Senior Digital Governance and Assurance Manager
DfT
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Benefits offered by this job
Job summary
Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency is seeking a Senior Digital Governance and Assurance Manager to lead governance and assurance for digital initiatives. You will work with senior leaders and cross-government colleagues to ensure effective risk management and robust decision support.
You will own the digital spend approvals process, drive forums and provide expert guidance on governance, risk and controls, while upholding civil service standards and behaviours in a hybrid working environment.
Qualifications
- Experience in governance, risk and control to inform decisions.
- Ability to set standards and monitor quality across programmes.
- Experience in project, programme or portfolio delivery.
- Line management experience.
- General management and business change experience.
- Experience of giving sound and authoritative advice and support.
Responsibilities
- Own end-to-end digital spend approvals within DVSA, ensuring compliance and continuous improvement.
- Lead governance lifecycle for digital forums, prepare material and chair meetings as needed.
- Set direction for engagement, delivery and continuous improvement of the service offering.
- Ensure a programme of compliance and assurance reviews at key milestones.
- Devise and run training on Digital Governance tools and methodologies; raise awareness of best practice.
Skills
Education
Job description
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Location
Location: Bristol, Swansea, Leeds, Nottingham, Newcastle, Oldham (Chadderton), Birmingham (Garretts Green) or Uxbridge.
This role is advertised as being based in Uxbridge; however, the contractual base will be Yeading.
While estate works are being carried out at the Yeading site, all roles will be temporarily located in Uxbridge. Successful applicants will therefore begin their employment at the Uxbridge location.
Please be aware that all employees will be required to work from the Yeading site once it reopens in 2028.
Employees based at Uxbridge will receive a London Weighting allowance of 4,000. This allowance will continue when the location moves to Yeading.
Do you have experience in building trusted relationships with stakeholders, influencing senior leaders, and providing clear, practical advice on governance, risk and controls?
If so, we’d love to hear from you!
We’re looking for a Senior Digital Governance and Assurance Manager who will help our team to provide the insight and assurance that enables informed decision-making across DVSA. Working closely with senior leaders and colleagues across the agency and wider government, you'll champion a positive governance and assurance culture, support effective risk management, and ensure digital decision-makers have the right information at the right time to protect and enhance our vital public services.
You’ll be our lead on specific deliverables within the team, including managing our digital spend approvals process, delivering key digital forums, and providing advice and guidance to colleagues on our processes.
- Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary. Read more about Civil Service Pensions here
- 25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave), plus 8 bank holidays a privilege day for the Kings birthday.
- Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.
Find out more about what it's like working at Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency - Department for Transport Careers.
Our team purpose is to use insight from governance, risk and control to bring clarity so that decision makers in DVSA can make informed choices.
The role holder will support the Head of Digital Governance to develop the right relationships with key stakeholders, ensuring Governance is seamless and supportive.
You will engage confidently with senior leaders, and Project SROs in DVSA, championing the assurance principles and values and encouraging a positive, transparent assurance culture across the Agency, by providing sound assurance advice on governance, risk and appropriate controls and seeking to improve business control processes and reporting.
You will work collaboratively with colleagues within DVSA and externally across government to be the first point of contact on digital governance and assurance related issues and information, ensuring that decision makers are informed and are taking account of the right information at the right time and responding to risks to ensure that DVSAs service provision is maintained.
Your responsibilities will include, but aren't limited to:
- Own the end-to-end process for digital spend approvals within DVSA, ensuring compliance with internal, GDS and wider cross-governmental assurance requirements, providing expert advice and guidance, and leading on continuous improvement in alignment with digital and other functional direction.
- Lead the governance lifecycle for key digital forums, including the preparation and smooth running of digital forums and meetings, ensuring high-quality materials, robust preparation and effective secretariate and facilitation support where required. Deputise for the Head of Digital Governance in chairing governance forums where appropriate.
- Set the direction for colleague engagement, delivery and continuous improvement for our service offering to the portfolio. Work with the other leaders to ensure the service offering is up to date, fit for purpose and well communicated within and outside of the team.
- Ensure a programme of compliance and assurance reviews take place at key milestones to meet internal and external requirements ensuring that activity is resourced adequately.
- Devise and run training and information workshops on Digital Governance tools and methodologies; to raise awareness of best practice methodology.
- Own DVSADigital Governance guidance ensuring this aligns with relevant internal and external requirements, and ensuring that all documentation is reviewed and updated as and when required to meet best practice requirements.
- Demonstrate leadership by providing influence, direction and guidance to support the delivery of objectives. Establish a strong direction and a persuasive future vision for digital governance, managing and engaging with honesty and integrity, and upholding the reputation of the Agency, Department and Civil Service.
- Encourage professional behaviours as well as performance and identify where development is required as well as regularly recognising when good work has been achieved. Provide a safe environment to elevate concerns from the team to respond to appropriately or elevate to the Head of Digital Governance if required.
- Work in collaboration with colleagues across all functions for the good of DVSA and to create a high performing and well-respected Agency.
Great line management is important to us as an organisation, and we will equip and support line managers to develop the skills they need. We aim to empower line managers to create teams where people can flourish and deliver excellent outcomes for the public.
For further information on the role, please read the attached role profile. Please note that the role profile is for information purposes only - whilst all elements are relevant to the role, they may not all be assessed during the recruitment process. This job advert will detail exactly what will be assessed during the recruitment process.
You may hold or be willing to work towards the following qualifications:
- Certificate of Risk Management, or equivalent
- PRINCE2 Foundation level or equivalent
- MSP Foundation or Practitioner level, or willingness to work towards
- Agile awareness or equivalent, or willingness to work towards
- Experience of being in an assurance, compliance or governance function to help inform decision making
- Experience in setting standards and processes to enable and monitor quality
- Experience of project, programme or portfolio delivery
- Line management experience
- General management and business change experience
- Experience of giving sound and authoritative advice and support
- Presentation and facilitation skills
Full-time roles consist of 37 hours per week.
Whilst we welcome applications from those looking to work with us on a part-time basis, there is a business requirement for the successful candidate to be able to work at least 30 hours per week.
Occasional travel to other offices will be required, which may involve overnight stays.
This role is suitable for hybrid working, which is a non-contractual arrangement where a combination of workplace and home-based working can be accommodated subject to business requirements.
The expectation at present is a minimum of 60% of your working time a month will be spent at either your designated workplace (one of the locations cited in the advert) or, when required for business reasons, in another office/work location. There may be occasions where you are required to attend above the minimum expectation.
If you have a question about hybrid working, part time/job share hours, flexible working, travelling for work, or require a reasonable adjustment, please contact the Vacancy Holder during the recruitment process to avoid possible disappointment later in the process should your working arrangements not be compatible with the requirements of the role (see below for contact details).
Please note that we do not hold a UK Visa & Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker Licence sponsor and are unable to sponsor any individuals for Skilled Worker Sponsorship. Candidates must ensure they have the appropriate rights to work in the UK before application.
- Changing and Improving
- Making Effective Decisions
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Communicating and Influencing
Alongside your salary of 45,900, Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency contributes 13,297 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).
- Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary. Read more about Civil Service Pensions here
- 25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave).
- 8 Bank Holidays plus an additional Privilege Day to mark the Kings birthday.
- Access to the staff discount portal.
- Excellent career development opportunities and the potential to undertake professional qualifications relevant to your role paid for by the department, such as CIPD, Prince2, apprenticeships, etc.
- 24-hour Employee Assistance Programme providing free confidential help and advice for staff.
Find out more about the benefits of working at DfT and its agencies (opens in a new window).
Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.
We will also hold a 12-month reserve list for this role, which may lead to potential opportunities beyond the role you applied for. You can read more about our reserve list here.
As a Disability Confident Leader employer, we are committed to ensuring that the recruitment process is fair, accessible and allows all candidates to perform at their best. If a person with a visible or non-visible disability is substantially disadvantaged, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.
Complete the Assistance required section in the Additional requirements page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need during the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at an interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.
If you need a reasonable adjustment so that you can complete your application, you should contact Government Recruitment Service via dftrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
This job advert contains links to the DfT Careers website. Our website provides useful guidance and information that can support you during the application process. If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert or the information on our website, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.
For more information about how we hire, and for useful tips on submitting your application for this role, visit the How We Hire page of our DfT Careers website. You can find detailed information about the recruitment process and what to expect when applying for a role.
If your application is successful but you have been dismissed from the Civil Service, your application could be removed at the pre-employment checking stage depending on the nature of the dismissal.
Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicants details held on the IFD will be refused employment. A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5-year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.
All External applicants and current employees of accredited non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) will be required to undergo a Social Media Check. A Social Media Check is a review of your publicly available online activity, typically across platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and others. The purpose is to identify any public posts or content that could raise concerns for employers, such as:
- Hate speech or discriminatory behaviour
- Threats or acts of violence
- Illegal activity or substance misuse
- Sexually explicit material
- Extremist views or affiliations
Importantly, this check does not involve hacking into your accounts or accessing private messages. It only considers content you have chosen to make public. Employers use this kind of screening to help ensure their workplace remains safe, inclusive, and aligned with company values. Its not about judging your personality or lifestyle its about checking for potential red flags that might affect the role or company culture. If you have questions or concerns about the social media check, we would be happy to explain in more detail whats being looked at and how your data is handled securely and fairly.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) criminal record check.
People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in a new window) checks.
- 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)
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 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).
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