Job summary
GDS exists to help government make brilliant public services that empower people in the UK. We work at the very centre of government to drive digital transformation, focused on users. We build and maintain common platforms, products and tools for others to use and create great public services that are accessible, inclusive and easy to use. We also work with departments to identify patterns, share learning and create change to make government more efficient.
Our teams are organised around delivering on our priorities. These are:
1. making it easier for people to find what they are looking for on
2. building common service platforms to make it simpler and cheaper to build quality digital services
3. promoting agile, user-centred design practices both in the UK and across the world
Job description
You will be leading the programme and portfolio function for App and Ai at a critical time. We have an ambitious new strategy and you will be responsible for overseeing efforts to scale �s capabilities ensuring that we are managing our growth, benefits, strategic dependencies and outcomes appropriately and sustainably. You�ll be critical to enabling innovation and delivery; setting direction to design and implement processes, systems and structures that will enable us to deliver our vision.
4. you will lead the programme�s App and Ai strategic planning and processes to assure programme outcomes and dependencies
5. you will be responsible for monitoring and reporting overall progress against strategic plans
6. you will maintain and evolve our governance model, identifying opportunities to embed transparency, innovation and accountability, and to ensure high-quality and timely decisions. This includes feeding into wider government governance structures and approaches as appropriate
7. you will be accountable for our procurement strategy to unlock delivery of �s ambitious plans, as well as a robust procurement pipeline, working closely with GDS�s commercial team and central PMO.
8. the successful candidate will be expected to confidently build strong relationships with key stakeholders across GDS and other government departments. They will routinely need to communicate credibly and authentically to senior audiences.
Person specification
We�re looking for someone who can demonstrate a high level of programme and portfolio management skills and experience, with strong influencing skills. You�ll be an individual with strong interpersonal skills, used to managing senior stakeholders and accustomed both to adjusting programmes and initiating change. You will be able to demonstrate a strong ability to deliver successfully in complex, large, uncertain, and highly visible problem spaces.
We�re interested in people who can demonstrate:
9. strategic planning and delivery: you can shape and amend a new strategic plan alongside delivery of significant current operational delivery. You�ve undertaken strategic planning, working with a range of stakeholders, to develop outputs that can be understood by technical and non-technical audiences
10. financial management: demonstrable experience of monitoring, managing and reporting on a significant, multi-million pound budget, including overseeing financial forecasting, budget monitoring and spend
11. communicating between the technical and non-technical: have a track record of communicating between complex stakeholder groups, using influence and awareness to balance key priorities. You also have a thorough understanding and experience of collaborating with the variety of disciplines involved in digital and programme delivery. product management, policy, service design, user research, engagement, economist, commercial and legal
12. agile and lean delivery practices: have the ability to oversee the programme delivery of complex products and services and programmes that are being discovered, defined and delivered by multiple teams within a multi-faceted and changing context, and which have technical and/or political risks, using different delivery methodologies (lean/agile/waterfall)
13. making a process work: You�re experienced at governing, creating and aligning teams, implementing the most effective programme and team structures for delivery and team health. You are confident to challenge and empower others to improve organisational processes where these impact the pace of delivery
14. strong commercial management skills: have experience of organising and leading procurement across a large programme of activity; an understanding of commercial, supplier and dependency management; and ensuring that commercial contracts and suppliers are held to account for their timeliness, value and quality
15. leadership and influencing others: you can form, collaborate and lead a senior team, taking an open and sharing attitude and are comfortable with uncertainty, accountability and with being the escalation point for internal and external issues. You have the motivation to influence and make positive changes to the organisation
Benefits
The benefits of working at GDS
There are many benefits of working at GDS, including:
16. flexible hybrid working with flexi-time and the option to work part-time or condensed hours
17. a Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of
18. 25 days of annual leave, increasing by a day each year up to a maximum of 30 days
19. an extra day off for The King�s birthday
20. an in-year bonus scheme to recognise high performance
21. career progression and coaching, including a training budget for personal development
22. paid volunteering leave
23. a focus on wellbeing with access to an employee assistance programme
24. job satisfaction from making government services easier to use and more inclusive for people across the UK
25. advances on pay, including for travel season tickets
26. death in service benefits
27. cycle to work scheme and facilities
28. access to an employee discounts scheme
29. 10 learning days per year
30. volunteering opportunities (5 special leave days per year)
31. access to a suite of learning activities through Civil Service learning
GDS offers hybrid working for all employees. This means that everyone does some working from home and also spends some time in their local office. You�ll agree to your hybrid working arrangement with your line manager in line with your preferences and business needs.
Any move to Government Digital Service 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. Determine your eligibility at
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