Deputy Director, Elections Digital (job share)

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government; London; On-site; GBP 76,000; Part time

Job summary

A leading government department is seeking a Deputy Director to oversee the Elections Digital Division. The role focuses on managing a portfolio of digital services aimed at improving electoral processes, implementing government manifesto commitments, and fostering a high-performance team culture. Candidates should demonstrate leadership in digital services and have strong commercial awareness.

Benefits

Flexible working options

Civil Service pension

Learning and development tailored to your role

Inclusive and diverse culture

Qualifications

• Proven experience in digital service delivery and implementation.
• Ability to lead diverse teams and manage multiple senior relationships.
• Familiarity with budget management and supplier relationships.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Digital Electoral Service portfolio and improve digital services.
• Act as project director for Elections change programme.
• Influence senior stakeholders across government and manage third-party suppliers.

Skills

Leadership

Digital Services Management

Commercial Acumen

Project Management

Job description

Bristol, Darlington, London, Manchester, Wolverhampton

Job Summary

The Elections Directorate is responsible for a challenging and dynamic policy landscape, always in the public eye, covering electoral policy and law. This includes how elections are run, who can participate and how elections and campaigning are regulated.

Job Description

This is an exciting Deputy Director role jointly heading up the Elections Digital Division. This is a team of enthusiastic and highly skilled digital specialists, geographically dispersed across the UK.Our multidisciplinary in-house digital team is the driving force behind the development and delivery of excellent elections services for users, as well as the day-to-day operational running of those services. We are looking to build our in-house development capability in the coming years.

The division has a portfolio of 7 products and services, including the flagship Register to vote service. Over recent years, we’ve rapidly expanded our portfolio, and electors can now apply online for postal votes, proxy votes and photo identification.

As well as continuing to develop our existing products and services to better meet user needs, the Digital Division has a big part to play in delivering Government Manifesto commitments and other Ministerial priorities. Lowering the voting age to 16 requires changes to all our elector-facing services, making them the first interaction that many young people will have with the gov.uk estate. We are also seeking to improve registration by use data and links between government services to increase the number of people correctly registered to vote.

Within our programme structure, all the Deputy Directors also act as project directors for individual projects within the programme, taking end to end responsibility for delivery of all aspects of the projects.

Key Accountabilities

• Play an active role in the Elections Directorate SCS leadership team, helping to make it a fantastic place to work, developing our people.
• Lead the Digital Electoral Service (DES) portfolio, made up of 7 services, and ensuring the continued improvement and adoption of digital best practice.
• Lead the delivery of the digital development required to support the implementation of Government Manifesto commitments, including votes at 16 and improving registration .
• Develop the Elections Digital Division, building our in-house capacity and capability.
• Act as overall project director for individual projects within the overall Elections change programme .
• Work closely with colleagues across the department,analytical, legal, finance and commercial to ensure existingservices and new digital development are successfully delivered, offer value for money and consider legal and implementation opportunities and risks, underpinned by sound financial management.
• Represent the department in cross government and stakeholder forums .
• Use commercial acumen to assess value within externally contracted services, whilst partnering with, challenging and successfully managing external suppliers.
• Influence at all levels, including Ministerial, with both digital and non-digital colleagues.
  
  

This is an exciting Deputy Director role jointly heading up the Elections Digital Division. This is a team of enthusiastic and highly skilled digital specialists, geographically dispersed across the UK.Our multidisciplinary in-house digital team is the driving force behind the development and delivery of excellent elections services for users, as well as the day-to-day operational running of those services. We are looking to build our in-house development capability in the coming years.

The division has a portfolio of 7 products and services, including the flagship Register to vote service. Over recent years, we’ve rapidly expanded our portfolio, and electors can now apply online for postal votes, proxy votes and photo identification.

As well as continuing to develop our existing products and services to better meet user needs, the Digital Division has a big part to play in delivering Government Manifesto commitments and other Ministerial priorities. Lowering the voting age to 16 requires changes to all our elector-facing services, making them the first interaction that many young people will have with the gov.uk estate. We are also seeking to improve registration by use data and links between government services to increase the number of people correctly registered to vote.

Within our programme structure, all the Deputy Directors also act as project directors for individual projects within the programme, taking end to end responsibility for delivery of all aspects of the projects.

Key Accountabilities

• Play an active role in the Elections Directorate SCS leadership team, helping to make it a fantastic place to work, developing our people.
• Lead the Digital Electoral Service (DES) portfolio, made up of 7 services, and ensuring the continued improvement and adoption of digital best practice.
• Lead the delivery of the digital development required to support the implementation of Government Manifesto commitments, including votes at 16 and improving registration .
• Develop the Elections Digital Division, building our in-house capacity and capability.
• Act as overall project director for individual projects within the overall Elections change programme .
• Work closely with colleagues across the department,analytical, legal, finance and commercial to ensure existingservices and new digital development are successfully delivered, offer value for money and consider legal and implementation opportunities and risks, underpinned by sound financial management.
• Represent the department in cross government and stakeholder forums .
• Use commercial acumen to assess value within externally contracted services, whilst partnering with, challenging and successfully managing external suppliers.
• Influence at all levels, including Ministerial, with both digital and non-digital colleagues.
  
  

Person specification

This role requires a strategic leader who can work at pace with the ability to develop a high performance culture.

You will be responsible for both the existing portfolio and the development required to deliver the Government's priorities for improving elections – all with the end-user in mind. To do so, you will be able to effectively manage multiple senior relationships, across all levels of Government and stakeholders.

You will be comfortable working across digital services and with budgets, able to advise with confidence how to ensure successful delivery.

You will have a strong focus on developing your team to perform at its best, give constructive challenge, and act as a trusted advisor into our policy teams.

Like the rest of MHCLG, we have an ambition to build more digital capabilities in-house, but currently some of our digital services are delivered by third parties. This means you must have commercial awareness, and be confident dealing with third party suppliers, ensuring we get the most out of relationships.

You will report to the Elections Director and be a visible leader within the directorate. Contributing to and shaping an inclusive team culture.

Previous leadership experience in government is not required, but you will be expected to quickly get up to speed with the directorate's high priority agenda.

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 and the Civil Service D&I Strategy.

Essential Criteria

• Ability to demonstrate confident and empowering leadership, setting strategic direction through political, social and technological ambiguity.
• Experience of managing digital services, implementation and delivery. Championing continuous service design and capable of identifying and overcoming risks.
• Experience of working across policy/digital/analytical boundaries to lead multidisciplinary teams, promoting user-centred methods for service design and policymaking.
• Commercial and budget management skills to provide advice on strategic supplier contractual relationships and annual budgets.
• Experience shaping and leading a diverse and inclusive culture; motivating people to develop and perform to high standards; promoting equality and inclusion and leading people through change.
• Ability to work in partnership and deliver through others, working confidently with a range of experts, as well as across wider Government, industry partners and stakeholders.
  
  

Desirable criteria

• Experience of working with ministers or equivalent senior stakeholders: securing their confidence and supporting your team to deliver against their priorities.
• The ability to work across government departments to deliver programmes.
  
  

Alongside your salary of £76,000, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government contributes £22,017 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
  
  

Selection process details

How To Apply

Please click the Be Applied link to provide the required information and complete your application through the Be Applied website by 23:55 on 13 July 2025.

You will be asked to enter some personal details, upload your CV and to provide your responses to the role’s advertised essential criteria.

When prompted to upload your CV, please upload a single document consisting of:

• a CV (including the names of 2 referees and your current remuneration) setting out your career history, with key responsibilities, achievements and your relevant qualifications. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years.
• a statement of suitability explaining how your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the essential criteria provided in the person specification. (max. 2 pages)
  
  

Please remember to save these two items in one document. Both items will be assessed to determine sift outcomes.

Failure to submit both a CV and statement of suitability will mean the panel only have limited information on which to assess your application against the Essential Criteria.

Please note that only completed applications through the Be Applied route will be considered and that any further progress updates will be sent through Be Applied.

The hiring manager, Stuart Ison, would be happy to have informal discussions with candidates who would like further information about the role before submitting an application. If interested, please contact [e-mail]

The Selection Panel Will Be Made Up Of:

• Stuart Ison, Director, Elections
• Two additional panellists
  
  

Additionally, the panel will be joined by one of our staff representatives from a pool of volunteers as part of our commitments to diversity and inclusion.

Selection process and assessments

During sifting, both your CV and Statement of Suitability will be assessed against the role’s Essential Criteria. These Essential Criteria will also be used to form the basis of the panel’s questions in your final interview.

Candidates that are shortlisted may be invited to attend a staff engagement panel.

At MHCLG we hold staff engagement panels as an integral part of the recruitment process for Senior Civil Servants (SCS) – they are designed to help us build up a rounded picture of each candidate and give us an insight into how you might engage and interact with your team should you be successful. The purpose of the session is to help us assess your engagement and communication skills and is not about testing your subject knowledge or expertise for this particular role. Feedback from the session is passed onto the selection panel for consideration alongside the final interview.

Shortlisted candidates will also be invited to a meeting with Liz Owen, the job-share partner for this role. This is not a formal part of the selection process but an informal chance for candidates to find out more about the role and the organisation.

Shortlisted candidates will also be invited to give a short presentation or complete an exercise at the beginning of their final interview. Further details will be provided to shortlisted candidates when invited to interview.

All of the evidence presented as part of the process will be considered in the final assessment.

Contract

This is a permanent appointment. This role is specifically a job share role on a part-time basis of c. 22-28 hours per week. MHCLG encourages flexible working.

Location

Please note that, in order for the successful candidate to fulfil the specific business needs associated with this post, this post is only available in the following locations:

• Bristol
• Darlington
• London
• Manchester
• Wolverhampton
  
  

Any offer made will be based on the specific location you select during the application process.

Please note that, as your normal work location, costs cannot be claimed for travel to and from your base office location.

Salary

For external appointments, remuneration for this role will be £76,000 pa pro rata, plus a bonus opportunity depending on performance (within the normal Civil Service pay arrangements) and attractive pension.

For existing civil servants, the usual policy on level transfer and promotion will apply and is non-negotiable. If appointed on promotion you would get the higher of 10% uplift or the new minimum for Deputy Director.

Future pay awards will normally be made in line with current SCS performance-related pay arrangements.

Reserve List

In the event that we identify more appointable candidates than we currently have posts available, we will hold applicant details in a reserve list for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made. Candidates placed on a reserve list will be informed of this.

Near Miss Offers

Please note that near miss offers may be made at the lower grade to candidates who do not meet the grade criteria for this campaign.

Security Clearance

All MHCLG colleagues must meet the Baseline Personnel Security Standard. This is a series of basic security checks to confirm identity and employment history.

In addition to the BPSS, the level of security clearance required for this role is Security Check (SC) and the process can take up to 8 weeks to complete. For more details of vetting levels and requirements please refer to the Cabinet Office HMG Personnel Security Controls.

Complaints Process

Please see candidate pack slide 23 for details.

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 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.

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.

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

Recruitment team

• Email : [e-mail]