Assistant Director - Digital Programme Manager

Social Work England; Sheffield; Hybrid; GBP 77,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a leading regulatory body as a Senior Programme Manager, where you'll drive a major digital transformation initiative. You'll lead cross-functional teams, ensuring alignment with organizational goals, while contributing to improved services for social workers and citizens. The role offers a dynamic environment focusing on innovation and user-centric solutions.

Benefits

Flexible working

Contributory pension

Life insurance

Benefits portal

Qualifications

• Experienced in a Senior Programme Manager or similar leadership role in regulated public sector.
• Strong expertise in programme management methodologies and digital transformation.
• Financial and budget management experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead governance of digital, data and technology transformation programme.
• Coordinate cross-functional teams and manage stakeholder relationships.
• Establish programme roadmaps and metrics to track success.

Skills

Programme Management

Digital Transformation

Stakeholder Engagement

Problem Solving

Analytical Skills

Change Management

Education

PRINCE2, PMP, MSP certification

Job description

The Role

Social Work England is the specialist body that regulates social workers in their vital role. Every day, social workers support millions of people to improve their chances in life. We believe in the power of collaboration and share a common goal with those we regulate – to protect the public, enable positive change, and ultimately improve people’s lives.

We have been established as a successful and values driven organisation. This is an exciting opportunity to join Social Work England as a member of our senior leadership team, to help us build on the platform that has now been established and lead a major digital, data and technology transformation programme. Our ambition is to harness digital tools, data insights, and modern technology to ensure that we become a user-focused, data-driven and innovative regulator. We aspire to improve our services for social workers and the public, reduce administrative burdens, and ensure our organisation keeps pace with technological change – ultimately to deliver better outcomes for citizens.

What you will do

Directorate Specific

• Lead the planning, execution, and governance of a large-scale digital, data and technology transformation programme, ensuring delivery within scope, time, and budget constraints.
• Lead and coordinate cross-functional teams, providing direction, leadership, and motivation to ensure successful programme execution.
• Develop and maintain programme roadmaps, ensuring alignment with business objectives, key priorities and available resources.
• Develop and oversee robust programme governance arrangements and play an active role in wider governance meetings where relevant to support programme objectives. Ensure that the overall approach to governance is efficient, effective and aligned.
• Lead on the development of options appraisals and business cases for programme workstreams as required, for example those which are complex and/or require input from multiple teams.
• Identify, assess, and mitigate programme risks, ensuring proactive issue resolution.
• Engage, influence and manage key stakeholders at all levels, promoting positive relationships, clear communication and securing the engagement and contributions that will be needed to ensure successful programme delivery.
• Establish and monitor critical metrics to track programme success and report progress to senior leadership.
• Ensure compliance with relevant statutory, government and organisational policies and quality standards throughout the programme lifecycle.
• Ensure that there is a well-considered change management process which takes account of the potential impacts of the programme on different parts of the organisation and puts in place appropriate strategies and measures to respond to these.
• Drive continuous improvement by bringing together lessons learned and implementing best practices.
  
  

Corporate Leadership

• Deliver visible leadership of a multi-disciplinary team, developing and implementing our externally facing work aims and objectives. Supporting and providing strategic direction to heads of functions to enable them to deliver the operational objectives within their area of responsibility.
• Act decisively and make robust, unbiased decisions at a strategic level and act as decision maker for agreed areas of our statutory framework. Support heads of function in their decision making in their respective areas.
• Be accountable to the executive director in relation to risk, ensuring that risks are appropriately addressed and are appropriately profiled and reviewed. Understand regulatory and technological risk and the strategies that can be developed to reduce risk and prevent harm. Work alongside the executive director in ensuring that our policy and strategic activities are undertaken with this in mind.
• Identify and implement organisational changes where necessary that enhance flexibility, responsiveness and quality of service.
• Establish, build and maintain relationships with our Board and the sponsor departments, the Department for Education and the Department of Health and Social Care, as well as other key stakeholders. Attend meetings and networks as the representative for the team, directorate and wider organisation.
• Model our values and behaviours, inspiring and motivating leaders and our people to achieve our strategic objectives and to achieve our ambitions as a regulator. Work closely with other assistant directors to ensure cohesive, collaborative and effective delivery of our operational activities and strategic aims.
• Deputise for executive directors and other assistant directors as necessary.
• Demonstrate clear commitment to coproduction with our National Advisory Forum, sector representatives and those with lived experience in all aspects of your work.
  
  

Your Skills, Knowledge And Experience

• Experienced in a Senior Programme Manager or similar leadership role, preferably with experience of working in a highly regulated public sector/central government environment.
• Strong expertise in programme and project management methodologies. PRINCE2, PMP, MSP, or equivalent programme management certification
• Significant knowledge and experience of digital transformation and technology focussed programmes
• Excellent engagement and influencing skills at all organisational levels. Evidence of successful collaboration and partnership and the ability to work with and inspire others outside the line management relationship
• Experience of leading cross-functional teams to deliver optimal results
• Ability to coordinate multiple capabilities, handle multiple workstreams simultaneously and work in a fast-paced environment.
• Financial and budget management experience.
• Outstanding problem-solving, decision-making, and analytical skills.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Experienced in developing strategy and in change management.
• A demonstrable commitment to inclusion and diversity
  
  

Details

• Job type:Fixed-term contract - 2 year contract from start date
• Working pattern: Full-time. We offer flexible working subject to business need.
• Salary:£76,808 per year
• Location: Sheffield/hybrid (1 or 2 days in the office per week minimum)
• Benefits: flexible working, contributory pension, life insurance and benefits portal.
• Interview date: 9th/10th July
  
  

Application

During the application process, you'll be asked to provide answers to three questions from the job description. These answers will be what your application is scored on, please answer in as much detail as possible using examples where necessary.

About Us

Join us - Social Work England

Our behaviours and values - Social Work England

What our people say - Social Work England

Contact

If you have any queries about the appointment process, please contact [e-mail].

How to apply

To apply, complete the application form by the closing date.

Interview

At interview we will seek to further understand your skills, knowledge, experience and motivation and test the key competencies of the role. If you are successful, we will undertake routine security checks.

Find out more about our application and interview process.

Want to know more about the role?

If you would like to discuss the role or have any other questions, please contact our recruitment team:

[e-mail]

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