Head of Digital Capability and Onboarding

Smiley & Co, Ltd.; Leeds; Hybrid; GBP 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company is seeking a Head of Digital Capability and Onboarding to lead their digital workforce initiatives. This role involves strategic recruitment, onboarding, and capability support to build a skilled digital workforce while aligning with government efficiency targets.

Benefits

Flexible working options

Generous Annual Leave

Pension scheme with high employer contribution

Learning and development opportunities

Employee assistance program

Qualifications

• Experienced leader who thrives at the intersection of strategy, operations, and people.
• Ability to model high standards while supporting others to grow.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end recruitment campaigns across digital and data professions.
• Oversee onboarding journey for all digital professionals.
• Drive activity to reduce external contractor roles.

Skills

Leadership

Collaboration

Inclusion

Job description

Head of Digital Capability and Onboarding

Join to apply for the Head of Digital Capability and Onboarding role at Smiley & Co, Ltd.

Head of Digital Capability and Onboarding

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Join to apply for the Head of Digital Capability and Onboarding role at Smiley & Co, Ltd.

Location: Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Nottingham, Oldham, Swansea

Salary: £54,857 per annum

Job Type: Fixed Term Contract for 2 years, Full Time or Part Time hours

Our client is investing in the digital workforce they need to meet future challengesbuilding a more sustainable, skilled, and in-house capability that reduces their reliance on external contractors. As part of this work, theyve created the Digital & Data Hub: a central team that brings together recruitment, onboarding, workforce planning, and governance to support the growth of a modern digital profession within the agency.

Theyre now looking for a senior leader to head up the Hub. This role will focus on scaling up their recruitment of digital professionals, embedding consistent onboarding and capability support, and helping them meet its ambitious workforce targets in line with government expectations.

The Role

The Head of Digital & Data Hub leads their strategic approach to digital recruitment, onboarding, and workforce capability. You will be responsible for designing and running the processes that ensure they can attract, develop, and retain the digital talent it needswhile also contributing to the governments wider contractor reduction and efficiency targets.

This is a leadership role with both operational and strategic scope, sitting at the heart of the agencys drive to build a more skilled, sustainable digital workforce.

Key Responsibilities

• Digital Workforce Growth - Lead end-to-end recruitment campaigns across digital and data professions, ensuring roles are advertised, assessed, and onboarded in a consistent, timely, and inclusive way.
• Onboarding & Capability Support - Oversee the onboarding journey for all digital professionals, including apprenticeships, and develop mechanisms that support retention, development, and career progression.
• Contractor Reduction & Efficiency Alignment - Drive activity to convert and reduce external contractor roles where appropriate, aligning to Civil Service and Spring Budget targets for efficiency and workforce sustainability.
• Governance & Reporting - Ensure the Hub maintains accurate oversight of digital workforce metricsincluding headcount, vacancies, contractor usage, and diversity indicatorsand reports effectively to them and central government stakeholders.
• Cross-functional Collaboration - Work closely with HR, finance, commercial, and digital leadership to coordinate workforce activity, unblock delivery risks, and provide senior-level assurance on progress.
  
  

Skills And Qualifications

Theyre looking for an experienced leader who thrives at the intersection of strategy, operations, and people. Youll bring the credibility to influence at senior levels, and the focus to deliver at pace. Most importantly, youll be driven by a desire to create the conditions where digital professionals can succeed and grow within the Civil Service.

You Will Have

• A clear, practical leadership stylefocused on delivery, clarity, and collaboration.
• A commitment to inclusion, development, and building professional communities.
• Ability to model high standards while supporting others to grow in capability and confidence.
  
  

Additional Information

This role can be based in Bristol, Swansea, Leeds, Nottingham, Newcastle, Oldham or Birmingham. Your presence at one of these locations will form part of the working arrangements agreed with you. They operate a hybrid working model giving you greater flexibility about where and when you work. Their expectation is that you will spend a minimum 60% of your time at your base location. Visits to other sites or work locations count towards this.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £54,857, Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency contributes £15,892 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.

An environment with flexible working options where they encourage a great work-life balance.

• Alongside your salary, they have a fantastic pension scheme with an average employer contribution of 28.97%.
• Generous Annual Leave - 25 days holiday, increasing by 1 each year of service, up to 30.
• 8 Bank Holidays plus an additional Privilege Day to mark the Kings birthday.
• Latest IT and Tech devices.
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity with a range of staff communities to support all of their colleagues.
• Excellent learning and development tailored to your role including paid apprenticeships up to Masters level.
• Wide range of discounts schemes on high street names.
• Employee assistance program for health and well-being.
• Cycle to work scheme and Gym membership offers
  
  

To Apply

If you feel you are a suitable candidate and would like to work for this reputable organisation, please proceed through the following link to be redirected to their website to complete your application.

Seniority level

• Seniority level

  Executive

Employment type

• Employment type

  Full-time

Job function

• Job function

  Marketing

• Industries

  Marketing Services

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