PNT & Geodesy Lead

Job summary

GDS

The Government Digital Service (GDS) is the digital centre of government. We are responsible for setting, leading and delivering the vision for a modern digital government.

Our priorities are to drive a modern digital government, by:

1. joining up public sector services
2. harnessing the power of AI for the public good
3. strengthening and extending our digital and data public infrastructure
4. elevating leadership and investing in talent
5. funding for outcomes and procuring for growth and innovation
6. committing to transparency and driving accountability

We are home to the Incubator for Artificial Intelligence (I.AI), the world-leading GOV.UK and at the forefront of coordinating the UK’s geospatial strategy and activity.

We lead the Government Digital and Data function and champion the work of digital teams across government.

We’re part of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and employ more than 1,000 people all over the UK, with hubs in Manchester, London and Bristol.

The Government Digital Service is where talent translates into impact. From your first day, you’ll be working with some of the world’s most highly-skilled digital professionals, all contributing their knowledge to make change on a national scale.

Join us for rewarding work that makes a difference across the UK. You'll solve some of the nation’s highest-priority digital challenges, helping millions of people access services they need.

Job description

The Role and Our Team

Data Economy Directorate:

We are responsible for helping the UK realise the benefits of data and AI - in a safe and trusted way. The UK already has one of the world’s largest data economies and a world‑leading geospatial data ecosystem.

Our ambition is for the UK to become the world’s most trusted, dynamic and effective data economy, where citizens and businesses are enabled by and benefit from data.

We focus on unlocking more of that potential across sectors while maintaining public trust.

We use policy, regulatory, investment and coordination levers to:

Increase responsible data and AI use across high‑growth sectors

Empower people and businesses to benefit more directly from data about them

Enable seamless, safe cross‑border data flows

Maximise the value and use of geospatial data

Maintain trust in the digital economy

Our work sits at the intersection of technology, regulation, security, economic growth and public services - and it has visible impact: helping organisations use data responsibly, enabling innovation, and improving how government delivers.

The Geospatial Strategy team leads the development of the evidence base, strategic direction and policy frameworks needed to build and sustain a world‑leading geospatial capability for the UK. This includes shaping policy across critical national infrastructure areas, understanding how the UK’s geospatial ecosystem operates today, and ensuring that long‑term capability, resilience and innovation are supported.

You will join an expert and highly multidisciplinary team, bringing together deep policy capability with strong technical understanding of geospatial, data and national infrastructure issues. The team works closely and collaboratively across specialisms, supporting high‑quality policy development, constructive challenge and shared ownership of outcomes.

This Grade 7 role leads the policy function supporting delivery of the £13m programme to establish the UK’s PNT Interference Monitoring Service, working with colleagues from across the wider PNT policy landscape including the National Position, Navigation and Timing Office, Ordnance Survey, and the Space Directorate. To support delivery the post holder will also work closely with the commercial and contract management teams.

The postholder will lead policy governance, set clear direction, and manage prioritisation and trade‑offs across a complex and evolving landscape. Alongside this delivery work the postholder will take a lead on shaping the governments approach to Geodesy, working closely with the National PNT Office (NPTO) and the wider UK PNT and geodesy ecosystem to provide advice to ministers, senior officials and senior leaders on future capability, resilience and investment choices that are needed to maintain and enhance our geodetic capabilities as a nation. This is also likely to require the postholder to support representation of the UK position in international fora, working alongside senior colleagues.

Existing DSIT staff may be based in their current contractual location.

Person specification

Key Responsibilities

Policy ownership and strategic leadership- Lead the geospatial PNT and geodesy policy area, shaping strategic direction and working across the wider PNT policy landscape ensuring coherence between policy development, delivery and investment.

Programme accountability and delivery oversight - Act as the policy lead for the UK’s PNT Interference Monitoring Service, providing policy oversight and assurance for a £13m programme delivery.

Governance and senior oversight- Drive and oversee the senior steering group for the PNT Interference Monitoring programme, ensuring clarity of objectives, effective risk management, and timely escalation and resolution of issues.

Senior advice and decision‑making- Provide high‑quality advice and recommendations to ministers, SCS and directors, including briefing on emerging risks, future opportunities and strategic trade‑offs.

Cross‑government and ecosystem leadership- Work closely with NPTO, other government departments, devolved administrations, ALBs and industry partners to align policy and delivery across the UK PNT and geodesy ecosystem.

Team leadership and development- Line manage and develop a small policy team, setting clear direction, assuring quality of outputs, and leading through influence across wider teams and delivery partners. As a line manager, you will be responsible for working with your members of staff to define their objectives, as well as managing their development and performance.

As a line manager, you will be responsible for working with your members of staff to define their objectives, as well as managing their development and performance.

Essential criteria

Experience of developing policy or strategy in complex or high‑profile environments, including shaping options, providing advice and supporting decision‑making.

Experience working in digital, data, infrastructure or technically complex policy domains, with the ability to build and apply understanding of specialist subject matter.

Proven ability to own and lead a policy area end‑to‑end, making sound judgements on prioritisation, trade‑offs and risk in ambiguous environments.

Experience of advising senior leaders, including SCS and/or ministers, and translating complex analysis into clear, actionable recommendations.

Strong stakeholder leadership skills, with the ability to lead through influence across organisational boundaries and delivery partners.

Desirable criteria

Experience of programme or portfolio oversight, including standing up governance forums or providing strategic assurance of delivery through others.

Experience of working with cross government stakeholders and partners to coordinate delivery especially when that is led outside the core policy team.

Familiarity with PNT, geospatial technologies, geodesy or related national infrastructure areas, or demonstrable ability to rapidly build credibility in technical policy domains.

Experience of international policy engagement or representation, particularly in technical or standards‑driven contexts.

Behaviours

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

• Making Effective Decisions
• Leadership
• Working Together

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £56,850, Department for Science, Innovation & Technology contributes £16,469 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology offers a competitive mix of benefits including:

• A culture of flexible working, such as job sharing, homeworking and compressed hours.
• Automatic enrolment into the Civil Service Pension Scheme, with an employer contribution of 28.97%.
• A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by 1 day per year up to a maximum of 30.
• An extensive range of learning & professional development opportunities, which all staff are actively encouraged to pursue.
• Access to a range of retail, travel and lifestyle employee discounts.
• A hybrid office/home based working model where staff will spend a norm of 40-60% of their time in the office (minimum of 40%) over a month with flex dependent on balancing business and individual need.

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.

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 and Experience.

As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete a CV and personal statement.

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Please use your personal statement (in no more than 750 words) to Please provide a statement of suitability setting out how you meet the essential criteria for this role.

Applications will be sifted on CV and personal statement.

In the event of a large number of applicants, applications will be sifted on the CV only.

Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.

The interview will consist of behaviour-based questions.

Interviewees will be asked to deliver a presentation; further details will be provided nearer the time.

Sift and interview dates

Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.

Further Information

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the Demystifying Vetting website.

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.

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

A location-based reserve list of successful candidates will be kept for 12 months. Should another role become available within that period you may be offered this position.

Candidates who meet the minimum benchmark may be placed on a Reserve List for consideration for similar roles, including those at a lower grade. Candidates who narrowly miss the benchmark and are not placed on the Reserve List may still be considered for an offer in a similar role at a lower grade.

Please note terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.

Any move to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology 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; for further information visit the Childcare Choices website.

DSIT does not normally offer full home working (i.e., working at home); but we do offer a variety of flexible working options (including occasionally working from home).

DSIT cannot offer Visa sponsorship to candidates through this campaign.

DSIT holds a Visa sponsorship licence but this can only be used for certain roles and this campaign does not qualify.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5-year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

Feedback

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

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 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.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 : Abigail Page
• Email : abigail.page@dsit.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : dsitresourcing.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 DSITrecruitment.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: Click here to visit Civil Service Commission/Complaints.

Attachments

DSIT T&Cs v1.2 Opens in new window (docx, 179kB)