfE. To apply, and for a conversation about the role, please email DFE-DG@global-resourcing.com.

Attachments

DfE DG Digital and Infrastructure - Candidate Brief Opens in new window (pdf, 1233kB)

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