Head of Delivery Management

Details
Reference number

436272

Salary

£75,275 - £87,521

£83,027 - £87,521 for London and £75,275 - £79,769 for other locations, based on capability. The base salary of this grade is £71,370 for London and £67,126 for other locations. Offers made above this will be made up with a specialist pay allowance.

GBP

Job grade

Grade 6

Contract type

Permanent

Business area

GDS - Products & Services

Type of role

Digital

Information Technology

Project Delivery

Working pattern

Flexible working, Full-time, Job share, Part-time, Compressed hours

Number of jobs available

1

Contents

• Location
• About the job
• Benefits
• Things you need to know
• Apply and further information

Location

Bristol, London, Manchester

About the job
Job summary

The Government Digital Service (GDS) is the digital centre of government. We are responsible for setting, leading and delivering the vision for a modern digital government.

Our priorities are to drive a modern digital government, by:

• joining up public sector services
• harnessing the power of AI for the public good
• strengthening and extending our digital and data public infrastructure
• elevating leadership and investing in talent
• funding for outcomes and procuring for growth and innovation
• committing to transparency and driving accountability

We are home to the Incubator for Artificial Intelligence (I.AI), the world-leading GOV.UK and at the forefront of coordinating the UK's geospatial strategy and activity. We lead the Government Digital and Data function and champion the work of digital teams across government.

We're part of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and employ more than 1,000 people all over the UK, with hubs in Manchester, London and Bristol.

The Government Digital Service is where talent translates into impact. From your first day, you'll be working with some of the world's most highly-skilled digital professionals, all contributing their knowledge to make change on a national scale.

The Government Digital Service (GDS), part of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), exists to help government create brilliant public services that empower people in the UK. We work at the very centre of government to drive digital transformation, focused on users in line with the blueprint for modern digital government.

The Products & Services Directorate (P&S) within GDS is responsible for the GOV.UK app, as well as common capabilities, products and tools for others to use and create great public services that are accessible, inclusive and easy to use:

• • GOV.UK app: building a personalised and proactive relationship with users, making it easier to interact with government
• GOV.UK AI: maximising opportunities of current technological advances to develop citizen facing AI experiences
• GOV.UK Mailbox, GOV.UK Pay, GOV.UK Notify, GOV.UK Forms and Emergency Alerts: building services once, to be used across government, local authorities and police forces

Join us for rewarding work that makes a difference across the UK. You'll solve some of the nation's highest-priority digital challenges, helping millions of people access services they need.

Job description

As Head of Delivery for the GOV.UK app, you will play a crucial role in ensuring the integrated and assured delivery of a complex range of product streams and capabilities. This portfolio includes the GOV.UK app, AI, communications and payments at national scale.

We seek a passionate Head of Delivery who thrives in fast-paced environments and possesses expert knowledge of Agile and other methodologies to enable national scale delivery at pace.

You will have the skills and experience to enable the strategic delivery of a multi-channel citizen experience ensuring portfolio performance, risk, matrix deliveries, cost and time constraints are considered and delivered against, alongside expertise in operational delivery. You will oversee program-level analysis to escalate, report, and communicate plans and changes to key stakeholders.

As a Head of Delivery Management you'll:

• manage a complex roadmap and backlog for nation scale products
• manage dependencies across a range of areas including Legal, Data Protection and Information Security, as well as across GDS, and with other government departments, including feeding into other programmes and portfolios
• confidently build strong relationships with key stakeholders across GDS and other government departments
• build credibility and confidence with senior stakeholders through clear communications and updates
• demonstrate in-depth knowledge of app development, Agile and other methodologies
• remove blockers and manage risks, commercials, budgets and people, acting as the initial escalation point for the programme
• support the Deputy Directors by overseeing the delivery of their vision for the programme
• lead on developing and implementing delivery methods that combine both permanent civil servants and other people and resources seamlessly, and to best effect

Person specification

For this role, you must demonstrate significant experience in:

• delivery of a public facing product / programme at national scale
• delivery of multiple streams within a product portfolio, minimising risk and optimising for success
• developing and leading high-performing teams through the full product life cycle, identifying and mitigating risks across all stages
• solving and unblocking issues between teams or departments at the highest level
• superpower levels of attention to detail
• managing stakeholder expectations and moderating discussions about high risk and complexity, even within constrained timescales
• It would be desirable if you have recent experience of leading app development and/or Ai programmes of work

Benefits
The benefits of working at GDS

There are many benefits of working at GDS, including:

• flexible hybrid working with flexi-time and the option to work part-time or condensed hours
• a Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 28.5%
• 25 days of annual leave, increasing by a day each year up to a maximum of 30 days
• an extra day off for The King's birthday
• an in-year bonus scheme to recognise high performance
• career progression and coaching, including a training budget for personal development
• paid volunteering leave
• a focus on wellbeing with access to an employee assistance programme
• job satisfaction from making government services easier to use and more inclusive for people across the UK
• advances on pay, including for travel season tickets
• death in service benefits
• cycle to work scheme and facilities
• access to an employee discounts scheme
• 10 learning days per year
• volunteering opportunities (5 special leave days per year)
• access to a suite of learning activities through Civil Service learning

Any move to Government Digital Service from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at

Office attendance

The Department operates a discretionary hybrid working policy, which provides for a combination of working hours from your place of work and from your home in the UK. The current expectation for staff is to attend the office or non-home based location for 40-60% of the time over the accounting period.

DSIT does not normally offer full home working (i.e. working at home); but we do offer a variety of flexible working options (including occasionally working from home).

Things you need to know
Selection process details

The standard selection process for roles at GDS consists of:

• CV and two application questions. As part of your application, you'll be asked to submit an anonymised CV demonstrating your previous work history. It is essential that your CV meets the skills and experience listed in the person specification above. You will also need to answer two application questions based on the person's specifications. Failure to submit your CV and complete the application questions may result in your application being unsuccessful.
• A 75-minute interview - we will assess you against the behaviour and competencies listed above and your experience. The interview will include the following elements:
• A presentation based on topic provided in advance
• A series of interview questions

Depending on how many applications we get, there might also be an extra stage before the video interview, for example a phone interview or a technical exercise.

In the event we receive a high volume of applications, we will conduct the initial sift against the lead criteria which is:

• Delivery of a public facing product / programme at national scale.

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 for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Please note that this role requires SC clearance, which would normally need 5 years' UK residency in the past 5 years. This is not an absolute requirement, but supplementary checks may be needed where individuals have not lived in the UK for that period. This may mean your security clearance (and therefore your appointment) will take longer or, in some cases, not be possible.

For meaningful checks to be carried out, you will need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time, to enable appropriate checks to be carried out and produce a result which provides the required level of assurance. Whilst a lack of UK residency in itself is not necessarily a bar to a security clearance, and expectation of UK residency may range from 3 to 5 years. Failure to meet the residency requirements needed for the role may result in the withdrawal of provisional jobs offers.

In the Civil Service, we use Success Profiles to evaluate your skills and ability. This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, increases performance and improves diversity and inclusivity. We'll be assessing your technical abilities, skills, experience and behaviours that are relevant to this role.

For this role we'll be assessing you against the following Civil Service Behaviours:

• Leadership
• Communicating and influencing
• Delivering at pace
• Making effective decisions

We'll also be assessing your experience and specialist technical skills against the following skills defined in the Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework for the Head of Delivery Management role:

• Agile and Lean practices
• Commercial management
• Communicating between the technical and non-technical
• Financial management
• Life cycle management
• Maintaining delivery momentum
• Making a process work
• Planning
• Team dynamics and collaboration

Want to know more about who Government Digital and Data are? Click Here

Recruitment Timeline ;

Every effort will be made to keep to the timeline but where this is not possible dates are subject to change

Sift completion: 28/11/2025

Panel Interview: Week commencing 8/12/2025

Candidates that do not pass the interview but have demonstrated an acceptable standard may be considered for similar roles at a lower grade.

A reserve list will be held for a period of 12 months, from which further appointments can be made.

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 and the Civil Service D&I Strategy.

Sponsorship

DSIT cannot offer Visa sponsorship to candidates through this campaign. DSIT holds a Visa sponsorship licence but this can only be used for certain roles and this campaign does not qualify.

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

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 .

See our vetting charter .

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)
• 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

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code 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 .

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 and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy .

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative.

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).

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 :
• Email :

Recruitment team

• Email :

Further information

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should contact GDS- in the first instance.

If you are not satisfied with the response you receive you can contact the Civil Service Commission by email: Or in writing: Civil Service Commission, Room G/8 1 Horse Guards Road, London, SW1A 2HQ.

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