3,704 Jobs

Job summary

At DSIT we’re all about improving people’s lives by maximising the potential of science & technology.

We accelerate innovation, investment and productivity through world-class science, research and development.

We use technology for good by ensuring new and existing technologies are safely developed and deployed across the UK, with the benefits more widely shared.

We are driving forward a modern digital government which gives citizens a more satisfying experience and their time back.

We do all this to enable the Government’s 5 national missions: kickstarting economic growth, making Britain a clean energy superpower, taking back our streets, breaking down barriers to opportunity and building an NHS fit for the future.

Above all, we focus on improving people’s lives. Whether it’s researching new treatments for disease, developing better batteries, reducing burdens through better public services, keeping children safe online, and much more, outcomes for citizens are at the heart of what we do.

Our Inclusive Environment

We offer flexible working benefits, employee well-being support and a great pension. We are enormously proud to be a Disability Confident Leader employer. We support candidates with adjustments throughout our recruitment process. Information about disability confidence and just some examples of the adjustments that you can request can be found in the reasonable adjustment section below.

Find Out More

We regularly run events where you can find out more about the department and tips for the application and interview process. You can sign up for upcoming events here: https://forms.office.com/e/Jae3B4w7xm

You can also follow our LinkedIn Page: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/dsitcareers/

Job description

As the Government Cyber Unit (GCU), our mission is to protect public services and the wider Government from cyberthreats. We set strategic direction for Government and the public sector on cyber security, finding standards and policies through the Government Cyber Security Standard and the Cyber Policy Handbook. We assure system and organisation cyber security via initiatives such as GovAssure. Our team leads the operational response to cyberthreats, vulnerabilities and incidents through the Government Coordination Centre (GC3) and manages the GCSS Portfolio to implement strategy across central Government and departments.

In June 2025, the GCU (under its previous name, the Cyber Directorate) moved from the Cabinet Office to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) as a part of a machinery of government change. This change aims to bring together thedigital transformation of public services into one central department, presenting exciting opportunities and positioning DSIT to lead the government’s digital agenda.

The Portfolio Team supports the delivery of our strategic objectives via a portfolio of activity that supports their achievement. We undertake a traditional Portfolio Management Office (PMO) function, overseeing delivery, risk and outputs. As part of this, we closely track our financial position to maximise delivery. Alongside our PMO role, we offer our constituent projects and programmes targeted support from a deployable resource pool of P3M experts. We are a geographically-spread, hybrid team that recognises work life balance and flexible arrangements. The team also plays a key role in developing Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) approaches across the portfolio, supporting outcomes tracking, benefits realisation and evidence-based decision making.

Role Purpose

The postholder will be responsible for the implementation, operation and continuous improvement of the portfolio-level Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) and benefits realisation system within the Portfolio Management Office.

Working to an agreed MEL framework and performance architecture, the role will ensure that monitoring, reporting, evaluation and learning processes are embedded, consistently applied and actively used to support decision‑making across the portfolio.

Role information

Join us as a Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) Manager and play a central role in embedding evidence‑based portfolio management across a complex, high‑profile government programme

The portfolio‑level MEL system — including theories of change, performance frameworks and reporting structures — has been designed centrally. This role is responsible for operating and embedding an agreed portfolio-level MEL and benefits framework, ensuring it is consistently applied and actively used to support decision-making

You will work closely with the GCAP Monitoring and Evaluation Lead, portfolio colleagues, programme teams and departmental stakeholders to run monitoring and reporting cycles, support the use of evidence, and ensure learning informs delivery, prioritisation and investment decisions.

Person specification

Key responsibilities

Implementation and operation

● Support programme teams to apply agreed theories of change and benefits maps in practice, ensuring outcomes and benefits are clearly owned and tracked.

● Lead the implementation of the portfolio‑level MEL and benefits system, ensuring agreed frameworks, indicators and reporting processes are applied consistently across programmes.

● Run regular monitoring and reporting cycles, working with programme teams and outcome owners to collect, validate and synthesise performance information.

● Maintain oversight of agreed indicators, milestones and benefits measures, ensuring they are applied consistently and remain fit for purpose.

Portfolio reporting and insight

● Run regular reporting and benefits-tracking cycles with programme teams and outcome owners, ensuring timely, high-quality inputs.

● Produce portfolio‑level performance products (dashboards, briefings, slide packs) that translate monitoring data into clear, decision‑ready insight.

● Support the PMO and senior leaders to use performance evidence to inform prioritisation, course‑correction and resource allocation.

● Track delivery against agreed milestones and outcomes, highlighting risks, emerging issues and areas requiring management attention.

● Progress against expected benefits, highlight risks to benefits delivery, and support senior leaders to take action where benefits are off-track or no longer achievable.

Evaluation and learning

● Coordinate and support evaluation and learning activity in line with the agreed MEL strategy, ensuring findings are captured and fed back into portfolio decision-making.

● Work with programme teams to ensure learning is captured, synthesised and fed back into portfolio decision‑making and future planning.

● Support a culture of proportionate, practical evaluation, focused on improvement rather than compliance.

Stakeholder engagement

● Act as the day‑to‑day MEL point of contact for programme teams and departmental stakeholders.

● Provide guidance and support to colleagues on applying the MEL system in practice, including indicators, reporting expectations and evidence standards.

● Work closely with the Head of Monitoring and Evaluation to identify system improvements and emerging evidence needs.

Essential Criteria

● Experience supporting benefits realisation, outcomes tracking or performance governance within a programme, portfolio or PMO context

● Experience implementing and operating monitoring, evaluation or performance systems at programme or portfolio level.

● Strong ability to manage reporting processes, work with incomplete or imperfect data, and turn information into clear insight.

● Experience working with multiple stakeholders to coordinate inputs, challenge constructively, and maintain consistency.

● Sound judgement about proportionate evidence, balancing analytical rigour with operational realities.

Desirable criteria

● Experience working in or alongside a Portfolio Management Office or PMO‑type function.

● Experience supporting or coordinating evaluations or learning activities.

● Familiarity with government performance frameworks, benefits frameworks, business cases, or investment governance.

● Interest in, or experience of, cyber, digital or technology‑enabled programmes.

Behaviours

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

• Changing and Improving
• Making Effective Decisions
• Communicating and Influencing

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £44,620, Department for Science, Innovation & Technology contributes £12,926 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

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.

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, personal statement and a number of behaviour statements. 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 set out how your skills and experience meet the essential criteria for this role.

Applications will be sifted on behavioural statements, CV, and personal statement.

In the event of a large number of applicants, applications will be sifted on the personal statement 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 questions. Interviewees will be asked to deliver a presentation; further details will be provided nearer the time.

Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.

Further Information

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.

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

For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email Info@disclosurescotland.co.uk

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.

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 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.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 : Aidan Murchland
• Email : aidan.murchland@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)