Head of Digital Products and Services

Job summary

We are looking for an experienced and visionary Head of Digital Product Delivery to join the Digital Development and Operations (DDO) division at UKHSA. This is a senior leadership role, responsible for establishing and embedding the Product and Delivery professions across the DDO division. You will play a critical role in shaping how we design, prioritise and deliver user-centred digital services that support UKHSA’s public health mission and embed a culture of continuous improvement across all teams. As a senior strategic role, you will have major influence over the direction and reputation of the organisation ensuring that our digital delivery model reflects both public service excellence and technological credibility.

This is a unique opportunity to shape a modern, empowered product and delivery culture at scale — building the conditions for high-performing teams to thrive in delivering meaningful, lasting outcomes for public health.

Working for your organisation

We pride ourselves as being an employer of choice, where Everyone Matters promoting equality of opportunity to actively encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce.

UKHSA ethos is to be an inclusive organisation for all our staff and stakeholders. To create, nurture and sustain an inclusive culture, where differences drive innovative solutions to meet the needs of our workforce and wider communities. We do this through celebrating and protecting differences by removing barriers and promoting equity and equality of opportunity for all.

Job description

You will lead the strategic development of both Digital Product and Delivery disciplines — creating robust frameworks, standards and training to build sustainable capability across the organisation. A core part of your remit will be supporting and enabling our product and delivery professionals to operate with confidence, clarity and impact. You will oversee the Digital portfolio of work across the DDO division.

You will ensure these functions are front and centre of our product-centric model, advocating for best practice in agile delivery, iterative design, service ownership and continuous improvement. You will work closely with other Heads of Profession and senior leaders across UKHSA to align approaches, embed ways of working, and strengthen multidisciplinary delivery teams.

Main Duties include:

• Provide strategic leadership for the Product and Delivery teams within the DDO division, setting direction, strategy, priorities and standards.
• Line management of other Grade 6 professionals within the Product and Delivery job family.
• Develop and embed frameworks, guidance and training to build a strong, sustainable capability across the product and delivery community.
• Champion a product-centric approach to service design and delivery, ensuring user needs, business value and public health outcomes are central to decision-making.
• Accountable for the delivery of the DDO portfolio of products, platforms and services throughout the end-to-end product lifecycle.

• Act as a senior leader and role model, promoting a culture of empowerment, inclusion, continuous improvement and high performance.
• Build trusted relationships with senior stakeholders to influence strategy and priorities and ensure the Product and Delivery functions are embedded in organisational planning.
• Stay abreast of emerging trends in digital and public service delivery and translate these into actionable improvements for UKHSA.
• Work with the commercial team to ensure robust contracts are in place with strong supplier management, to drive quality outcome to cost, time and quality.
• Lead creation of Digital Strategy, in collaboration with Heads of Profession across DDO and Enterprise Architecture.
• Work closely with Heads of Profession to ensure alignment of practice standards including Government Digital Service Standards, and to support cross-functional collaboration and integration.
• Lead the review, design and implementation of effective governance, agile methodologies and delivery assurance practices across multidisciplinary teams.

Working Relationships

The post-holder reports directly to the Deputy Director for Digital Development and Operations (DDO) and is a key member of the senior leadership team within the digital function. They are responsible for leading and coordinating the activities of multiple Grade 6 Product and Delivery Leads, who oversee high-priority digital services across their lifecycle.

The role requires close collaboration with Heads of Engineering, Platform, Cloud, QA, and Operations to ensure effective cross-functional delivery. The post-holder also works with commercial and procurement teams on partner performance and supplier management, and with Enterprise Architecture, Information Governance, and Service Management to ensure integrated digital governance.

Externally, the post-holder contributes to cross-government professional forums and collaborates with counterparts across DHSC, NHS bodies, and the wider GDS/DDaT community. They are expected to act as a senior advocate for the Product and Delivery professions and ensure consistency and alignment with national standards.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

• Degree-level qualification in a relevant field (e.g. Digital, Product Management, Public Administration, Computer Science) or equivalent substantial practical experience
• Extensive experience leading Digital Product and/or Delivery functions at a senior level within a digital, data, or technology environment.
• Demonstrable success defining and steering an organisation’s digital delivery strategy, aligning delivery approaches with organisational and public-sector objectives.
• Strong track record managing senior-level product, delivery and multidisciplinary professionals, including mentoring and enabling G6/G7 roles.
• Demonstrable expertise in agile delivery, service design and user-centred product development, with success embedding these practices at scale.
• Proven ability to apply product-centric approaches that improve service outcomes and organisational effectiveness.
• Deep understanding of GDS and CDDO standards, including the Government Service Standard and Technology Code of Practice.
• Deep understanding of the Government Digital and Data profession capability framework landscape.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to influence senior leaders and drive alignment across complex organisations.
• Strategic planning, prioritisation and stakeholder-management capability in multi-team, multi-supplier environments.
• Experience leading supplier engagement, managing contractual oversight, and delivering outcomes via Statements of Work.
• Strong commercial acumen, with experience driving value from partners and managing large, complex budgets on behalf of others.
• Ability to foster a high-performing, inclusive culture that supports continuous learning and improvement.
• Ability to operate with autonomy in a senior leadership role while contributing to strategic decision-making and organisational governance.

Desirable Criteria

• Certifications in Product Management, Agile Delivery or Commercial/Supplier Management (e.g. CSPO, MSP, CIPS).
• Experience working within public health, central government or regulated service environments, with an understanding of policy, operational and service delivery contexts.
• Background spanning both Product and Delivery disciplines, with the ability to operate confidently across strategy, design and implementation.
• Experience leading capability uplift and community building across dispersed or federated organisations.
• Knowledge of digital service development and its role in supporting public sector outcomes.
• Experience working in matrixed environments, balancing organisational objectives with team-level delivery needs.
• Ability to navigate ambiguity, drive cultural change and influence strategic direction in complex or evolving contexts.
• Recognised involvement in the wider digital product and delivery community (e.g. speaking, mentoring, thought leadership).
• Experience of public sector regulations, government commercial frameworks and procurement processes

The role aligns with the GDaD Product Management capability framework and GDS service standards.

Travel to UKHSA hubs may be required to support in-person workshops and stakeholder engagement.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £70,797, UK Health Security Agency contributes £20,509 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

This vacancy is using Success Profiles and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

Stage 1: Application & Sift

You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on the listed (14) essential criteria, and this will be in the form of a:

• Application form (‘Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application)
• up to 1,250 word supporting statement.

This should outline how your skills, experience, and knowledge, provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential criteria.

The Application form and supporting statement will be marked together.

Please note you will not be able to upload your CV. You must complete the application form in as much detail as possible. Please do not email us your CV.

Longlisting:

In the event of a large number of applications we will longlist into 3 piles of:

1. Meets all essential criteria
2. Meets some essential criteria
3. Meets no essential criteria

The following will be taken through to the next stage:

1. Meets all essential criteria

Shortlisting:

In the event of a large number of applications we will shortlist on the following:

• Extensive experience leading Digital Product and/or Delivery functions at a senior level within a digital, data, or technology environment.

Desirable criteria may be used in the event of a large number of applications / large amount of successful candidates.

If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview & assessment.

Please do not exceed 1,250 words. We will not consider any words over and above this number.

Feedback will not be provided at this stage.

Stage 2: Interview (success profiles)

You will be invited to a (single) face to face interview at UKSHA Canary Wharf.

Behaviours, technical, and experience, will be tested at interview.

You will be asked to prepare and present a 15 minute presentation, which will be assessing the following:

• Extensive experience in digital service delivery, including leadership in a complex, multi-team environment
• Proven ability to align delivery strategies with organisational goals and public sector objectives.

The subject of this will be sent to you prior to interview.

The Behaviours tested during the interview stage will be:

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing – Lead behaviour
• Developing Self and Others

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Location

This role is being offered as hybrid working based at any of our Core HQ’s. We offer great flexible working opportunities at UKHSA and operate using a hybrid working model where business needs allow. This provides us with greater flexibility about how and where we work, to get the best from our workforce. As a hybrid worker, you will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of your contractual working hours (approximately 3 days a week pro rata, (averaged over a month) working at one of UKHSA's core HQ’s (Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, and London) or at one of our scientific campus sites (Colindale, Porton and Chilton).

Our core HQ offices are modern and newly refurbished with excellent city centre transport link and benefit from benefit from co-location with other government departments such as the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC).

Security Clearance Level Requirement

Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is Basic Personnel Security Standard.

Eligibility Criteria – External

Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including internal applicants).

Salary Information

If you are successful at interview, and are moving from another government department, NHS, or Local Authority, the relevant starting salary principles for level transfers or promotions will apply. Otherwise, roles are offered at the pay scale minimum for the grade, but in exceptional circumstances there may be flexibility if you are able to demonstrate you are already in receipt of an existing, higher salary. Pay increases are through the relevant annual pay award for the role and terms.

Grade 6

• £70,797-£81,450 (National)
• £72,950- £83,443 (Outer London)
• £75,104- £85,436 (Inner London)

Future location

UKHSA is investing in a new state-of-the-art National Biosecurity Centre in Harlow, Essex, which will eventually bring together teams currently based at Canary Wharf, Colindale and Porton Down. For more details, please see: Huge biosecurity centre investment to boost pandemic protection - GOV.UK.

The new facilities will start becoming operational in the mid-2030s, with full completion by 2038. Staff will move in phases as facilities become available. If you're appointed to a role currently based at Canary Wharf, Colindale or Porton Down, please note that we'll continue investing in these sites for the next decade. As we get closer to the transition, we'll provide full information about relocation support available to staff.

Reasonable Adjustments

The Civil Service is committed to making sure that our selection methods are fair to everyone. To help you during the recruitment process, we will consider any reasonable adjustments that could help you. An adjustment is a change to the recruitment process or an adjustment at work. This is separate to the Disability Confident Scheme. If you need an adjustment to be made at any point during the recruitment process you should contact the recruitment team in confidence as soon as possible to discuss your needs.

You can find out more information about reasonable adjustments across the Civil Service here: https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/reasonable-adjustments/

International Police check

If you have spent more than 6 months abroad over the last 3 years you may need an International Police Check. This would not necessarily have to be in a single block, and it could be time accrued over that period.

Internal Fraud check

If successful for this role as one aspect of pre-employment screening, applicant’s personal details – name, national insurance number and date of birth - will be checked against the Cabinet Office Internal Fraud Hub and anyone included on the database will be refused employment unless they can show exceptional circumstances. Currently this is only for External candidates to the Civil Service.

Careers website

Please visit our careers site for more information https://gov.uk/ukhsa/careers

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.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.

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

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).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 : Gurkamal Bhambra
• Email : gurkamal.bhambra@ukhsa.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitment@ukhsa.gov.uk

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, in the first instance, you should contact UKHSA Public Accountability Unit via email: Complaints@ukhsa.gov.uk

If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Visit the Civil Service Commission website: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk