Head of Business Systems and Development

Thurrock Council

Grays RM17 6SL, UK

Hybrid

Expires: Expiring in less than 4 weeks

Full time

£75,312 - £87,033 per year

Job Description

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Job Title: Head of Business Systems & Development
Salary: £75,312 – £87,033 per annum (pro rata if part-time)
Grade: I
Contract Type: Permanent
Working Hours: 37 hours per week

About the Department

This is a new role which sits within the ICT and Digital team in the Corporate Services Directorate. This is a newly structured team responsible for supporting and enabling the Council to deliver modern services, through resilient technology infrastructure and a wide range of digital applications which are constantly being developed and improved as digital innovations emerge. The team works collaboratively across council services, providing digital services to residents and service users whilst ensuring colleagues have the devices and access to systems to keep services running and continually improving.

As Head of Business Systems & Development, you will play a central role in delivering the council’s strategic objectives by leading the management and operations of the Business Systems, Platform Development & Automation and Spatial Data teams. You will ensure these provisions work together to provide a cohesive enterprise architecture for the business requirements of the Council which is always innovating and keeping up to date with emerging technologies.

About the Role

As a Business Systems & Development, you will be responsible for:

Leading, planning, developing and delivering an expert professional Business Systems and Development service that ensures the Council’s applications, platforms and digital development operations are highly available, functional, and evolving so that high-standard services can be delivered on budget to colleagues, service users, and residents. The role works closely with internal customers, stakeholders, and corporate governance as well as suppliers.

The role is accountable for the development and delivery of the Enterprise Architecture and Digital Roadmap and for overall digital development that enables transformation.

The scope of the role includes:

Owning the council’s Enterprise Architecture and Digital Roadmap, driving delivery in collaboration with colleagues
Accountable for the development, deployment, and maintenance of business-critical applications and systems, ensuring they meet the needs of end-users and stakeholders.
Drive the adoption of modern software development methodologies and practices, promoting agility and innovation in application development and delivery.
The Council’s “digital front door” technology, ensuring residents and service users can access and transact with ease.
Supply Chain Management of Application, Platform and Automation tools including procurement and contracts
Automation and development team, which incorporates developers and platform product owners working together to optimise the benefits of modern automation and AI tools.
Ensuring the security of all applications, systems, and digital tools.
Accountable for business systems resilience and continuity
The use of performance metrics and dashboards to deliver continuous improvement.
Budgetary and spend responsibility for Business Systems and Development operations including staff and suppliers.
Develop, motivate and retain a high performing team and encourage succession planning.

What We’re Looking For

We’re looking for someone who has:

Successful track record of running ICT operational functions responsible for core and critical business systems and platforms for a large and complex organisation
Demonstrated experience of successfully leading, managing, and developing an ICT service team, with a focus on customer/colleague experience and high performance.
Experience of developing and delivery of an effective and secure digital estate to support wider business objectives.
Detailed knowledge of the cyber security requirements in a large and complex organisation.
A strong technical understanding across local authority applications, platforms, and digital tools; how they integrate to form an effective Enterprise Architecture.
The ability to develop and then translate strategy and objectives into roadmaps for real actions and outcomes.

Essential qualifications: Achieved or working towards ITIL and wider architectural standards.

DBS Check: Basic Level is required for this post

Benefits of Working with Us

At Thurrock Council, we value our employees and offer a comprehensive benefits package, including:

Generous annual leave entitlement
Local Government Pension Scheme
Flexible and hybrid working opportunities (where applicable)
Ongoing training and professional development
Employee assistance programme and wellbeing support
Staff discounts and local offers
A supportive and inclusive working environment

Closing Date (Redeployment Only): 2nd April 2026

Closing Date (Internal & External): 19th April 2026

Interview Date: Week Commencing 27th April 2026

Additional Information

If you have any questions about the role or interview process, please contact:

Paul Day Interim Chief Digital Officer

paul.day@thurrock.gov.uk | 01375 652856

To view the Job Profile and Person Specification, please follow the link below:

Download Job Profile (PDF Document)

If the Job Profile and Person Specification list any qualifications as essential, please also upload copies of those relevant qualifications.

About Us

Why Thurrock?

Working at Thurrock Council gives you the opportunity to join an organisation that is changing at pace, one where you can make a real difference to the lives of the people we serve.

Thurrock Council is moving towards a new community leadership approach which involves linking with local partners and communities as we shape our improvement for the years ahead.

This is an exciting time to join us, to shape the future success of our changing organisation and to have a positive influence on our borough.

Our location

Thurrock is located on the north bank of the river Thames. Our urban centres are a vibrant mix of established towns and new young communities, with a diverse and growing population of around 160,000 residents.

We are an emerging cultural and arts centre, home to the production centre for the Royal Opera House and the National Skills Academy for Creative and Cultural Skills. We have excellent retail and leisure opportunities, including Lakeside Shopping Centre, country parks, forests, and marshes.

Thurrock is just half an hour journey away from the centre of London by train and well connected by road.

Staff benefits

We offer lots of staff benefits, including a generous annual leave entitlement and hybrid working. We champion flexible working and job share applications are welcome.

Further information can be found here Employment benefits | Working for the council | Thurrock Council

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

Thurrock Council is committed to equal opportunities. As a Disability Confident Employer, disabled people will be offered an interview where they meet all essential criteria on the person specification.

We serve a diverse community where people are different yet equal. Diversity underpins everything we do.

For further information about Thurrock Council please visit our website: Thurrock Council

About us