Director of Digital & Information Technology

Health and Safety Executive; London; Hybrid; GBP 130,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a Director of Digital and Technology to lead a dynamic team and drive innovation. This pivotal role involves developing a comprehensive digital strategy, overseeing technology evaluation, and ensuring operational excellence. The ideal candidate will possess exceptional leadership skills and a strong background in technology trends. With a focus on empowering teams and delivering outstanding customer experiences, this position offers a unique opportunity to make a significant impact in a fast-paced environment. Join a forward-thinking organization committed to modernizing its operations and enhancing service delivery.

Benefits

Civil Service Pension Scheme

25-30 Days Annual Leave

Flexible Working Patterns

Generous Parental Leave

Childcare Benefits

Interest-free Loans

Onsite Facilities

Occupational Sick Pay

Qualifications

• Proven track record of leading digital/technology programmes.
• Experience in building high-performing, cross-functional teams.
• Ability to influence and manage complex stakeholder relationships.

Responsibilities

• Lead the creation and implementation of a digital/technology strategy.
• Manage significant technology budgets and third-party contracts.
• Foster a high-performing culture focused on customer experience.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder Management

Digital Strategy Development

Risk Management

Technology Evaluation

Education

Degree in Computer Science or Information Technology

ITIL Certification

Project Management Certification

Tools

Cloud Computing Platforms

Network Management Tools

Job description

Director of Digital & Information Technology

Director of Digital & Information Technology

The candidate can be based in any HSE location outside of London, but a routine presence in Bootle, anticipated to be at least two days per week, will be required.

Reasonable travel and subsistence expenses from your base office will be reclaimable.

HSE Locations:

Aberdeen, Ashford (Kent), Basingstoke, Birmingham, Bootle, Bristol, Buxton, Cardiff, Carlisle, Carmarthen, Chelmsford, Crewe, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, Leeds, Milton Keynes, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Norwich, Nottingham, Oxted, Plymouth, Sheffield, Wrexham, York

Job Summary

The Role

The Director of DIT leads a division of approximately 200 people, and several external technology, digital and service providers. The post holder will lead and direct the development of the digital and technology roadmap for HSE and work closely with the Director of Transformation in delivering cross-cutting programmes that draw together diverse capability and add dynamism to how HSE operates.

The Director will play a key role in enabling and reinforcing a high-performance culture where employees demonstrate high levels of personal accountability and are motivated to deliver results by working in an environment where they are empowered to make decisions and feel valued.

The Director is a member of HSE’s Executive Committee, reporting directly to the Chief Executive.

The division supports the organisation to deliver its priorities, through the modernisation of legacy systems and advancing the digital agenda.

Upcoming Priorities

• Developing and implementing a new digital and technology strategy for the organisation.
• Exploiting emerging technical innovations to improve both operational excellence and customer service.
• Establishing a programme to manage and decommission legacy applications while moving to digital solutions
• Ensuring digital and IT risks are identified and managed to deliver effective, secure and consistent IT infrastructure and business critical systems.
• Developing a significant insourced technology and digital function to establish a strong, sustainable and high performing organisation
  
  

Job Description

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the creation and implementation of a strategy and roadmap for digital/technology that aligns with the organisation’s broader strategy and enables the organisation to achieve its objectives.
• Oversee the evaluation of the organisation’s range of existing technologies and put in place a decommissioning and risk management programme, which will address the technical, operational and commercial risks associated with legacy systems until they can be replaced or removed.
• Put in place a technology architecture that provides a reliable and permanent infrastructure, ensuring systems and services are continuously operational and resistant to attacks or disasters.
• Enable the organisation to be innovative and adopt new technologies that offer value, working within appropriate levels of risk.
• Create working practices and processes that support effective delivery and ensure the achievement of the divisions service performance, outcomes, targets and objectives. ensuring that technology risks are identified and managed, business plan deliverables are achieved, and performance standards are met.
• Work closely with the Director of Transformation in supporting HSE’s transformation and change programmes, accountable for the successful delivery of digital technology functions, enabling HSE to deliver its strategic ambitions, keep pace with government priorities and the future world of work, and deliver better outcomes.
• Effectively manage significant technology and resource budgets, including the procurement of technologies, tools, systems and services, and the management of third-party contracts and relationships.
• Provide strong strategic leadership of the Division fostering an inclusive, high performing culture where employees demonstrate high levels of personal accountability, are empowered to make decisions, and are focussed on delivering a great customer experience and outstanding outcomes.
  
  

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the creation and implementation of a strategy and roadmap for digital/technology that aligns with the organisation’s broader strategy and enables the organisation to achieve its objectives.
• Oversee the evaluation of the organisation’s range of existing technologies and put in place a decommissioning and risk management programme, which will address the technical, operational and commercial risks associated with legacy systems until they can be replaced or removed.
• Put in place a technology architecture that provides a reliable and permanent infrastructure, ensuring systems and services are continuously operational and resistant to attacks or disasters.
• Enable the organisation to be innovative and adopt new technologies that offer value, working within appropriate levels of risk.
• Create working practices and processes that support effective delivery and ensure the achievement of the divisions service performance, outcomes, targets and objectives. ensuring that technology risks are identified and managed, business plan deliverables are achieved, and performance standards are met.
• Work closely with the Director of Transformation in supporting HSE’s transformation and change programmes, accountable for the successful delivery of digital technology functions, enabling HSE to deliver its strategic ambitions, keep pace with government priorities and the future world of work, and deliver better outcomes.
• Effectively manage significant technology and resource budgets, including the procurement of technologies, tools, systems and services, and the management of third-party contracts and relationships.
• Provide strong strategic leadership of the Division fostering an inclusive, high performing culture where employees demonstrate high levels of personal accountability, are empowered to make decisions, and are focussed on delivering a great customer experience and outstanding outcomes.
  
  

Person specification

Essential Criteria

The role requires the post-holder to have the experience and interpersonal skills to establish professional credibility and authority. The following is sought:

• Demonstrable track record of leading successful digital/technology programmes and operational delivery in complex, fast paced and ambiguous environments, ideally in the public sector (though not essential).
• Excellent leadership skills, with proven success in building high-performing, cross -functional teams, with an ability to empower and inspire teams of professionals.
• Experience of leading through others, with the ability to influence and manage complex stakeholder relationships, and deal with public and political scrutiny.
• Experience of leading in the latest technology and digital trends and innovations, with the ability to demystify technology and establish measures by which digital/technology effectiveness and value to the organisation can be evidenced.
• Experience in the evaluation of the advantages and disadvantages of a wide range of significant previous, current and potential technologies, assessing if organisations have the most appropriate technologies to achieve their goals, and quickly assess unfamiliar technology for potential use.
• Experience in advising organisations on the implications of new technologies and uses of data, such as ethical, security or legal implications.
  
  

Qualifications

Background in computer science and/or information technology demonstrated by university degree.

Industry specific qualifications in cloud computing platforms, network and information management.

ITIL and project management certifications.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Making Effective Decisions
  
  

Alongside your salary of £130,000, Health and Safety Executive contributes £37,661 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Whatever your role, we take your career and development seriously, and want to enable you to build a really successful career within the Civil Service. It is crucial that our employees have the right skills to develop their careers and meet the challenges ahead, and you’ll benefit from regular performance and development reviews to ensure this development is ongoing. As a Civil Servant, you’ll be entitled to a large range of benefits.

Pensions

Your pension is a valuable part of your total reward package.

A competitive contributory pension scheme that you can enter as soon as you join where we will make a significant contribution to the cost of your pension; where your contributions come out of your salary before any tax is taken; and where your pension will continue to provide valuable benefits for you and your family if you are too ill to continue to work or die before you retire. Visit www.civilservicepensions.org.uk for more details.

Annual Leave

25 days annual leave on entry, increasing on a sliding scale to 30 days after 5 years’ service. This is in addition to 8 public holidays and one privilege day to mark the King's birthday.

Flexible working patterns

Flexible working patterns including time-term working and access to Flexible Working Schemes allowing you to vary your working day as long as you work your total hours.

Generous parental leave

Generous paid maternity and paternity leave which is notably more then the statutory minimum offered by many other employers.

Childcare Benefits

(policy for new employees as of 5 April 2018) the Government has introduced the Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) scheme. Working parents can open an online childcare account and for every £8 they pay in, the government adds £2, up to a maximum of £2000 a year for each child or £4000 for a disabled child. Parents then use the funds to pay a registered childcare. Existing employees may be able to continue to claim childcare vouchers, so please check how the policy would work for you here.

Interest-free loans

Interest-free loans allowing you to spread the cost of an annual travel season ticket or a new bicycle.

Onsite facilities

Opportunity to use onsite facilities including fitness centres and staff canteen (where applicable)

Sick Pay

Occupational Sick pay.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

Application Process

Application

Your online application via CS Jobs should be completed no later than 23:55 on Tuesday 27th May 2025. This should include the following two documents outlined below:

• A CV 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 Statement of Suitability (no longer than 1250) explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the criteria in the person specification.
  
  

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.

As part of the online application process, you will be asked a number of diversity-related questions. If you do not wish to provide a declaration on any of the particular characteristics, you will have the option to select 'prefer not to say'. All monitoring data will be treated in the strictest confidence and will not be provided to the selection panel.

Should you encounter any issues with your online application please get in touch with us via [e-mail]

Selection Panel

Sarah Pittam, a Civil Service Commissioner, will chair the process.

The Civil Service Commission Has Two Primary Functions

• Providing assurance that selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit on the basis of fair and open competition. For the most senior posts in the Civil Service, the Commission discharges its responsibilities directly by overseeing the recruitment process and by a Commissioner chairing the selection panel.
• Hearing and determining appeals made by civil servants under the Civil Service Code which sets out the Civil Service values – Impartiality, Objectivity, Integrity and Honesty - and forms part of the relationship between civil servants and their employer.
  
  

More detailed information can be found on the Civil Service Commission website

In addition to Sarah Pittam, the other panel members will be:

• Sarah Albon, Chief Executive - HSE
• Paul Shipley - Technology Division - HSE
• Osama Rahman - Independent Panel Member - ONS
  
  

Shortlist

The panel will select a shortlist of candidates whose applications best demonstrate suitability for the role, by considering the evidence provided against the Essential Criteria set out in the Person Specification. Failure to address any or all of these may affect your application.

Assessments

If shortlisted, you will be asked to take part in a Staff Engagement Exercise (SEE) and an Individual Leadership Assessment (ILA) – the ILA consists of a series of psychometric tests and a follow up interview conducted by an occupational psychologist. The ILA will focus on a defined set of SCS leadership attributes, these will be shared with all shortlisted candidates.

These assessments will not result in a pass or fail decision. Rather, they are designed to support the panel’s decision making and highlight areas for the panel to explore further at interview.

Informal Discussions

Shortlisted candidates will also have the opportunity to speak to the vacancy holder prior to the final interview to learn more about the role and the organisation. Please note that these are not part of the formal assessment process, they are intended to give candidates the opportunity to learn about the role and the Civil Service.

Interview

You will be asked to attend a panel interview in order to have a more in-depth discussion of your previous experience and professional competence in relation to the criteria set out in the Person Specification.

Candidates may also be asked to make a presentation to the panel based on a scenario which will be provided on the day of the interview. Preparation time will included within the interview time.

Full details of the assessment and interview process will be provided to shortlisted candidates.

Interviews will be held in Bootle.

Offer and feedback

Unfortunately, due to the anticipated number of applicants for this role, we are unable to provide feedback to those not successful at shortlist stage. Candidates who are shortlisted and attend an interview will be offered verbal feedback from a member of the interview panel.

Indicative Timeline

We will try and offer as much flexibility as we can, but it may not be possible to offer alternative dates for assessments or interviews. You are therefore asked to note the below timetable, exercising flexibility through the recruitment and selection process, in order to meet the dates given. Please note that these dates may be subject to change.

The Anticipated Timetable Is As Follows

Advert Closing Date: 23:55 on Tuesday 27 May 2025

Shortlist: W/C 02 June 2025

ILA & SEE: W/C 16 June 2025

Panel Interviews: W/C 30 June 2025

Reasonable Adjustment

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

• Contact Government Recruitment Service at: [e-mail] as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
• Complete the ‘assistance required’ section in the ‘personal information’ page of your application form to provide information we should be aware of that will enable us to support you further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.
  
  

Further Information

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact: [e-mail]

Contact us

Should candidates like to discuss the role in more detail before submitting an application, please contact [e-mail] to find out more.

This campaign is being run on behalf of the department by Government Recruitment Service. GRS is part of Government Business Services, for the Civil Service, and is a central government expert service specialising in the attraction, search, selection and recruitment of senior civil servants.

The team is regularly commissioned by departments and other government organisations to deliver end-to-end recruitment for some of society’s most important leadership and specialist positions.

Our work is regulated by the Civil Service Commission where necessary and supported by the equality campaign group Stonewall.

The Cabinet Office is a Disability Confident employer.

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

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

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

Recruitment team

• Email : [e-mail]
  
  

Further information

Civil Service Commission Selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit, on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles.

In accordance with the Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Principles, our recruitment and selection processes are underpinned by the requirement of appointment on the basis of merit by fair and open competition. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance you should contact; [e-mail]

If you are not satisfied with the response you receive you can contact the Civil Service Commission at [e-mail] and more information can be found at www.civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk

Seniority level

• Seniority level

  Director

Employment type

• Employment type

  Full-time

Job function

• Job function

  Information Technology

• Industries

  Government Administration

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