Director for Growth, Investment and Engagement

Job summary

As senior leaders in DSIT, Directors play a pivotal role in delivering the Department’s mission to build brilliant digital services, drive growth through science and innovation, and prepare the UK for transformative technologies. They are accountable for delivering their directorate’s priorities, making evidence-based decisions and aligning outcomes with ministerial goals.

Directors maintain robust governance and risk controls, manage budgets and resources to ensure efficiency and value for money. In their role, they also represent DSIT across government and with external partners – contributing to crosscutting initiatives and senior leadership forums. Directors ensure timely, accurate reporting to ministers and the executive committee, anticipate emerging technologies and policy challenges, and position DSIT for future success.

Directors should role-model behaviours that foster trust, openness and collaboration. They guide staff through change with clarity and empathy, champion equality, diversity and wellbeing, and build capability and resilience across their teams. Directors empower colleagues at all levels and support the development of deputy directors. They are expected to exemplify the Department’s core values – Expert Together, Inventive, and Impact Driven – by encouraging collaboration, championing innovation and focusing on outcomes that benefit citizens and the country.

Through their leadership, Directors help create an empowered, inclusive and high performing culture that is unique to DSIT.

• Champion collaborative working by investing in learning, supporting colleagues, and harnessing expertise from diverse backgrounds and disciplines.
• Empower teams to experiment, take thoughtful risks, and lead from any level, sharing lessons learned and promoting the use of cutting-edge technologies.
• Focus on delivering visible impact for citizens and the UK, making clear choices and communicating outcomes and decisions transparently.
• Operate at scale, prioritising national security and ensuring that work is informed by user insights, evidence, and data.
• Promote openness by regularly sharing progress, celebrating successes, and inviting feedback to drive continuous improvement.

As Director (SCS2) for the Growth, Investment and Engagement Directorate you will line manage multiple Deputy Director teams working from DSIT offices across the UK. You will report to the Growth, Science and International Director General and play a key part in DSIT’s senior leadership team.

Job description

Key challenges for the role

• Set DSIT’s growth strategy and deliver it in partnership with teams across the department, leading DSIT’s work on industrial strategy
• Lead DSIT’s investment and engagement work to create a central DSIT hub for priority investments, working closely with partners
• Strengthen the UK tech ecosystem and access to finance, and ensure the UK remains attractive for both challenger firms and major tech investors.
• Lead the Regulatory Innovation Office as a core growth lever, setting strategy and delivering reform that enables innovation
• Deploy regulatory, commercial and public sector levers to unlock growth, including coordinating DSIT’s regulatory agenda, driving innovative procurement
• Leading the work of the Government Office for Tech Transfer on public sector knowledge assets to maximise economic impact.

Responsibilities

• Lead on growth strategy for DSIT, building on the Industrial Strategy. Working with teams across DSIT, agree and implement a plan for how we use DSIT’s levers to drive economic growth around the UK in the short, medium and longer term. This should be based on the modern Industrial Strategy and include leading on the cross-cutting strands of that work across HMG, working closely with lead technology and sector teams in DSIT.
• Lead on coordination of investment and engagement for DSIT. Be the ‘hub’ for investment across DSIT, coordinating our approach to high priority investments and how we deploy ministers. Working closely with DSIT sector teams, the Office for Investment and other teams across government, pull in experts to support use of appropriate financial mechanisms and work with tech and sector teams to engage with industry to understand barriers to investment and secure high priority investments.
• Drive inclusive and long-term growth in the tech ecosystem across the UK, helping create an enabling business environment and championing the wider digital and tech sector’s interests in government. Work closely with the tech and sector teams, NSSIF and Sovereign AI to support startup and challenger companies to compete and thrive and remove the specific barriers to tech companies scaling.
• Lead the work of the Regulatory Innovation Office. Develop and implement policy and strategy for agreed priority areas, working with cross government teams and ensuring the Regulatory Horizons Council delivers on government objectives. Lead engagement with regulators, businesses, investors and other government departments to identify challenges, secure opportunities, accelerate innovation and build consensus around RIO’s approach and operating model. Champion international best practice.
• Deliver on the Government Office for Technology Transfer vision and priorities. Deliver the objectives of the Knowledge Assets programme, working closely with the public sector client base, senior leaders across government, investors and industry to develop a pipeline of knowledge asset opportunities and support the delivery of commercialisation outcomes. Champion an entrepreneurial culture and innovative approach to knowledge asset management, fostering an environment that supports KA commercialisation.

Person specification

Essential criteria

• Strategic vision and analytical capability: Take a strategic approach to identify growth opportunities and anticipate future challenges, juggling short-term pressures with long-term goals, with a proven ability to lead in a complex environment.
• Experience working on economic policies. Experience and understanding of economic growth policy, demonstrated through delivery of policies or programmes to boost industry innovation, investment or competitiveness. An understanding of economic policy levers (regulatory reform, funding incentives, skills programmes) and how they can stimulate R&D and business growth and comfort working in an environment that spans economic growth, national security, science and technology.
• Delivery of complex cross-sector programmes: Evidence of effectively delivering complex programmes or initiatives that span multiple sectors or departments. You must be able to adjust priorities swiftly as situations change, enabling the organisation to remain focused on core priorities. You must have a record of developing evidence-based approaches.
• Collaboration and stakeholder management: Excellent ability to engage, influence, and partner with a broad range of senior stakeholders in the private sector, academia, and across government, from CEOs of tech companies and venture capitalists to university vice-chancellors and civic leaders. You need to be adept at convening and chairing roundtables, brokering collaborations and addressing stakeholder concerns. Strong negotiation and relationship skills are essential.
• Inclusive leadership: Track record of building a teamthat prizes inclusion, values diversity, and promotes a positive culture both within and outside the organisation. You must ensure the wellbeing of all individuals is valued, with evidence of confronting issues and challenging assumptions at the highest levels in an assertive yet constructive way. You will be a role model for Civil Service values.

Desirable criteria

• Experience in the private sector or investment community: Time spent in industry or in an investment role could be useful
• Knowledge of international innovation systems: An understanding of how other leading nations support innovation and attract investment could be beneficial.
• Public profile and communication: Given the engagement aspect of the role, strong public speaking and advocacy skills are helpful

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £100,000, Department for Science, Innovation & Technology contributes £28,970 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.

You’ll benefit from a wide range of training and development opportunities, 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. This includes:

Annual Leave and Bank Holiday Allowance

25 days annual leave on entry, increasing on a sliding scale to 30 days after 5 years’ service. This is in addition to 8 public holidays and one day’s leave for the King's birthday.

Pension

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.

Flexible Working

Flexible working patterns and access to Flexible Working Schemes allowing you to vary your working day as long as you work your total hours.

Parental Leave

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

Season Ticket & Bicycle Loan

Interest-free loans allowing you to spread the cost of an annual travel season ticket or a new bicycle.

Onsite Facilities

The opportunity to use onsite facilities including staff canteens (where applicable).

Sick Pay

Occupational sick pay.

Any move to DSIT from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may, however, be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at: https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

Office attendance

The Department operates a discretionary hybrid working policy, which provides for a combination of working hours from your place of work and from your home in the UK. The current expectation for staff is to attend the office or non-home based location for 40-60% of the time over the accounting period. Senior Civil Servant (SCS) staff are expected to aim for closer to 60% of the time at an office or non-home based location over the accounting period.

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

TOWN HALL CANDIDATE ENGAGEMENT SESSION

DSIT will be holding an informal information session via MSTeams on Wednesday 1st July 2026 for potential applicants to find out more about the role of Deputy Director Data Assets & Contracts. Whether you are contemplating an application, or simply want more insight into the role and its potential impact, this session will provide you with a much better understanding of the environment, expectations and ambitions of DSIT’s digital and AI agendas.

Please email dg.sig@dsit.gov.uk by midday 30 June 2026 to register your interest in attending. DSIT will then send you an MSTeams invite.

Looking to join anonymously? Here’s a how-to-guide:

1. Click on the MSTeams link.
2. Select Join.
3. Select Change at the top of the meeting pre-join screen.
4. Select Join without signing in.
5. Type your name in at the top of the pre-join screen.
6. Select Join to enter the meeting.

We hope you can join us for this insightful session. Please use the following link to join us here

Please note that we are unable to provide feedback to those candidates who are not shortlisted for an interview.

Written feedback will be made available (on request) to those candidates who attend the interview.

If you are unable to apply online, please contact scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

To apply for this post, you will need to submit a CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements, along with a statement of suitability (1250 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. Failure to complete both sections of the online application form (CV and Statement of Suitability) will mean the panel only have limited information on which to assess your application against the criteria in the person specification. You must complete this by no later than 23:55 on Monday 6 July 2026.

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’. See the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy for more information.

Should you encounter any issues with your online application please get in touch with us via: scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

The timeline later in this pack 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.

ASSESSMENT

If you are shortlisted, you will be asked to take part in a Staff Engagement Exercise in advance of the final panel interview. This assessment will not result in a pass or fail decision. Rather, it is designed to support the panel’s decision making and highlight areas for the panel to explore further at interview.

Shortlisted candidates can request an informal conversation about the role with the DG, Alexandra Jones. This discussion does not form part of the assessment.

Full details of the assessment process will be provided to shortlisted candidates at the earliest opportunity. For further information regarding the assessments please visit - https://scs-assessments.co.uk/ .

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.

As part of the process there may be assessment of skills either by a presentation or simulated exercise with follow up questions. Full details of the requirements will be given to shortlisted candidates ahead of their 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. A reserve list will be held for up to 12 months, which we may use to fill future suitable vacancies.

Christopher Pilgrim a Civil Service Commissioner, will chair the recruitment process.

The Civil Service Commission has two primary functions:

1. Providing assurance that selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit on the basis of fair and open competition. For the most senior posts in the Civil Service, the Commission discharges its responsibilities directly by overseeing the recruitment process and by a Commissioner chairing the selection panel.
2. Hearing and determining appeals made by civil servants under the Civil Service Code which sets out the Civil Service values – Impartiality, Objectivity, Integrity and Honesty - and forms part of the relationship between civil servants and their employer. More detailed information can be found on the Civil Service Commission website.

In addition to Christopher Pilgrim the panel will also consist of Alexandra Jones -Director General for Growth, Science and International and two other panellists to be confirmed.

Should the panel need to change for any reason, any candidates who reach the final interview stage will be notified in advance of the interview.

Expected time line

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, to meet the dates given. Please note that these dates are only indicative may be subject to change. If you anticipate any difficulties attending, please alert scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.ukupon application

Advert closing date 23:55 Monday 6th July 2026

Shortlist Thursday 16th July 2026

Assessments W/C 27th July 2026

Panel Interviews W/C 3rd August 2026

Further Information

It is expected that interviews will be conducted in-person in 22 Whitehall, London, SW1A 2EG, however this will be confirmed during the shortlisting process and successful candidates will be informed accordingly.

Reasonable Adjustment

We are proud to be a disability confident leader and we welcome applications from disabled candidates and candidates with long-term conditions.

Information about the Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) and some examples of adjustments that we offer to disabled candidates and candidates with long-term health conditions during our recruitment process can be found in our DSIT Candidate Guidance. A DSIT Plain Text Version of the guidance is also available.

We encourage candidates to discuss their adjustment needs by emailing the job contact which can be found under the contact point for applicants section.

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

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 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 : SCS Recruitment Team
• Email : scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : scscandidate.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/

Attachments

DSIT Accessibility Template Opens in new window (docx, 212kB)DSIT Director for Growth, Investment and Engagement Candidate Information Pack - Opens in new window (pdf, 11MB)