Deputy Director Digital Function, Capability and Communications

UK Ministry of Defence; London; On-site; GBP 90,000; Full time

Job summary

The UK Ministry of Defence is seeking a Head of Digital Function Integration to lead the Digital Skills for Defence Programme and drive digital literacy initiatives across the organization. This role involves overseeing governance, developing strategic workforce plans, and fostering collaboration throughout Defence. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in digital project management, excellent communication skills, and relevant professional qualifications.

Benefits

Civil Service pension with employer contribution of 28.97%

Flexible working options

Continuous learning and development opportunities

Qualifications

• Proven track record in overseeing digital initiatives.
• Strong influencing skills with stakeholders.
• Experience managing large scale governance projects.

Responsibilities

• Lead delivery of the Digital Skills for Defence Programme.
• Champion digital literacy and workforce strategies across Defence.
• Oversee strategic communications for Defence Digital.

Skills

Communication

Collaboration

Digital Literacy

Education

Relevant professional qualifications

Job description

Corsham, London

Job Summary

The Head of Digital Function Integration role leads and coheres the Digital Function. Driving forward and positively impacting the delivery of the Functional Operating Model. This role leads on governance across the function. As a Deputy Head of Profession for Digital, Data and Information this role directs the Digital function cadre, professions, skills development and management across the function. The successful candidate is responsible for leading on the delivery of the Digital Skills for Defence Programme and leads and delivers Communications on behalf of the Digital function.

Job Description

Lead delivery of the Digital Functional professions and skills workstreams.

• Professional Standards – championing Digital literacy for the Digital workforce and the relationship with wider government.
• Strategy, Horizon Scanning & Culture – lead trend analysis and insights, functional skills and professions strategy and advise on the strategic vision.
• Digital Workforce – drive forward the Strategic Workforce Plan and champion Digital people initiatives.
• Learning & Development – champion opportunities to build capability across Defence, setting training demand, assessing and driving forward digital skills curriculum and driving compliance with policies and processes.
• Champion the role of Training Design Authority (TDA) and delivery of Training.
  
  

Lead The Digital Skills For Defence Programme (DS4D)

• Deliver the DS4D programme, transforming digital skills across Defence.
• Driving forward the next stage of the Digital bursary scheme.
  
  

Lead on Functional Governance & Assurance

• Strategy: Lead on the Functional Operating model, championing and driving forward the success of the Digital function, Working in conjunction with Senior Digital leadership, allies, partners across Defence, industry, and cross governance.
• Leading Digital leadership coherence and governance across the Function. Driving business change, productivity and delivering military impact.
• Governance: Lead on Functional Governance including key functional boards, driving cohesion across the Function.
• Assurance: Leading assurance of the Digital Function, cohering reporting and key metrics across the function.
  
  

Communications

• Oversee and shape the strategic communications on behalf of the Defence Digital function. Responsible for ensuring coherent messaging of Defence Digital activities to reinforce and build our brand through delivering Comms and monitoring the impact, chairing the Strategic Communications Board, stakeholder engagement and being the lynchpin for the Senior Leadership Team lead for Defence Digital Communications.
  
  

Stakeholder Management

• Ensure that the Functional Integration Directorate is run effectively and representing Director Functional Integration as required.
• Maintain alignment with the wider Functional Integration workstreams.
• Cultivate, manage and build a range of strong relationships and key strategic alliances with internal/external stakeholders including Chief Information Officers and the functional leadership.
• Provide visible and effective leadership, working with Digital leaders and teams to deliver agreed outcomes.
• Maintain alignment of the workstreams, including delivery of the DS4D programme, with the Department’s strategic direction and plan for the incorporation of new and/or changing requirements, priorities and initiatives.
  
  

People & Leadership

• Champion management of the Digital function across the organisation and provide overall lead and direction, undertaking the role of Deputy Head of Profession for Digital, Data and Information.
• Promote an energised culture focused on collaborative working in the interests of the Defence Digital organisation and Digital function as a whole.
• Create a culture of continuous improvement and learning from experience.
  
  

Lead delivery of the Digital Functional professions and skills workstreams.

• Professional Standards – championing Digital literacy for the Digital workforce and the relationship with wider government.
• Strategy, Horizon Scanning & Culture – lead trend analysis and insights, functional skills and professions strategy and advise on the strategic vision.
• Digital Workforce – drive forward the Strategic Workforce Plan and champion Digital people initiatives.
• Learning & Development – champion opportunities to build capability across Defence, setting training demand, assessing and driving forward digital skills curriculum and driving compliance with policies and processes.
• Champion the role of Training Design Authority (TDA) and delivery of Training.
  
  

Lead The Digital Skills For Defence Programme (DS4D)

• Deliver the DS4D programme, transforming digital skills across Defence.
• Driving forward the next stage of the Digital bursary scheme.
  
  

Lead on Functional Governance & Assurance

• Strategy: Lead on the Functional Operating model, championing and driving forward the success of the Digital function, Working in conjunction with Senior Digital leadership, allies, partners across Defence, industry, and cross governance.
• Leading Digital leadership coherence and governance across the Function. Driving business change, productivity and delivering military impact.
• Governance: Lead on Functional Governance including key functional boards, driving cohesion across the Function.
• Assurance: Leading assurance of the Digital Function, cohering reporting and key metrics across the function.
  
  

Communications

• Oversee and shape the strategic communications on behalf of the Defence Digital function. Responsible for ensuring coherent messaging of Defence Digital activities to reinforce and build our brand through delivering Comms and monitoring the impact, chairing the Strategic Communications Board, stakeholder engagement and being the lynchpin for the Senior Leadership Team lead for Defence Digital Communications.
  
  

Stakeholder Management

• Ensure that the Functional Integration Directorate is run effectively and representing Director Functional Integration as required.
• Maintain alignment with the wider Functional Integration workstreams.
• Cultivate, manage and build a range of strong relationships and key strategic alliances with internal/external stakeholders including Chief Information Officers and the functional leadership.
• Provide visible and effective leadership, working with Digital leaders and teams to deliver agreed outcomes.
• Maintain alignment of the workstreams, including delivery of the DS4D programme, with the Department’s strategic direction and plan for the incorporation of new and/or changing requirements, priorities and initiatives.
  
  

People & Leadership

• Champion management of the Digital function across the organisation and provide overall lead and direction, undertaking the role of Deputy Head of Profession for Digital, Data and Information.
• Promote an energised culture focused on collaborative working in the interests of the Defence Digital organisation and Digital function as a whole.
• Create a culture of continuous improvement and learning from experience.
  
  

Person specification

The successful candidate must be able to demonstrate their experience and skills against the following essential criteria:

• A proven track record of overseeing significant Professional & Skills development initiatives, particularly within a Digital context.
• Strong communication and influencing skills with the ability to drive the Digital Functional Professions and Skills agenda. Communicating ideas and solutions clearly and enthusiastically to a full range of stakeholders.
• Proven track record of managing large scale Governance Projects effectively.
• Proven track record of providing empowering leadership to geographically dispersed teams and matrixed structures without direct line management responsibility.
• Strong Collaboration skills, adept at working with diverse teams across functions and organisations to devise innovative solutions.
• Experience of working in a Digital environment as a Senior Digital Professional.
• Relevant professional qualifications and/or membership of a professional body e.g. Chartered membership BCS or similar processional body.
  
  

Alongside your salary of £90,000, Ministry of Defence contributes £26,073 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%
  
  

Selection process details

Application

To apply for this post, you will need to complete the online application process accessed via the advertisement listed for this role. This should be completed no later than 23:55 Sunday 22 June 2025 and will involve providing the two documents outlined below via the Civil Service Jobs portal:

• A CV (no more than 3 pages) setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years.
• A Personal Statement (no more than 2 pages) explaining how your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role.
  
  

Both documents are weighted equally in their scoring, so it's important to consider this when uploading your application. Failure to submit both documents will mean the panel only have limited information on which to assess your application against the criteria in the person specification.

We understand that you might use AI and other resources for your application; however, please ensure all information you provide is factually accurate, truthful, and original and doesn’t include ideas or work that isn’t your own. This is so that your application is authentically and credibly your own.

External candidates who join the MOD and are new to the Civil Service will be subject to a six-month probation period

I will be offering an online Q&A session@ 1300 on Tuesday 10 June to provide an overview of the role and welcome any questions you may have. Candidates can access the meeting by clicking here. Please note this is not part of the formal assessment process. If you have any issues accessing the session, please contact Lynn Hughes at [e-mail] or on 07739 971395.

For further information about the role and full application process, please refer to the candidate pack attached below. If you wish to receive any material in a different format for accessibility, then please contact [e-mail].

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

This role has a minimum assignment duration of 3 years. An assignment duration is the period of time a Senior Civil Servant is expected to remain in the same post to enable them to deliver on the agreed key business outcomes. The assignment duration also supports your career through building your depth of expertise.

As part of accepting this role you will be agreeing to the expected assignment duration set out above. This will not result in a contractual change to your terms and conditions. Please note this is an expectation only, it is not something which is written into your terms and conditions or indeed which the employing organisation or you are bound by. It will depend on your personal circumstances at a particular time and business needs, for example, would not preclude any absence like family friendly leave. It is nonetheless an important expectation, which is why we ask you to confirm you agree to the assignment duration set out above.

Security

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.

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.

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 the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

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 : SCS Recruitment Team
• Email : [e-mail]
  
  

Recruitment team

• Email : [e-mail]
  
  

Further information

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, you should contact [e-mail] in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission.