Deputy Director, Elections Digital (job share) - MHCLG - SCS1

Manchester Digital; United Kingdom; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading government organization is seeking a Deputy Director for their Elections Digital Division. The role involves overseeing a diverse team and managing digital services that support electoral processes and government manifesto commitments. The ideal candidate will possess a strong leadership background, commercial awareness, and the ability to foster a high-performance culture within the team.

Qualifications

• Strategic leader with experience in digital services and project delivery.
• Commercial and budget management skills are essential.
• Experience working with ministers and managing diverse teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Digital Electoral Service portfolio and improve digital service delivery.
• Act as project director for individual projects within the elections change programme.
• Develop and build the in-house capacity and capability of the Elections Digital Division.

Skills

Leadership

Digital Services Management

Commercial Awareness

Team Development

Stakeholder Management

Job description

Deputy Director, Elections Digital (job share) - MHCLG - SCS1

About the job

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.

This is an excitingDeputy Director rolejointly heading up theElections Digital Division. This is ateam of enthusiastic and highlyskilled digital specialists, geographically dispersed across theUK.Our multidisciplinary in-house digital team is the driving forcebehind the development and delivery of excellent electionsservices for users, as well as the day-to-day operational runningof those services.We arelooking to build our in-housedevelopment capability in the coming years.

The division has a portfolio of 7 products and services, includingthe flagshipRegister to vote service . Over recent years,we’verapidly expanded our portfolio, and electors can now apply onlinefor postal votes, proxy votes and photo identification.

As well as continuing to develop our existing products andservices to better meet user needs, the Digital Division has a bigpart to play in delivering Government Manifesto commitments andother Ministerial priorities. Lowering the voting age to 16 requireschanges to all our elector-facing services, making them the firstinteraction that many young people will have with the gov.ukestate.We arealso seeking to improve registration by use dataand links between government services to increase the number ofpeople correctly registered to vote.

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

Key Accountabilities

• Playan active role in the Elections Directorate SCS leadershipteam, helping to make it a fantastic place to work, developingour people.
• Lead the Digital Electoral Service (DES) portfolio, made up of7 services, and ensuring the continued improvement andadoption of digital best practice.
• Lead the delivery of the digital development required tosupport the implementation of Government Manifestocommitments, including votes at 16 and improving registration.
• Develop the Elections Digital Division, building our in-housecapacity and capability.
• Act as overall project director for individual projects within theoverall Elections change programme.
• Work closely with colleagues across the department,analytical, legal, finance and commercial to ensure existingservices and new digital development are successfullydelivered, offer value for money and consider legal andimplementation opportunities and risks, underpinned by soundfinancial management.
• Represent the department in cross government andstakeholder forums.
• Use commercial acumen to assess value within externallycontracted services, whilst partnering with, challenging andsuccessfully managing external suppliers.
• Influence at all levels, including Ministerial, with both digitaland non-digital colleagues.

Person specification

This role requires a strategic leader who can work at pace with the ability to develop ahigh performanceculture.

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 servicesand 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.

• 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.
• 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.