Manchester Digital Campus, Programme Director transformation

Job summary

GPA

The Government Property Agency is the largest property holder in government, with more

than £2.1 billion in property assets and over 55% of the government’s office estate.

We are transforming the way the Civil Service works by creating great places to work, leading the largest commercial office programme in the UK, working towards halving carbon emissions from government offices, and achieving greater value for taxpayers. And we are looking for innovative, solutions-focused people to join our team.

Representing the best covenant in the UK – His Majesty’s Government – we are leading significant transformational programmes. We are also delivering cost-effective property services such as asset management, lifecycle replacement and workplace services.

Innovation and progress underpin our behaviours. We foster a culture of lifelong learning, where curiosity and self-improvement are encouraged. Our four core values are at the heart of everything we do. They shape our culture and guide how we work, lead and grow together:

• Striving for excellence- We always aim to deliver great results
• Empowering through respect- We insist on fair treatment for all, always
• Acting with integrity- We consistently do the right thing
• Succeeding together- We rely on each other to achieve success

We are committed to representing the communities we serve by making Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) part of everything we do. Our strong emphasis on EDI is not just about driving inclusion across our organisation, it is also about ensuring our services meet the needs of government departments and the civil servants who use our spaces. To ensure that we are always recruiting and retaining a diverse mix of talent, we are particularly inviting applications from candidates who are disabled, ethnically or gender diverse, and people who identify as being part of the LGBTQ+ community.

Join our dynamic and diverse team that leads with purpose, improving sustainability, nurturing social value, driving inclusivity and flexibility, and kickstarting economic growth. We are driven by purpose, and you can be part of it too: where you make a meaningful impact; where you influence; where your voice really matters; where you help to shape our future direction.

Job description

JOB SUMMARY

The Manchester Digital Campus (MDC) is part of the Government’s Major Projects Portfolio (GMPP), and is an exciting transformation across multiple Government departments, with significant ministerial, public, industrial and media interest.

A central Manchester brownfield development site will become the vibrant workplace for well over 8,000 people (including ministers) from the digitally focused departments. The new, bespoke buildings will be designed to support the transformation objectives, collaborative working across government and with industry, academia and the community. MDC will strengthen HMG’s skills, innovation and enable multi-department careers, whilst learning from and contributing to the exciting digital/AI sector in Manchester and the North West. It will directly support economic growth, skills, Civil Service reform (PAS) and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. It is an exciting vision!

MDC is overseen by its policy sponsors (including Places for Growth and Government Digital/Data – in CO and DSIT), together with the Departmental Partners transforming to use the new site. Having completed our Outline Business Case approval, and approaching our RIBA3 milestone (design complete), we are expanding the dedicated MDC team to match the growing workload. The MDC team is multi-disciplinary, matrix-managed from the GPA Directorates, and wider Government, but all dedicated to and passionate about our amazing programme. We pride ourselves on our inclusivity, curiosity to explore and solve problems, our openness to challenge and our commitment to delivering what's needed for the Civil Service’s future. MDC is GPA’s biggest delivery programme yet.

Specific security requirements have been set for MDC, and will be discussed with you during the recruitment process. SC is the minimum vetting requirement to start in MDC posts. MDC may subsequently offer the opportunity to sponsor your DV application in specific roles.

As the Transformation Programme Director for the Manchester Digital Campus (MDC) you will be working with all the departments involved to change the way Government works, removing the barriers to collaboration and creating career pathways to address the systemic challenges that the MDC departments face. You’ll focus on ensuring we maximise benefit to the UK from MDC, and supporting the journey for each individual involved; that spans everything from social value to interoperability through to transition into service. Its a role that works collaboratively, on behalf of all the departments involved, reaching across boundaries to shape vision, policy and tangible delivery. Having just achieved Outline Business Case approval we are now expanding the team and setting up the wider set of Lines of Development, so there is plenty of space to shape the set-up and optimise it from the outset. You will be blending policy development with multiple departments, and tangible delivery.

As part of the leadership team you will help create the culture for everyone to thrive, in a completely matrixed environment, ensuring activity across all our strands is coherent, without gaps and collectively delivers the benefits intended, to time and cost. You will work very closely with the SRO, and dedicated Infrastructure Programme Director, who leads on the physical campus delivery.

You will build the central MDC team that shapes and drives the programme, providing direction and guidance within your team and across the MDC enterprise. You will be using your policy skills to shape vision, shift thinking and engage our set of Ministerial / Perm Sec sponsors to really get at the structural barriers to collaboration and navigate through SR27. You will oversee stakeholder management and communication, ensuring the very broad set of people and organisations involved have the information and connection they need, when they need it. You will oversee and develop a central view of MDC’s risks, issues, opportunities and dependencies, using the Programme board to ensure action is taken to treat, terminate or an active choice to tolerate. You will manage these, in part, as the interface between the programme and the Business. You will maintain focus on maximising system benefits to the UK as a whole, ensuring the whole programme is aligned around benefit realisation; that will include following through on the Ministerial/Perm Sec set strategic priorities for MDC. With your PMO, you will support the SRO in putting appropriate delegations and programme controls in place, ensuring accountability for performance and aligned incentives. You will be instrumental in developing the Full Business Case (Summer 2027), with the GPA CIO team, obtaining agreement through the Programme Board, SRO, cross-government ministers and HMT.

The MDC ways of working have been set out as:

• SRO and programme deliver for the whole system, part of all the departments involved;
• Collective, transparent delivery;
• Maximise HMG and UK Benefit;
• Digital and innovative by default;
• Psychological safety in all we do; and
• Robust, proportionate foundations.

The programme is structured into seven Lines of Development, ensuring focus is not overly dominated by the high cost elements. These need to maintain ambiguity whilst policy develops and coheres across the departments, whilst also forming into a structured delivery programmes that engages the local community. You will need to draw on significant Project Delivery, Policy and Transformation experience to establish this, and maximise benefits to the UK.

Key Responsibilities

• You will oversee the programme, setting up the Lines of Development, ensuring coherent and appropriately timely action to collectively deliver in 2032. (Not everything needs to be done now.)
• You will focus on benefit realisation, and specifically the Ministerial/Perm Sec set priorities for the programme, ensuring the strategy is matured, opportunity maximised and concepts proven before Full Business Case.
• You will mature and oversee central governance, both that which is bespoke to MDC, and its connection into the wider business across multiple departments (and multiple Accounting Officers). You will advise on any adaption needed as Project RESET and as the revised GMPP governance (including freedoms) mature. You will support the SRO with NISTA, NAO and GIA audits, and drive the FBC approval through.
• You will develop the single source of truth across Risk, Opportunities, Issues, Dependencies and Stakeholder mapping, using the Programme Board to ensure timely action is taken.
• You will work closely with finance and commercial colleagues (with matrixed specialist support) ensuring appropriate delegation, spend controls and that the financial contributions to MDC from across government materialise, so the enterprise is in balance, working closely with the SRO.
• You will be instrumental in developing the Full Business Case, working closely with the GPA CIO and wider team.
• You will be part of the MDC Exec working together across all the pillars, embedding the MDC Delivery Principles (and GPA Values).

Person specification

The post holder should have:

• Significant programme experience, as practitioner across the Project Delivery technical competencies. Expert Governance and Stakeholder engagement skills will be needed in this complex programme.
• Significant transformation experience, building coalitions across boundaries to create influence and action outside your direct control. MDC works across central government, with local and regional government, industry and academia too.
• Strong relationship management, interpersonal, communication and influencing skills, with the ability to operate and build effective relationships at all levels within an organisation and across different Departments involved.
• A high degree of personal resilience, tenacity, integrity and focus on outcomes.
• Able to navigate often complex and demanding regulatory, commercial and political landscapes, all the time maintaining focus on achieving measurable and impactful results and delivering excellent customer value.
• Able to contribute strategically across MDC as part of the leadership group as well as deliver vertically on functional objectives.

Qualifications and Accreditations

Essential criteria:

• Completed Major Projects leadership Academy (or commit to do so in post). MDC is a GMPP programme.
• Appropriate policy experience, including engagement with the Government skills Campus policy curriculum

Memberships

• Appropriate Programme Management qualifications (e.g. Managing Successful Programmes Practitioner) and/or Full (chartered) professional membership of an appropriate body (e.g. APM Chartered Project professional) and/or demonstrable equivalent experience.

Licences

Appropriate Programme Management qualifications (e.g. Managing Successful Programmes Practitioner) and/or Full (chartered) professional membership of an appropriate body (e.g. APM Chartered Project professional) and/or demonstrable equivalent experience.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Making Effective Decisions
• Changing and Improving
• Leadership
• Delivering at Pace

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Customer Perspective
• Commercial Acumen
• Property Market Knowledge
• Innovation

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £81,000, Government Property Agency contributes £23,465 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 (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

We encourage applications from people from all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the communities and wider society that we serve. We pride ourselves on being an employer of choice. We champion diversity, inclusion and well-being and aim to create a sense of belonging in a workplace where everyone feels valued. The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service D&I Strategy.

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 (RIS) to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.

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).

Please note - At this time GPA are unable to offer any Visa Sponsorship to candidates as we do not currently hold a visa sponsorship licence. Please do not apply for permanent roles with GPA if you will require your employer to take on the sponsorship of your current or any future visas.

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 for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Sift

The sift is due to take place week commencing 27th May 2026.

As part of the application process, you will be asked to include a CV and a 500-word personal statement. The personal statement should then align with the person specification.

Interview

GPA policy is for interviews to be held face to face, with virtual interviews only by absolute exception. The date and location will be confirmed if you are invited to interview. If you feel this will be a problem for you, please contact recruitment@gpa.gov.uk to discuss prior to submitting your application.

At interview, applicants will be scored against 4 behaviours - Making Effective Decisions, Changing & Improving, Leadership, and Delivering at Pace.

Interview questions will be a blend of Behaviour, Experience, and Technical (core skill) questions.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.This role has a minimum assignment duration of 2 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.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 : Philippa Harvey
• Email : philippa.harvey1@gpa.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : gparecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Further information

The Department’s recruitment processes are underpinned by the requirement of selection for appointment based on merit, open and fair competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles, details of which can be found at http://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk 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 the GPA People Team by email at HR@gpa.gov.uk, in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive you can further contact the Civil Service Commission at: Email: civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk or in writing to: Civil Service Commission Room G/8 1 Horse Guards Road London SW1A 2HQ.