GDS seeks data.gov.uk manager as strategy expected emphasise need for open data

The Government Digital Service has launched a recruitment drive for a product manager for the government’s catalogue of open data, data.gov.uk.

Advertisement comes as government digital transformation strategy puts emphasis on open data – Photo credit: Pexels

The role, advertised at a salary of around £50,000 for a period of 24 months, will involve devising and iterating the data.gov.uk roadmap and championing open data across government.

The move comes as the government is expected to emphasise the importance of data in its much-delayed transformation strategy, which will include the creation of a new role of chief data officer, after the current open data champion Paul Malty announced earlier this year that he was leaving GDS at Christmas.

The strategy, the launch of which is thought to be pencilled in for the end of the week, will encourage departments to take data seriously and improve data sharing – something that the government also aims to make easier through provisions in the Digital Economy Bill.


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In the job description for the data.gov.uk product manager role, GDS said that data was “the fuel of the digital economy” and could transform the way government works.

“We are now at the start of a data revolution in government with the potential to drive greater efficiency, support economic growth and deliver better public services for citizens,” it said.

“We are committed to building a data-driven government. Through our Government Data Programme we plan to radically improve the availability, quality and use of government data and make it easier for public bodies to put that data to good use.”

The data.gov.uk website already holds more than 25,000 datasets, but the job advert said that the focus has been on “volume over quality” and that there will be a shift to improve quality, make data easier to find and less onerous for departments to publish open data.

The new recruit will manage a multidisciplinary team, improve the provision and use of open government data and be ready to communicate their plans through the GDS blog and conferences.

GDS said that it wanted applicants who enjoy working in an agile environment, care about technology and know how to make projects succeed, “as well as stopping them failing”.

The deadline for applications is 6 January with interviews in the week beginning 16 January.

Rebecca.Hill

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