Head of Data Capability

Details
Reference number

436210

Salary

£81,000 - £100,000

Substantive SCS1 Civil Servants will retain their current salary. Civil servants applying on promotion will usually be appointed to the salary minimum of eighty-one thousand, or within 10% of existing salary.

A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

GBP

Job grade

SCS Pay Band 1

Contract type

Permanent

Business area

DWP - Digital

Type of role

Digital

Working pattern

Flexible working, Full-time

Number of jobs available

1

Contents

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

Location

Birmingham, Blackpool, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Sheffield

Please note that for candidates requesting to work in Newcastle, this role will be based at Benton Park View, and then at 1 Pilgrim Place in Newcastle city centre by the end of 2027.

About the job
Job summary

DWP is looking to appoint a strategic and visionary Head of Data Capability to join our Digital and Transformation Directorate. This is a high-impact leadership role at the heart of our digital transformation, driving the development of data skills and capability across one of the UK's largest government departments.

Digital Group in DWP design services is based on user needs and are driving several major programmes of change where data is a key differentiator compared to the past. Delivery teams are accountable for test-driven development, business analysis, testing, Development Operations (DevOps), data modelling, repositories, analytics and visualisation as well as working closely with a security and data protection teams.

Our Digital products underpin the delivery of a wide range of Change Programmes including Universal Credit and Service Modernisation as well as Fraud, Error and Debt. Our challenges are to best support individual citizens gain financial support needed, prevent fraud, error and debt and maximise their ability to progress all whilst reducing the overall cost to serve.

DWP's ambition is to become a truly data-driven department, with one of its' three cross-cutting Delivery Objectives to enables services through our Strategic Enablers which includes Innovation, Technology, Data. A strong leader for the Data Practice is required to drive data professionalism, literacy and awareness across the Department.

For more information about DWP and this role, please see the Candidate Pack attached.

Here more about DWP

Virtual Engagement Session

Date: 18/11/25 Time: 10:30am - 11:30am

This virtual session is an opportunity for you to find out more about the role and what it's like leading the Finance directorate. You'll get the opportunity to hear directly from the vacancy holder, Paul Francis and HR Director Beverley Morton, who will provide an overview of the role and hold a Q&A session. Join session Here.

Job description

We are looking for an experienced data professional to head the Data Community of Practice for DWP. As the Head of Data Capability your responsibilities are:

• Skills and capability requirements: steering the roadmap of the data skills and capability needed across all areas of DWP for the Department to deliver its aims.
• Developing the Apprenticeship strategy for Data roles across Digital Group and DWP. Talent attraction: working closely with Central Recruitment teams on initiatives to drive DWP's competitiveness to attract skilled external talent;
• Internal mobility: encourage and facilitate the movement of existing DWP employees into data roles, by identifying individuals with high potential, addressing skills gaps through tailored development and promoting career advancement opportunities.
• Skills development: formation of a Data Academy with the aim of building a broad base of data talent; influencing the roadmap for internal and cross-government training initiatives to include an increasing focus on data literacy for all employees.
• Practice membership and culture: shaping the culture and success of the Data Practice through effective leadership to create a thriving community that fosters collaboration, innovation, inclusivity and continuous learning; designing an affiliate membership option to expand Practice community to include all interested DWP employees.
• Strategy and innovation: horizon scanning and bringing innovation from outside Government to support longer term DWP strategies.
• Data delivery: contributing to and supporting delivery of the Data and Analytics programme of change as part of the Senior Leadership Team.

Person specification

The successful candidate must be able to demonstrate their knowledge, experience and skills against the following essential criteria:

• Experience of leading a data and/or analytics function or profession in a large and complex organisation, such as financial services or retail.
• Strong and extensive background working in data roles managing risk related to data security, data protection and ethics.
• Strong and personable leader with evidence of contributing to or driving forward a skills agenda within the data space.
• A proven record of building, developing, and coaching diverse data teams whether data science, performance analysts or engineering teams.
• A proven track record of building partnerships with senior stakeholders in a matrix organisation. Communicating and presenting with conviction to persuade and influence others of the benefits of data skills and capabilities in the face of scrutiny, challenge and competing priorities for resource.
• Strong understanding of the analytics technology landscape (including cloud services and open-source technologies), including pace of change in the external environment and the need for skills to keep pace with this.

Desirable Criteria:

• Experience of setting up and/or leading a community of practice or equivalent.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Seeing the Big Picture
• Leadership
• Working Together
• Developing Self and Others

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £81,000, Department for Work and Pensions contributes £23,465 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

DWP have a broad benefits package built around your work-life balance which includes:

• Working patterns to support work/life balance such as compressed hours.
• Generous annual leave – at least 25 days on entry, increasing up to 30 days over time (pro–rata for part time employees), plus 9 days public and privilege leave.
• Support for financial wellbeing, including interest-free season ticket loans for travel, a cycle to work scheme and an employee discount scheme.
• Health and wellbeing support including our Employee Assistance Programme for specialist advice and counselling and the opportunity to join HASSRA a first-class programme of competitions, activities and benefits for its members (subscription payable monthly).
• Family friendly policies including enhanced maternity and shared parental leave pay after 1 year's continuous service.
• Funded learning and development to support progress in your role and career. This includes industry recognised qualifications and accreditations, coaching, mentoring and talent development programmes.
• An inclusive and diverse environment with opportunities to join professional and interpersonal networks including Women's Network, National Race Network, National Disability Network (THRIVE) and many more.

Things you need to know
Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles , and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

If you have the experience and energy to take on this stretching and demanding role, we would be very keen to hear from you.

To apply for this post, you will need to complete the online application process outlined below by no later than 23:55pm on 1st of December 2025.

• A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years;
• Three statements (maximum 500 words each) answering the 3 pre-defined questions stated in the Candidate Pack attached, explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities, and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the essential criteria in the person specification.

Failure to submit both documents will mean the panel only have limited information on which to assess your application against the criteria in the person specification.

For more information about the roles and the applications process, please see the candidate pack attached.

Reasonable Adjustments

At DWP we value diversity and inclusion and actively encourage and welcome applications from everyone, especially those that are underrepresented in our workforce. We consider visible and non-visible disabilities, neurodiversity or learning differences, chronic medical conditions, or mental ill health. Examples include dyslexia, epilepsy, autism, chronic fatigue, or schizophrenia.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should contact as soon as possible, before the closing date to discuss your needs. Complete the "Reasonable Adjustments" section in the "Additional requirements" page of your application form to tell us what additional support or adjustments you might need during the recruitment process.

For further information regarding reasonable adjustments, please see following link: Reasonable Adjustments , Civil Service Careers

Artificial Intelligence

For further information regarding the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) within applications, please see following link: Artificial intelligence and recruitment , Civil Service Careers

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

This role has a minimum assignment duration of 3 years. An assignment duration is the period of time a Senior Civil Servant is expected to remain in the same post to enable them to deliver on the agreed key business outcomes. The assignment duration also supports your career through building your depth of expertise.

As part of accepting this role you will be agreeing to the expected assignment duration set out above. This will not result in a contractual change to your terms and conditions. Please note this is an expectation only, it is not something which is written into your terms and conditions or indeed which the employing organisation or you are bound by. It will depend on your personal circumstances at a particular time and business needs, for example, would not preclude any absence like family friendly leave. It is nonetheless an important expectation, which is why we ask you to confirm you agree to the assignment duration set out above.

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.

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 : SCS Resourcing Team
• Email :

Recruitment team

• Email :

Further information

What do I do if I want to make a complaint?

The law requires that selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles.

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

If you are not satisfied with the response, you receive you can contact the Civil Service Commission.

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