Senior Delivery Manager

Job summary

In the Department of Health and Social Care, we are proud of our purpose – to enable everyone to live more independent, healthier lives for longer. To achieve this, and create a great place to work, we have four values: we are inclusive, we constantly improve, we challenge, and we are agile. If this sounds like an environment you would like to work in, we would love to hear from you.

The DHSC Digital Transformation team consists of 48 people. We work with the national health and care system to realise the benefits of digital, data and technology, and to deliver better end to end services for users. The users are often health and care staff.

We are a flexible, friendly and diverse team based in Leeds and London. We don’t manage live services; our role is more strategic. We partner with DHSC policy and commissioning teams to act as a bridge between policy and digital delivery. We provide advice and expert support from digital and technology specialists, and digital training. We support the department and its arms-length bodies in a range of different ways - from building digital capability and providing short-term consultancy advice, to running full discovery and alpha stage projects, and embedding our team members or suppliers in wider delivery teams

We support a variety of teams, and projects of many types, rather than focusing on one area or user group. We deliver in line with government standards, advocating for user centred design and accessibility in everything we do.

Job description

The digital specialists team in Digital Transformation is small and consists of delivery managers, product managers, user researchers, service designers and technical architects. We all work together on projects, as well as using suppliers to supplement our delivery teams. We also work closely with our assurance and capability teams to raise the standard of digital delivery within DHSC and its arm’s length bodies.

As a Senior Delivery Manager, you will take an agile approach in working as part of multidisciplinary teams on digital projects – primarily at discovery and alpha phase – across a range of different health and social care policy areas.

In addition, you will provide advice for policy teams. This could be facilitating a workshop with policy colleagues to help them define a problem statement or providing information about the Service Standard and phases of digital delivery.

You will also support our digital and technology assurance team as an assessor on a digital Service Assessment panel. You will coach and mentor people in your team and across the department in agile practices and fostering a culture of improvement.

You will need to be a persuasive communicator, able to manage stakeholder expectations and moderate discussions about complex topics, as well as mediating between people and strengthening team relationships.

You will develop and share your knowledge and experience of delivery management by building your own network of digital specialist colleagues across government and being involved with communities of practices.

Following the announcement earlier this year that NHS England will be integrated into the DHSC, the DHSC-NHSE Transformation programme is working on bringing us together to create a new cohesive organisation. The Prime Minister and Secretary of State are committed to the 10 Year Health Plan, published in July, which emphasises commitments to innovation and technology and a digitally enabled NHS.

This role is being offered on a 12-month fixed term appointment/loan/secondment basis but there may be an option for it to become permanent once the future shape of the department is clear. This role currently has no line management responsibilities, but in future this could be a possibility.

Person specification

Role responsibilities

• Take an agile approach in leading multidisciplinary teams on digital projects covering a range of different DHSC priority policy areas
• Provide advice to policy teams in DHSC and arms-length bodies to build digital knowledge and capability
• Influence and negotiate with team members and stakeholders
• Work closely with contracted supplier teams, ensuring they are onboarded and offboarded effectively and that they have met their deliverables
• Coach teams in agile approaches and help them plan and deliver effective digital services that that improve the nation's health and care and meet the Service Standard
• Build cross government professional networks and support communities of practice
• Support our digital specialists team to grow and thrive, ensure we are working together as a collective, help each other to develop, and manage relationships and challenges
• Support the assurance of digital services

Key skills and experience required for the role

Essential

• Agile and lean practices - experience of delivering digital projects and services against a complex backdrop using agile ways of working. Experience of acting as a recognised expert for agile and lean approaches
• Commercial management – able to take responsibility for complex relationships with contracted suppliers. Knowledge of appropriate contractual frameworks and how to identify appropriate suppliers
• Stakeholder management – experience of managing stakeholder expectations and moderate difficult discussions about high risk and complex topics. Demonstrate ability to successfully influence and negotiate with stakeholders at different levels. Able to identify opportunities for building capability, ensuring stakeholders are upskilled in agile and user centred design
• Life cycle management – able to use evidence to decide when a team should change direction or stop. Experience of guiding colleagues and stakeholders through different phases of the lifecycle.
• Maintaining delivery momentum – experience of identifying innovative ways to unblock issues
• Planning – able to lead a continual planning process in a complex environment. Able to identify dependencies in plans across services and co-ordinate delivery
• Team dynamics and collaboration – experience of identifying problems or issues in the team dynamic and rectify them. Able to engage in varying types of feedback, choosing the right type at the appropriate time and ensuring the discussion and decision stick.

Desirable

• Knowledge of the health and care sector
• Scrum Master certified or other Agile certification

Behaviours

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

• Delivering at Pace
• Making Effective Decisions
• Leadership
• Working Together

Technical skills

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

• Team dynamics and collaboration - participants will be asked to complete a task relating to team Agile health checks which will be set 30 mins before the interview

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £56,214, Department of Health and Social Care contributes £16,285 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, Strengths, Experience and Technical skills.

Applications will be sifted W/C: 09/02/2026

Interview date: W/C 23/02/2026

Interview location: By video

Further details and interview slots will be released to candidates who are successful at sift.

Applications will be sifted on CV and Personal Statement.

An initial sift based on CV may be held if a large number of applications are received. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to assessment/interview.

Please use your CV to set out your career history, highlighting specific responsibilities and achievements that are relevant for this role. These can be found in the ‘key skills and experience required for the role’ section of the advert.

Please use your personal statement to (in no more than 1000 words) outline how you meet the key skills and experience required for the role as set out in the job advert.

At interview candidates will be assessed on Behaviours, Strengths and a Technical Skill.

Candidates will be asked to complete a short task which will assess the Technical Skill - Team dynamics and collaboration. Details of the task will be issued to candidates 30 minutes prior to the interview.

To find out more about working in the department please visit our page on the Civil Service careers website https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/departments/working-for-the-department-of-health-social-care/ and to find out more information on how to apply visit the Civil Service careers website https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/how-to-apply/

Applicants who are appointable but were not successful in appointment to this vacancy, may be held on a reserve list for up to 12 months, and contacted if similar vacancies become available.

Please be aware that some travel may be required across the DHSC estate.

Candidates must ensure that all information provided in their application is factually accurate. Any examples provided must be taken from personal experience. The Civil Service abides by honesty and integrity as part of its core values, if evidence of plagiarism is found, applications may be withdrawn.

Please note that applicants will require BPSSclearance.

Further Information

Any move to DHSC 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.

Reasonable Adjustment

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

Contact Government Recruitment Service via dhscrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section in the ‘Additional requirements’ page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

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

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.

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

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.

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

Existing Civil Servants and applicants from accredited NDPBs are eligible to apply, but will only be considered on loan basis (Civil Servants) or secondment (accredited NDPBs). Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return.

Terms and Conditions

Candidates should note that DHSC’s Terms and Conditions of employment changed from 1 October 2013. It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the terms and conditions they will adopt should they be successful.

New Entrants to the Civil Service

New entrants appointed in grades AA to G6 will receive DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions:

• Annual Leave: 25 days on entry rising by one day for each completed year of service to a maximum of 30 days and pro-rata for part-time staff
• Privilege Leave: 1 day - for the King’s birthday
• Hours of Work: 37 hours (net) per week for full time staff in all geographical locations, including London and pro rata for part-time staff
• Occupational Sick Pay (OSP): one month full pay/one month half pay on entry, rising by one month for each completed year of service to a maximum of five months’ full pay and five months’ half pay
• Mobility: Mobility clause in contracts allow staff to be mobile across the Civil Service
• Probation: 6 month probation period

Existing Civil Service staff transferring from another Government department, on either level transfer or promotion

All staff moving to DHSC will transfer onto DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions (as outlined above).

Existing DHSC staff, appointed on promotion

If DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions are already held, the employee will retain those terms and conditions. If DHSC’s pre-modernised terms and conditions are held, the employee will transfer onto DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions (as outlined above).

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.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 : Amy Shearing
• Email : digital@dhsc.gov.uk

Recruitment team

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

Further information

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 the DHSC Central Recruitment Team at DHSCrecruitment@dhsc.gov.uk
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/contact-us/

Attachments

General Pay Principles on Recruitment Opens in new window (pdf, 72kB)