Recruitment campaign seeks ‘bold, collaborative and forward-thinking leader who thrives in a complex environment’ to play a central role in the Department for Work and Pensions’ Digital and Transformation Group
The Department for Work and Pensions is recruiting for an “exceptional” director for its Digital and Transformation Group, who will be tasked with playing a central role in the modernisation of services including Universal Credit and other benefits.
It is offering a salary of up to £136,000 a year for its next director for working age services digital delivery, which is a Senior Civil Service pay band 2 role.
Working age services includes DWP’s flagship Universal Credit benefit, the jobs and careers service, and “new style” benefits, such as New Style Jobseeker’s Allowance and New Style Employment and Support Allowance.
According to DWP’s advertisement, the successful candidate for the director job will be responsible for both the live running of services and their transformation, which it describes as “one of the biggest and most ambitious digital transformation programmes in Europe”.
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They will report to “service owner” for working-age services Will Garner, and be expected to provide “strategic and inspirational leadership” to a team of around 500 civil servants plus contractor and supplier colleagues.
DWP said the new director will also have a “ wider leadership influence” across 8,000 colleagues in the Digital and Transformation Group.
It describes the role as “a unique and career defining opportunity for a bold, collaborative and forward-thinking leader who thrives in a complex environment and is motivated by the chance to deliver meaningful change for society”.
The job description says the new director will “own delivery strategy”, delivering transformation outcomes and ensuring that processes, procedures, and technologies align to delivering improved user, policy, and business-related outcomes.
They will also be required to actively participate in DWP’s executive leadership of as it delivers “unprecedented change” to the welfare system.
DWP’s person specification for the role describes “significant experience of delivering high performing, transformational digital services at scale and to budget” among the must-haves, along with experience of adopting “innovative approaches to delivering and procuring services and managing relationships with suppliers”.
In the applicant pack for the role, service owner for working-age services Garner said the new director will be “right at the centre” of work to converge operating models to improve staff and user experiences in line with DWP’s Strategy for 2030.
“You will be joining a caring, talented and supportive team who are passionate about improving outcomes for our customers and constantly looking for better, smarter ways of working,” he said. “Curiosity, compassion and a focus on users are at the heart of how we operate. We’re looking for someone who can bring strong leadership and clarity, but also warmth, humility and the ability to inspire others.”
The director role is based at DWP’s Caxton House headquarters in central London.
Applications are open until 23:55 on March 9.
