Deputy Director IT Service Operations

Ofgem; City of Westminster; Hybrid; GBP 81,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A UK energy regulation agency is seeking a Deputy Director of IT Service Operations to lead the delivery of user-centered, resilient IT services. The role involves overseeing service management, driving digital transformation, and ensuring the organization meets its strategic objectives. Candidates should have extensive experience in service management, stakeholder engagement, and EUC technologies. A competitive salary of £81,000 plus benefits is offered, alongside opportunities for career development.

Benefits

Civil Service pension

Generous leave entitlement

Flexible working options

Training and development opportunities

Qualifications

• Extensive knowledge of managing EUC services for at least 1500 users.
• Demonstrable experience in leading service introduction and transformation.
• Ability to communicate effectively with senior stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead the enterprise IT service landscape for Ofgem.
• Champion innovation and continuous improvement in digital service delivery.
• Ensure alignment of IT services with organizational goals.

Skills

Strong EUC technical knowledge

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Service management

Budget management

Operational excellence

Education

Experience in managing large-scale service delivery

Knowledge of ITIL frameworks

Experience in digital workplace management

Tools

Microsoft platforms

EUC technologies

Job description

Could you thrive at the forefront of transforming technology within the energy sector? Ofgem is looking for a Deputy Director of IT Service Operations to join us and lead the delivery of secure, resilient and user‑centred IT services that underpin our vital regulatory mission.

Ofgem is Great Britain's independent energy regulator. We're at the forefront of change across the energy sector, driving toward Net Zero whilst protecting energy consumers, especially vulnerable people.

We're offering a permanent opportunity with significant scope to shape the future of digital operations in a high-impact, high-profile environment. You'll be responsible for leading the enterprise IT service landscape, ensuring it continuously evolves to meet organisational needs and delivers measurable outcomes. You'll provide visible leadership across our service strategy, operational governance, digital workplace capability, and service management framework.

This is an influential role that blends strategic oversight with delivery accountability. You'll champion innovation, lead transformation across our live service portfolio, and embed a culture of excellence across IT operations, all while aligning our digital delivery with strategic objectives.

We're looking for someone with strong EUC technical knowledge, a forward‑thinking mindset, and a proven track record of delivering enterprise‑scale service improvements. You'll be confident navigating senior stakeholder relationships, translating business needs into technical outcomes, and ensuring our people and systems perform at their best. You will bring extensive knowledge of service management and service improvement, coupled with a firm grounding in EUC technologies based on the Microsoft platforms.

In return, you'll join a high‑performing, purpose‑driven leadership team where you can shape the future of digital service delivery in a nationally critical organisation. You'll benefit from excellent civil service pension arrangements, generous leave entitlement, and flexible working options, all while leading transformational projects that enable better outcomes for citizens.

Our Digital, Data and Security Services directorate has a critical purpose to deliver secure, resilient and user‑centred enterprise IT services, supporting Ofgem's mission and championing innovation in digital public service delivery. This is your opportunity to take on a leading role in this vital area.

Candidates should note that, subject to consultation, the role may be expanded slightly to include the management and leadership of estates. See role description. The Deputy Director of IT Service Operations provides strategic leadership and operational oversight across Ofgem's enterprise IT services and equipment, ensuring the delivery of resilient, secure, and user‑centred digital services that enable the organisation's regulatory mission. {subject to consultation, role may be renamed Deputy Director of IT and Estates Service Operations with aspects in this section amended accordingly to incorporate estates management}

This role is pivotal in embedding a service‑centric culture across the Digital, Data and Security Services (DDSS) directorate, translating delivery rigour, ITIL‑aligned practices, and continual improvement into tangible service outcomes aligned with Ofgem's strategic priorities.

The Deputy Director leads four core capabilities: Service Design and Transition, Service Management, Service Desk, and End User Computing (EUC). A key focus is on the leadership of the EUC function, ensuring that employees have seamless, secure, and high‑performing access to the tools and technologies they need. This includes driving the strategic roadmap for EUC, modernising the digital workplace, and enhancing user experience through innovation and proactive service improvement.

The role spans both operational excellence‑such as incident resolution, change and release governance‑and strategic leadership of enterprise‑wide transformation initiatives. It requires a forward‑thinking approach to planning and evolving the live service portfolio, with a strong emphasis on continuous improvement, stakeholder engagement, and measurable value delivery. We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Changing and Improving
• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing

You will then be asked to provide a 1250 word 'personal statement' evidencing how you meet the essential skills and capabilities listed in the role profile. Please ensure you demonstrate clearly, within your supporting statement, how you meet each of the essential skills and capabilities.

The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. You must ensure that any evidence submitted as part of your application or used during interview, including your CV and any statements or examples, are truthful and factually accurate. Ofgem takes any incidents of cheating very seriously. Please ensure all examples provided are of your own experience. Any instances of plagiarism or other forms of cheating will be investigated and, if proven, the relevant applications will be withdrawn from the process. Please note that plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own.

Please refer to Civil Service candidate advice on the acceptable use of Artificial intelligence within the recruitment and selection process - Artificial intelligence and recruitment, Civil Service Careers

The personal information we have collected from you will be shared with Cifas who will use it to prevent fraud, other unlawful or dishonest conduct, malpractice, and other seriously improper conduct. If any of these are detected, you could be refused certain services or employment. Your personal information will also be used to verify your identity. Further details of how your information will be used by us and Cifas, and your data protection rights, can be found by [https://www.cifas.org.uk/fpn].

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 a 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.

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).

Qualifications

• Strategic Leadership & Service Vision – Proven and extensive ability to set and lead the strategic direction for IT Service Operations, aligning delivery with organisational goals and translating vision into measurable outcomes. This will be demonstrated across a variety of enterprise scale operations, covering the full range of Digital Services (i.e. End User Compute, Data, Applications etc). (LEAD)
• Operational Excellence & Service Improvement – Demonstrable experience in leading large‑scale service delivery, service introduction and transformation, including implementation of ITIL‑aligned frameworks, governance controls, and continuous improvement initiatives. Extensive experience of introducing, operating and refining services will be required across a broad range of Digital, Data and Security Services. (LEAD)
• End User Computing & Digital Workplace Leadership – Strong track record in managing and evolving EUC services at scale (at least 1500 users), ensuring secure, reliable, and user‑centred access to digital tools and technologies.
• Stakeholder Engagement & Commercial Acumen – Excellent communication and influencing skills, with experience in managing large budgets, Enterprise‑wide vendor relationships, and building trust across senior stakeholders.
• Procurement & Commercial Awareness – Knowledge or experience of civil service procurement processes, including tendering, contract management, and commercial negotiations for IT services.
• Budget and Financial Management – Knowledge or experience of budget/financial management for Digital services, including the basic accounting treatments for the various types of IT services/contracts/assets. In terms of scale, you will be able to demonstrate multi‑million pound direct budget accountability.

Alongside your salary of £81,000, OFGEM contributes £23,465 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Ofgem can offer you a comprehensive and competitive benefits package which includes; SCS1 holiday entitlement; Excellent training and development opportunities; The opportunity to join the generous Civil Service pension which also includes a valuable range of benefits; hybrid working (currently 20% attendance in the office but this is kept under review), flexible working hours and family friendly policies. Plus, lots of other benefits including clean and bright offices based centrally, engaged networks and teams and an opportunity to contribute to our ambitious and important targets of establishing a Net Zero energy system by 2050. This exciting blend of professional challenge and personal reward identifies career opportunities at Ofgem as something to get excited about.